Mall of America, IDS Center Evacuated

MINNEAPOLIS-The Mall of America in Bloomington, World Trade Center in Downtown St. Paul, IDS Center in Downtown Minneapolis were all evacuated Tuesday in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and Pentagon in Washington, DC. Access tothe state Capitol in St. Paul was closely guarded.

Minutes after word of the attack, Chicago-based Zeller Realty Corp. decided to evacuate the 40-story World Trade Center in Downtown St. Paul, the tallest building in the city. The owners decided to follow emergency management procedures and close down the building, says Jim Gearen, a principal of Zeller Realty and head of its Minneapolis office.

All of the garages and loading dock areas were immediately closed, and evacuation proceedings were begun–a procedure that took a couple hours. Gearencompared it to a fire drill.

While the Landmark Tower in Downtown St. Paul was not evacuated this morning, some of the tenants told their employees to go home early. For instance, Solomon Smith Barney, with 30 brokers and 18 staff people, told its employees they could leave after they processed checks and other necessary paperwork. Financial markets were closed, and not much business was going to be transacted anyway, says Dennis Rowland, branch manager of the Solomon Smith Barney office.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 employees and mall walkers at the Mall of America, the largest shopping center in the country, were told to leave the building as a safety precaution.