Nicollet Mall

Lore & Background

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. 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. With hopes to solve social problems in the Gateway District, city officials began ordering improvements in the 1950s, culminating in the Gateway Center Urban Renewal project, approved in 1958. Demolition began in 1959. In response to changing shopping habits and the opening of Southdale Center in 1956, the Downtown Council adopted a plan for the mall in 1962, approved by the Minneapolis City Council. Construction began in 1967 and was completed in November 1967 at a cost of $3.875 million. The mall was originally an eight-block, 3,200-foot stretch converted into a curving, tree-lined mall closed to automobile traffic. It was renovated in 1990 with parts of the underground portion rebuilt at a cost of $22 million. A two-year, $50-million renovation started in summer 2015, adding green space and pedestrian amenities, and the mall reopened in November 2017.

In Their Own Story

Late August, a Friday. The sun is low and turning the brick of Nicollet Mall the color of a well-worn glove. A woman in a Twins cap pushes a stroller past a hot-dog cart, the kid inside banging a tiny plastic bat against the stroller bar in time. Two guys in matching pinstripes argue about the last trade deadline, voices carrying over the murmur of the crowd. The smell of charcoal and pretzel salt drifts from a food stand three blocks south. Somewhere past the mall, past the North Loop warehouses with their painted murals, the distant thump of a bat in a batting cage echoes off concrete. The woman in the cap checks her phone, locks it, and starts walking south. The stroller rattles over the brick. The city is getting ready for first pitch.

Reader's Guide

Nicollet Mall is served by many Metro Transit buses, including high frequency routes. Only buses, Metro Mobility vehicles, bicycles, pedicabs, and emergency vehicles are allowed on the two-lane street. With 635 trips on Routes 10, 11, 17, 18, and 25 every weekday in 2023, it is the busiest transit corridor in Minnesota. Vehicle speeds are limited to 10 miles per hour. Light rail service connects at Nicollet Mall station at 5th Street, providing access to the Metro Blue Line and Green Line. Bus rapid transit connects at 7th-8th Street & Nicollet station, providing access to the Metro C Line and D Line. Local Routes 10 and 18 provide free trips along Nicollet Mall from the Minneapolis Convention Center to Washington Avenue. The Loring Greenway links the south end of the Mall to Loring Park. Notable buildings include the IDS Center, the former Dayton's flagship store, Orchestra Hall, the Minneapolis Central Library, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. The studios and offices of WCCO are on the southern part of the Mall. Target Corporation and US Bank have headquarters along the Mall.

Did You Know?

• Nicollet Mall is known as the first transit mall and pedestrian mall in the United States.
• The original 1967 design was done by Lawrence Halprin Associates, while the 1990 redesign was done by BRW, Inc.
• The 2015–2017 renovation was led by James Corner Field Operations, who also helped design the High Line in New York City.
• The Holidazzle Parades were held on Nicollet Mall from the early 1990s until 2013, when they were replaced by a German-style Christmas market called 'Holidazzle Village'.