Extra Streetscaping on Nicollet Mall

That's why Minneapolis, so Ryan Cos. is taking some extra measures to make sure the streetscape it creates addresses aesthetic as well as practical considerations.

Ryan hired artist and landscape architect Brad Goldberg to develop a streetscape along three contiguous blocks of the Nicollet Mall where Ryan is building US Bancorp Center (800 Nicollet), the Nicollet Mall Target Store and the 900 Building (900 Nicollet), and Target Plaza (1000 Nicollet).

"With three connecting blocks, we have a unique opportunity to enhance the mall and make it as attractive to people as possible," says Jim Ryan, CEO of Ryan Cos. and member of the Minneapolis Beautiful Committee. "We sought a design that would raise the standard for public art and inspire continued enhancements along the length of the mall."

Also, the developer is building retail right on the Nicollet Mall, but stepping back the upper floors and adding balconies to some of them. It's part of Ryan's effort to create a feel that hearkens back to turn of the century downtown Minneapolis -- and minimizes the canyon effect sometimes creates by a row of tall office buildings that rise vertically right from the edge of the sidewalk, says Ryan official Colin Barr.

Streetscaping and public art at US Bancorp Center is the first phase of mall enhancements that will continue over 18 months. The US Bancorp Center streetscape, called "Continuum," incorporates a series of black granite stones, from raw boulders to smoothly polished cube forms, laid out in a circle that continues into the building's lobby -- a continuumbetween indoor and outdoor environments.

The stones rest on a "carpet" of black and patterned granite paving. Flanking the entrance are the three vertical monoliths, created from billion-year-old Rockville white granite quarried near Cold Spring, MN. A series of planters with solid granite stone bases, raised to seating height, hold gingko and serviceberry trees and native prairie grasses and wildflowers, providing a place to sit in the shade. The kiosk and bus shelter are being returned to their locations on the mall, updated with granite bases to match the planters.

The creation of "Continuum" on the mall at US Bancorp Center, which opened last year, is a collaborative effort, with major funds provided by property developer Ryan Companies. Cornerstone Properties, the company purchasing the property, also contributed to the commission of artwork and streetscape, as did US Bancorp. U.S. Bancorp Center serves as the new headquarters building for Minneapolis-based US Bancorp and US Bancorp Piper Jaffray.

"The Minneapolis Beautiful Committee is concerned about the quality of the experience that residents and visitors have with the mall," says Sam Grabarski, Minneapolis Beautiful Committee chair and MinneapolisDowntown Council president. "Brad Goldberg's design provides wonderful amenities such as additional public seating and more attractive plantings, and at the same time will encourage events and other happenings thatgive the mall character.