New Target Building - (1001 Nicollet Mall)

[Andrew_F]

I had a conversation this weekend with a friend of mine who works for a major national developer/property management company that has strong holdings in the Twin Cities. He brought up that they had lost a major contract for this site. I didn't want to press him about height or a time frame, but it looks like Target and Ryan Cos are very actively planning a tower on this block.

[min-chi-cbus]

It must look much better in person, because the pics on here aren't doing it justice for me. It looks like somebody put some cheap-looking couches and Target accessories in an abandoned warehouse and put a crystal ball up high to distract the scene. I guess that's not the impression it's leaving on others, so I'll wait to see it in person before final judgement.

[min-chi-cbus]

I had a conversation this weekend with a friend of mine who works for a major national developer/property management company that has strong holdings in the Twin Cities. He brought up that they had lost a major contract for this site. I didn't want to press him about height or a time frame, but it looks like Target and Ryan Cos are very actively planning a tower on this block.

It sounds like they LOST the contract for the site though.....does that mean they were the primary GC but failed to strike a deal, bringing the development back to square one, or that they were one of several large developers/GCs that were vying for some undisclosed project and were merely hacked as part of the vetting process?

Interesting news for sure, but it's hard to get overly excited about anything that Target says or does anymore without adding a HUGE grain of salt!

[Andrew_F]

I believe that they were one of several developers competing for the project, which was given to Ryan.

I don't really know anything else about it. I don't know anything about the scope or content of the contract other than that it was for an office tower with Target on this block. We could just be talking about long-term planning that might never amount to anything. I don't know.

[John]

I had a conversation this weekend with a friend of mine who works for a major national developer/property management company that has strong holdings in the Twin Cities. He brought up that they had lost a major contract for this site. I didn't want to press him about height or a time frame, but it looks like Target and Ryan Cos are very actively planning a tower on this block.

Yes, someone else mentioned earlier a tower of 60+ stories as a possibility. If Target is really planning to build a skyscraper here, I'm sure they are toying with the idea of building the tallest building in town. If that happens, then my next question is where would WCCO relocate?. If I had it my way, I'd put down their new location smack dab in the middle on the renovated Block E complex. I can't help but think of that as the logical and ideal location for them to relocate!

[seanrichardryan]

'CCO wouldn't have to move.

[John]

'CCO wouldn't have to move.

I'm going by some of the heresay earlier on this forum and thread that Target is planning to buy the 'CCO building as part of it's expansion plans across the street from its current headquarters. In some ways, I would rather have the TV station stay as is . It's a great building. But if Target buys the space, I think WCCO would fit in great as part of the Block E renovation. Just conjecture on my part.

[Didier]

I actually had lunch with an executive at the Oceanaire yesterday and he or she assured me that high-level sources confirmed only half of the WCCO building is in question to potentially be removed when Target may or may not built a tower rumored to be between 30 and 90 stories on this site.

[John]

I actually had lunch with an executive at the Oceanaire yesterday and he or she assured me that high-level sources confirmed only half of the WCCO building is in question to potentially be removed when Target may or may not built a tower rumored to be between 30 and 90 stories on this site.

That would mean if WCCO stays put, they would have to radically alter the existing building and perhaps build a new addition on the southeast corner of the block that is now their plaza. That could happen. My guess is that if Target plans to build on part of the 'CCO building ( in addition to the parcels they already own) their new building will be very very tall.

[mattaudio]

Do I get credit for the idea of only taking half the building?

[mattaudio]

'CCO wouldn't have to move.

...I think WCCO would fit in great as part of the Block E renovation.

If the Strib has to move and CCO has to move, I could imagine some sort of media/studio hub at Block E as well. But I'd rather see one of the two suburban TV stations move to Block E. I don't mean the newspaper space and the station/studio space would be connected in any way, but I think just having two media tenants moving into Block E would really change the place for the better.

[1200onthemall]

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... oyees.html

8-10 years before anything happens.....

[John]

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... oyees.html

8-10 years before anything happens.....

Which is just fine with me. Our dynamic downtown will have plenty of new projects going up over the next ten years to keep us urban devlopment geeks happy! Julie Snow did such a fantastic job here. She masterfully retains some of the run down character of these buildings and transforms it into an urbane and hip urban space. It really enlivens the Nicollet Mall at this intersection.

[QuietBlue]

I like how the article referred to it as a "student union". As an ex-Target HQ employee, comparing it to a college certainly isn't much of a stretch.

[Lancestar2]

I like how the article referred to it as a "student union". As an ex-Target HQ employee, comparing it to a college certainly isn't much of a stretch.

careful! you almost used the word "union" in a sentence with the name of your past employer.

1


call me old fashion at age 26 but... don't most people just wan't to go to work and do a satisfactory to excellent job and not have to endure all these silly "team building" exercises? I don't think my online college classes are preparing me for a world of human chess nor do I think it's a good use of time or space! Has the world gone insane?

[min-chi-cbus]

^A little bit!

It's supposed to foster a creative environment I suppose. The research would show that a relaxed and fit mind is best for creativity, and so Target reads that news, follows what Amazon or Google did, and assumes the same should work there as well.

I personally can't wait for somebody to come up with the world's next greatest invention while taking a crap. That way, every company will brandish brand-spanking-new water closets where all of the "hip" kids will shit together and foster that same creativity!

But I personally think your head is on a sturdier platform, Lancestar.

[QuietBlue]

call me old fashion at age 26 but... don't most people just wan't to go to work and do a satisfactory to excellent job and not have to endure all these silly "team building" exercises?

IME, a lot of the people there (especially in Target Plaza, which has many of the youth-heavy departments) are looking for a sense of belonging and camaraderie as well. I don't think it's coincidence that many of them were in fraternities and sororities in college, and that's why I thought the student union metaphor the article used was very apt. For a lot of them, there isn't much separation between work and what they do outside of work -- indeed, that's pretty much expected of people. So, something like this makes a lot of sense for the company.

[Nathan]

call me old fashion at age 26 but... don't most people just wan't to go to work and do a satisfactory to excellent job and not have to endure all these silly "team building" exercises? I don't think my online college classes are preparing me for a world of human chess nor do I think it's a good use of time or space! Has the world gone insane?

Have you even looked into the headquarters of the most successful companies in The US/World? Target/Minneapolis is behind the 8 ball here. Great business happens around the water cooler. creating relationships with your vendors and reps, and making it a space where people feel at ease has become increasingly important for business.

This is an open forum space, not a space for 'team building' exercises which are usually mandatory. Those who wish not to use the space, don't. At Target if you get your work done, you get your work done, and that's what matters, not how you do it.

[Didier]

I guess I shouldn't try satire anymore in the "New Target Building" thread.

[Nick]

I guess I shouldn't try satire anymore in the "New Target Building" thread.

For what it's worth, I got the joke.