Xcel Energy HQ - 401 Nicollet

[Wedgeguy]

I'd agree with those two.... are they the only other two garages where the sidewalk slips in behind the ramps?

The Midwest Plaza (8th St Grill) above ground podium garage can also be accessed off Marquette. The exit is (IIRC IMHO Obv) a helix to the main level with an exit onto Marquette shared by the the underground contract parking. These entrances all conflict with the southbound bus lanes on Marquette. But I wonder if it would be possible to simply remove the access on 8th St.

Northstar on the other hand.... that entire 2/3 block podium, the Crowne Plaza hotel above on 2nd and the 11-floor Northstar Center above on Marquette.... prime redevelopment opportunity. There's very little redeeming about it on the inside as well, with the weird escalator situation to the food court and the skyway disconnect. It could be redeveloped with a wonderful open atrium for street & skyway level. Something like a one-tower version of US Bank Plaza would be a winner. Along with sidewalk improvements, activation of the Park/Star Tribune facade and eventual redevelopment of the Thrivent lots, this could make 7th St S a premiere east-west pedestrian corridor.

Centre Village has sidewalks that are stuck away from the street. But I think that one is only for an exit ramp that goes to Portland.

[mattaudio]

CentreVillage would be much more tolerable if the "US Bank Autobank" space was converted into a storefront, and the lower level parking egress was either routed to the primary parking egress along 8th, or behind the sidewalk and west onto 7th.

Interestingly enough, there's a street-level storefront on the 8th St corner - it's a bail bond office. Seems like bail bond offices like to locate in parking ramps. It's also telling that there's not a bail bond office in the Skyway.

Maybe it's time to siphon this discussion over into the Downtown Parking thread?

[lordmoke]

The ramp is coming down!

[Nick]

I talked to some folks while I was at the Nic on Fifth site earlier this week, and this is going to come down real slowly. Something about crushing the concrete on site to be recycled?

[seanrichardryan]

Concrete crushing is horrendously loud. Sorry Soo Line residents!

[Silophant]

[kellonathan]

Woohoo! Where is the champagne?

[mattaudio]

Welp there goes our tailgate opportunity....

[Minnekid]

WOOOO

[Nathan]

yesssssss!

[Silophant]

Welp there goes our tailgate opportunity....

Yeah. I really wasn't expecting this until summer.

[Suburban Outcast]

It's a shame that this didn't make it on the NRHP. The poop-colored concrete really brought a sense of vibrancy to the neighborhood.

[Nathan]

Maybe they need to make room for two cranes *crosses fingers* sooner than later...

[nordeast homer]

This was right after I was there with one of my boys. We spent some time watching this turd come down. A couple of people there thought it was going to just be a surface parking lot. I was happy to explain what was really going on.

[TroyGBiv]

I was never sure how they were going to take it down after the 4 Marq was started… plus the new Xcel building and 4 Marq will have basement walls that touch each other… likely that they will have to be built in tandem. That could explain the delay in the start of 4 Marq.

[froggie]

This project explains why that ramp was sitting empty 2 weeks ago when I was back in town.

I know a lot of forumers here are glad to see it go, but I'd like to point out that the ramp going away meant that every parking ramp/garage within a 4 block radius of the downtown library was full the day I checked. Made it very difficult for someone driving in who wanted to spend more than 2 hours at the library (so no on-street parking).

I gave up that day. Oddly enough, I wound up getting there a few days later by parking at the U (West Bank), getting a Go-To card (since I'd left my old one back in Norfolk), and hopping the 50 or 16 (one of each) to/from downtown. Probably wound up being cheaper since it only cost me $4 to park at the U.

As a side note, looked like a new parking ramp was being built on the Marquette side of that block?

[Silophant]

I'm afraid not. The 5th St side of that block is the Nic on 5th, and the 4th and Marquette corner is going to be the 4Marq building. They'll both have parking podiums, but I don't believe either will have public parking.

[nordeast homer]

I think he's talking about the east side of Nic, in which case you are correct Froggie.

[mattaudio]

As much as we hate this ramp, I just want to note that it actually has sidewalk-fronting retail. Back when I worked at Xcel, it was a Walgreen's. Yet newer ramps from the "skyway era" may have better aesthetics but are turds from the sidewalk perspective...
Leamington Ramp, Government Center Ramps, Orchestra Hall Ramp, ABC Ramps, etc. Even if these ramps were ugly and bad sidewalk neighbors, they were at least built before the era where we totally dismissed the concept of human beings walking along sidewalks.

[FISHMANPET]

On the other hand, that retail space had been abandoned for a looong time, and about all it looked good for was a nice place to go and be stabbed.

Kind of impressive from the picture how resilient the ramp is.