Nicollet Mall is an open-air pedestrian transit mall in downtown Minneapolis. It is an urban center of shopping centers, restaurants, bars, arts and entertainment.
Renovation and redesign 2017
After 28 months of construction, the mall completed a $ 50 million makeover in fall 2017. As the third renovation in 50 years, the new mall was designed by James Corner Field Operations, the masterminds behind the New York City’s famous High Line park. Nicollet was redesigned in hopes of injecting more than $ 100 million in new revenue, adding nearly 3,000 jobs downtown, and increasing property values in the area by $ 57 million. One of the most anticipated features of the redesign was the Nicollet lighting system, which includes the Light Walk, Nicollet Lanterns, and street lamps.
The Light Walk, a two-block-long aerial installation made of mirrored fins and programmable LED lights, brings light, color and movement to the Nicollet Center, and is the center of the area’s lighting event schedule.
History of the Nicollet shopping center
Nicollet Avenue has been downtown Minneapolis’s business district and civic “main street” for more than 100 years, ever since stores like the now-defunct Dayton opened in the early 1900s. He saw the transition from horse-drawn carriages to cars parked in front of its eclectic storefronts.
Nicollet Avenue’s fortune declined in the 1950s with the national trend of shopping malls and residential neighborhoods moving to the suburbs. Then, in the 1960s, airways were built throughout downtown Minneapolis, connecting offices and residential buildings and removing pedestrian traffic from city streets. These closed airways also kept people warm amid the cold cold Minnesota winters. The Minneapolis Skyway System is the largest contiguous system of closed bridges in the world, comprised of about eight miles of roads connecting 80 city blocks.
In 1968, in an effort to bring shoppers back to downtown Minneapolis, eight blocks of Nicollet Avenue were closed to automobile traffic and became the Nicollet Mall. Trees, benches, and street art were added as a nice landscaping touch to brighten up the area, and the sidewalks were expanded and curved to form a more pedestrian-friendly commercial area. These changes made Nicollet the first transit mall in the country, inspiring other similar malls to pop up in cities like Denver and Portland, Oregon.
Nicollet Mall is part of a thriving business district. The Minneapolis Central Library, an eye-catching modern building, anchors the north end, and Peavey Plaza is a busy public space at the south end. You can also take your own walking audio tour of Nicollet Mall to learn more about its important architecture and public art.
Purchases
True to a mall, there are plenty of opportunities for retail therapy here. Gaviidae Common, a two-block indoor mall, is on the east side of the 500 and 600 blocks of Nicollet Mall and has several independent stores, national retailers, and designer discount stores. Crystal Court, the lobby of the IDS Building, Minnesota’s tallest skyscraper, has more shops and restaurants. There is also a Target store. Every Thursday and Saturday during the summer, a farmers market operates at the Nicollet Mall.
Restaurants and bars
In addition to many chain restaurants and cafes, there are several independent places to eat and drink. Nicollet Mall’s most famous tenant, Brit’s Pub, is a great British pub with one of the best rooftop patios in the Twin Cities. The Local is a popular Irish pub a block from Brit’s, D’Amico and Sons is a popular Italian restaurant, and Barrio is a tequila bar and Mexican restaurant.
Entertainment and events
Peavey Plaza is the venue for free concerts on summer nights and weekends. Orchestra Hall, which shares the same block as Peavey Plaza, is home to the Minnesota Orchestra. In December, Holidazzle, a beloved Minnesota Christmas tradition, lights up the Nicollet Mall. There are many recurring events that can be found throughout the year at Nicollet. These include art pop-ups, farmers markets, street fairs, free concerts, free outdoor yoga and fitness classes, children’s stories, and annual plays at the amphitheater, called Teatro Nicollet in the Ronda.
How to get to the Nicollet shopping center: transit and parking
The Hiawatha light rail line has a stop at the north end of the Nicollet Mall. Several Metro Transit bus lines serve some or all of Nicollet’s shopping centers. If you drive, there is plenty of parking in downtown Minneapolis, but be aware that many of the lots are expensive.
