Design Firm Selected To Redo Nicollet Mall
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A design concept has been selected for a proposed revamping of Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.
The City and the Minneapolis Downtown Council have picked James Corner Field Operations to redesign the Mall.
The company has worked on high profile projects in New York City and London.
Rybak has stated the goal for the project would be to make the 12-block main street an iconic merge of natural and urban, where the old world meets the new.
"Forty years ago, when downtowns were dying all over the country, Minnesota got a different idea. We said that our largest city with this incredible business community and all the assets of Minneapolis wouldn't just watch the city die," Rybak said. "In fact, we built a main street that was a model for others in the country and around the world."
Among the features included in James Corner Field Operations' proposal are a "crystal stairway" connecting the mall to the skyway level of the IDS Crystal Court, heated sidewalks and more space for bicyclists.
Two other design firms had bids in for the project.
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2015, and the city hopes to have Nicollet Mall done by 2016.
The makeover is estimated to cost around $40 million. Businesses along Nicollet Mall have agreed to help front the cost along with the city and state.
