Nicollet Mall

Image:051907-004-NicolletMall.jpg

Image:Skyway3.jpeg

By the beginning of the 20th century, Nicollet Avenue had defined itself as the city's primary shopping street, as department stores such as G.W. Hale Dry Goods Co. (opening 1867), Donaldson's (1881), and Dayton's (1902) all opened on this stretch.{{cite news|last1=Apgar|first1=Sally|title=Evolving mall|agency=Star Tribune|date=16 September 1996}} Elizabeth Quinlan, the first woman clothing buyer in the country, opened her store in the Young–Quinlan Building, also on Nicollet.{{cite web|title=Young Quinlan Department Store|url=http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/hpc/landmarks/hpc_landmarks_nicollet_mall_901_young-quinlan_department_store|access-date=24 May 2018|date=February 2007}}

The first commercial district in Minneapolis centered on the intersection of Nicollet and Hennepin Avenues, an area known as Bridge Square and later the Gateway District. As the city grew and the area became more congested, businesses started moving south from Washington Avenue. When Bridge Square arose in 1906, residents bought hay, dry goods, and supplies at the city market and small stores on Hennepin and Nicollet. Gateway Park replaced the Square in 1913, a green center with a classical pavilion, but was later razed in 1953.{{cite news|last1=Mack|first1=Linda|title=Library as gateway? Long ago Hennepin and Nicollet avenues converged in a public space called Bridge Square. That space is long gone, but its spirit might be renewed - and updated for the 21st century - in Minneapolis' downtown library project|agency=Star Tribune|date=16 January 2002}} Until demolition began in 1959, most of Gateway District remained: a notorious skid row, two parks, large commercial buildings, and hundreds of businesses. The district was seen as suffering from social problems due to the number of flophouses, pawnshops, burlesque theaters, and bars in addition to a high crime rate.{{cite news|last1=Nelson|first1=Rick|title=Skid Row revisited. A new book chronicles the life, death and renewal of the Gateway District in downtown Minneapolis|agency=Star Tribune|date=4 October 2002}}{{cite news|title=A gateway to a better downtown.|date=18 February 2015|url=http://www.startribune.com/a-gateway-to-a-better-downtown/292500331/|agency=Star Tribune}}

With hopes to solve these problems, city officials began ordering improvements on the area in the 1950s, culminating in the Gateway Center Urban Renewal project, which was approved in 1958 by unanimous City Council vote. Demolition began in 1959.{{cite news|last1=Millett|first1=Larry|title=Letting the Gateway go: Nearly 60 years after its demise, we still mourn Minneapolis' Gateway District. Maybe we shouldn't.|url=http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-notorious-gateway-district-was-razed-almost-60-years-ago-it-s-time-to-stop-mourning-its-loss/459751913/|access-date=24 May 2018|agency=Star Tribune|date=24 November 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Sorensen|first1=Tom|title=No more can a drunk hope to trudge the dank depths of the city's skid row|agency=Minneapolis Tribune|date=19 May 1979}} Simultaneously, American shopping habits had begun changing in the mid-20th century, resulting in shopping centers moving to the suburbs. Southdale Center, the nation's first modern enclosed shopping mall, opened in neighboring Edina in 1956. In response, several efforts were undertaken in order to help downtown compete for retail. One was the construction of the renowned skyway system; the second was the creation of Nicollet Mall.{{cite news|last1=Lindeke|first1=Bill|title=Nicollet Mall: As in the 80s, redo saw a need for skyway-street connection but abandoned it|url=https://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2015/05/nicollet-mall-80s-redo-saw-need-skyway-street-connection-abandoned-it|agency=MinnPost|date=29 May 2015}}

In 1962 the Downtown Council adopted a plan for the mall that was approved by the Minneapolis City Council. The project began construction in 1967 and complete in November 1967 at a cost of $3.875 million. The mall was originally an eight block, 3,200 feet, stretch of Nicollet Avenue that was converted into a curving, tree-lined mall closed to automobile traffic, with an 80-foot right-of-way. The mall was later renovated in 1990 with parts of the underground portion being rebuilt at a cost of $22 million.{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/a-new-nicollet-mall-it-s-a-contest/203189831/|title=A new Nicollet Mall? It's a contest|website=Star Tribune|access-date=2016-06-16}} The original mall had a curvilinear "S" curve alignment with a road width of 24 feet, while the renovated mall has a "C" curve alignment. The 1967 design was done by Lawrence Halprin Associates, while the 1990 redesign was done by BRW, Inc.{{cite web|url=http://www.interstatetraveler.us/Reference-Bibliography/Assessment%20for%20Mass%20Transit%20Minneapolis-St%20Paul%201976.pdf|title=Assessment of Community Planning for Mass Transit|volume=7—Minneapolis-St. Paul Case Study|date=February 1976| pages= Page 8 ("Metropolitan Setting")|publisher=Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress|access-date=2009-06-04}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9QchSbtSwlUC|title=Pedestrian Malls, Streetscapes, and Urban Spaces|last=Rubenstein|first=Harvey M.|date=1992-01-01|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780471546801|language=en}}

File:Nicollet Mall looking south in 2024.jpg

The summer of 2015 started a two-year, $50-million renovation of the mall. The improvements added additional green space, pedestrian amenities and connectivity to surroundings.{{cite web|url=http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/05/19/nicollet-mall|title=See it: Nicollet Mall's nearly final redesign|last=Staff|first=MPR News|website=www.mprnews.org|date=19 May 2015 |access-date=2016-06-17}} The redesign was led by James Corner Field Operations who also helped design the High Line in New York City. The mall reopened in November 2017.{{cite news |last1=Nelson |first1=Emma |last2=Smith |first2=Mary Lynn |title=Two-plus years in the making: Nicollet Mall back in business |url=https://www.startribune.com/after-more-than-two-years-of-construction-nicollet-mall-reopens-today/457964173/ |access-date=6 December 2023 |work=Star Tribune |date=November 17, 2017}}

File:NICOLLET MALL VIEWED FROM THE ROOF OF NORTHERN STATES POWER COMPANY-NO AUTOMOBILES ALLOWED - NARA - 551471.jpg

File:Nicollet Mall & 3rd st. bus stop SB.jpg

Nicollet Mall is known as the first transit mall and pedestrian mall in the United States, and it inspired the creation of such corridors in other cities, including Portland, Oregon and Denver, Colorado.{{cite book

| title = Transit-Friendly Streets: Design and Traffc Management Strategies to Support Livable Communities (TCRP Report 33)

| publisher = U.S. National Research Council (Transportation Research Board)

| year = 1998

| page = 8

| isbn = 0-309-06265-9 }} Civic and business leaders, including the Dayton Company and downtown Minneapolis business owners, were instrumental in this transition.

As a transit mall and pedestrian mall, Nicollet Mall is served by many Metro Transit buses, including several high frequency routes. Aside from buses and Metro Mobility vehicles, only bicycles, pedi-cabs and emergency vehicles are allowed on the two-lane street.{{cite web |title=Nicollet Mall Policy |url=https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/RCA/2892/18-Nicollet%20Mall%20Policy.pdf |publisher=Minneapolis City Council |access-date=6 December 2023 |date=November 21, 2017}} With 635 trips on Routes 10, 11, 17, 18, and 25 using Nicollet Mall every weekday in 2023, the street is busiest transit corridor in Minnesota. Almost 11,000 riders get on or off buses within the corridor. Vehicle speeds on the mall are limited to 10 miles per hour.{{cite web |title=Nicollet Mall Legislative Directive |url=https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/RCAV2/33651/Nicollet-Mall-LD-Report-December-2023.pdf |publisher=City of Minneapolis |access-date=6 December 2023 |date=December 4, 2023}}

Light rail service connects at Nicollet Mall station at 5th Street, providing access to the Metro Blue Line and Green Line. The Blue Line, opened June 2004, connects to the airport and Mall of America in Bloomington. The Green Line, opened June 2014, connects to the University of Minnesota and downtown Saint Paul. Bus rapid transit service connects at 7th-8th Street & Nicollet station, providing access to both the Metro C Line and Metro D Line. The C Line, opened June 2019, connects to Brooklyn Center. The D Line, opened December 2022, connects Brooklyn Center and the Mall of America. Local Routes 10 and 18 provide a free trips along Nicollet Mall from the Minneapolis Convention Center to the Washington Avenue.{{Cite web|url=https://www.metrotransit.org/free-ride-buses|title=Free Ride Buses - Metro Transit|website=www.metrotransit.org}}

Starting in June 2023, the city of Minneapolis began exploring removing buses from Nicollet Mall and only allowing pedestrians and bicycles. The street would function as more of a public plaza with regular event programming.{{cite news |last1=Lindeke |first1=Bill |title=Remove buses from Nicollet Mall. Downtown Minneapolis depends on it. |url=https://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2023/06/remove-buses-from-nicollet-mall-downtown-minneapolis-depends-on-it/ |access-date=11 June 2024 |work=MinnPost |date=9 June 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Norfleet |first1=Nicole |title=What's next for Nicollet Mall? Downtown Minneapolis depends on its revitalization. |url=https://www.startribune.com/whats-next-for-nicollet-mall-downtown-minneapolis-depends-on-it-daytons-retail-office-vacancy/600310310/ |access-date=11 June 2024 |work=Star Tribune |date=October 6, 2023}}

The Loring Greenway links the south end of the Mall to nearby Loring Park.

The Dayton's department store between 7th and 8th Streets was rebranded Marshall Field's in 2001, and then Macy's in 2006. It closed in 2017 and was renovated as an indoor shopping mall and office space. Renamed The Dayton's Project, the shopping center opened in 2021 with an open concept retail space on the first and second floor.{{cite web |last1=Abrams |first1=Caitlin |title=Dayton’s Project is Open for Shopping |url=https://tcbmag.com/daytons-project-is-open-for-shopping/ |website=Twin Cities Business Magazine |access-date=2024-01-01}} In late 2019, the original Dayton's signage, removed in 2001, was restored. The corporate descendant of Dayton's, Target Corporation, has a large presence on the Mall, with both its corporate headquarters at 10th Street and a two-level retail store at 9th Street.

National retailers and local boutiques cluster around several locations, namely the Crystal Court, Minneapolis City Center and Gaviidae Common located on the Mall, although most of these areas have seen business departures since 2020. Saks Fifth Avenue's Nicollet Mall location was the company's only store in the Twin Cities upon its closing in 2004. Discount store Saks Off 5th remained on Nicollet Mall until 2020; it was one of the largest Saks Off 5th stores in the United States. City Center has a handful of shops like GNC. Brooks Brothers reopened on the second floor of City Center after closing its store in Bloomington at the Mall of America,{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/is-downtown-minneapolis-retail-going-downhill/13757041/|title=Is downtown Minneapolis retail going downhill?|website=Star Tribune|access-date=2016-06-16}} and then closed in 2020. Gaviidae Center is home to the Downtown Minneapolis YMCA. Other shops are either local boutiques, specialty stores, or fast food eateries that operate almost exclusively during the weekday lunch hour. The Hyatt Regency and the Millennium Minneapolis hotels anchor the southern end of Nicollet Mall. Prominent hotels adjacent to the mall include the Westin, The Four Seasons, and the Marquette.

Over the years, Nicollet Mall has seen the closing of several national clothing brands, including Polo Ralph Lauren and Cole Haan, which was its only store in the Twin Cities. Cole Haan relocated to the Galleria in Edina. Additional closures included Gap, Banana Republic, Men's Wearhouse, Nordstrom Rack, and Marshalls. The Macy's downtown location was the division headquarters of Macy's North from 2006 to 2008 before it was integrated into Macy's East headquartered in New York City. Since 2000, the century-old local menswear store Hubert White has operated in the IDS Center,{{Cite news|url=http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/Blogs/Twin-Cities-Style/Hubert-White-Celebrates-100-Years-of-Business/|title=Hubert White Celebrates 100 Years of Business|access-date=2018-04-24|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.startribune.com/hubert-white-celebrates-a-century-in-business/374303871/|title=Hubert White celebrates a century in business|work=Star Tribune|access-date=2018-04-24}}{{cite web |last1=Fedor |first1=Liz |title=Inside Hubert White, Downtown’s Retail Survivor |url=https://tcbmag.com/inside-hubert-white-downtowns-retail-survivor/ |website=Twin Cities Business Magazine |access-date=2024-01-01}} selling upscale men's clothing, mainly by Ermenegildo Zegna.

File:Harris Minneapolis 20190817.jpg

In addition to Target Corporation, Fortune 500 companies U.S. Bancorp and Xcel Energy have their headquarters on Nicollet, while WCCO-TV (CBS Channel 4) is located on the southern part of the Mall. A block south of the TV station is one of the oldest buildings on the mall, Westminster Presbyterian Church. The church has been located at three locations on Nicollet since 1860.

While Nicollet Mall is no longer the retail destination it once was, future revitalization plans continue to spark discussion amongst local lawmakers and business interest groups.{{cite web |last1=Norfleet |first1=Nicole |title=What's next for Nicollet Mall? Downtown Minneapolis depends on its revitalization. |url=https://www.startribune.com/whats-next-for-nicollet-mall-downtown-minneapolis-depends-on-it-daytons-retail-office-vacancy/600310310/ |website=Star Tribune |access-date=2024-01-01}}

The Holidazzle Parades were a series of evening parades on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. The parades were held from the day after Thanksgiving until a couple days before Christmas. The event started in the early 1990s to increase business for downtown stores.{{cite web| title =Join Us at the Macy's Holidazzle Parade| publisher =Emergency Foodshelf Network| url =http://www.emergencyfoodshelf.org/EventsAndNews/UpcomingEvents/EventsItem.aspx?pkID=237| access-date = 2007-12-24}}{{cite web| title =Holidazzle parades begin tonight| work =Star Tribune| url =http://www.startribune.com/local/11918256.html| access-date =2007-12-26| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071226081449/http://www.startribune.com/local/11918256.html| archive-date =2007-12-26}}

Macy's, sponsor of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and the Celebrate the Season Parade in Pittsburgh, was a sponsor, as was Minneapolis–based Target.

In 2013, organizers announced the parades would be discontinued in favor of a new German-style Christmas market called "Holidazzle Village".{{cite web |date=25 September 2014 |title=New Holidazzle Market Coming To Downtown Minneapolis |url=http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/09/25/new-holidazzle-market-coming-to-downtown-minneapolis/ |access-date=2016-06-17}} Located on Nicollet Mall at Peavey Plaza during its first two years, the village features live music, fireworks and local and international vendors. It moved in 2015 to Loring Park and runs during a period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.{{cite web|last=Sawkar |first=Vineeta |url=http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/281799281.html |title=Holidazzle Village with carousel, shops opens this afternoon |publisher=StarTribune.com |date=2014-11-28 |access-date=2018-04-24}}

A fictionalized version of the parade appeared in the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Jingle All The Way. The parade event in the movie was called the "Wintertainment Parade," was shown occurring during the day instead of at night, and was not shot in Minneapolis, although much of the film was shot locally.{{cite news |last1=Kimble |first1=Lindsay |title=The 'Toy Story' Connection And 6 Other Things You Didn't Know About 'Jingle All The Way' |url=https://uproxx.com/movies/jingle-all-the-way-fascinating-facts/ |access-date=3 November 2021 |work=UPROXX |date=20 December 2018}}

The mall is featured in The Mighty Ducks when the team goes rollerblading.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104868/locations|title=The Mighty Ducks (1992) - IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}}

File:Target-Corp-ceiling.jpg

The tam o'shanter cap toss by television character Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) in the opening credits of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was filmed on Nicollet Mall, in front of what was then the flagship Donaldson's department store. In 1999, Entertainment Weekly named this scene the second greatest moment of television history. The Mall was also the setting of numerous location shots during the run of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

In May 2002, a bronze sculpture of Moore's character, created by Gwen Gillen and commissioned by TV Land, was dedicated at the corner of 7th Street and Nicollet Mall.{{cite news|title=Gwendolyn Gillen, 76, Wis. artist who cast Mary Tyler Moore sculpture |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2017/02/09/gwendolyn-gillen-wisc-artist-who-cast-moore-sculpture/fSg3nRQGmIQbNmCr01SW8H/story.html |work=Boston Globe |date=2017-02-10 |access-date=2017-02-27}} Gillen's design was chosen from a group of 21 sculptors who submitted applications for the sculpture.{{cite news|first=Sarah |last=Hauer |title=Obituary: Gwen Gillen created Mary Tyler Moore bronze |url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2017/01/31/gwen-gillen-created-mary-tyler-moore-bronze/97253358/ |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=2017-01-31 |access-date=2017-02-27}}

• List of shopping streets and districts by city

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111108215926/http://www.hclib.org/pub/search/specialcollections/minneapoliscollection.cfm Hennepin County Library History of Minneapolis]
• [https://nicolletmallart.org/ Nicollet Mall Public Art]
• [http://www.holidazzle.com/ Holidazzle Parades official Web site]

{{Twin cities shopping malls}}

Category:Shopping districts and streets in the United States

Category:Buildings and structures in Minneapolis

Category:Economy of Minneapolis

Category:Pedestrian malls in the United States

Category:Streets in Minneapolis

Category:Tourist attractions in Minneapolis