Minneapolis Skyway System

[Sacrelicio]

Walking thru the Crossings skyway level the other day and I noticed that the must have been feeling the pinch of the remodeled neighbor to the south. Looks like they are finally working to remodel at least the Thread bare skyway level. I know that they lost at least one restaurant tenant and probably was going to lose more if they did not invest to update a 20+ year old design. Any one seen an schematics for the update?

They had a restaurant in there??

[amiller92]

This skyway will never be pretty, but my understanding is that the redesign of the plaza beneath the Washington Square building will include an external staircase linking the plaza to the skyway. That said, with a couple of notable exceptions, the skyways have always seemed made for those in the know. Do you think some regular users take a perverse pride in getting around where outsiders get lost, like the dwellers of an Old City who can make their way through the twists and turns of a casbah?

Yes.

Access to the street is a major issue. The Baker complex locks its street level-doors shocking early in the evenings. The stairway to the street by Thrivent is locked to the outside. The new elevator and street level lobby on the side of Latitude 45 is locked to the street (I was momentarily excited only too).

It's like they're trying to keep people out.

[Silophant]

Wait, L45 spent the money to put in a public skyway access w/elevator, totally separated from their internal spaces and connected only to the city-owned skyway, and it isn't even open to the public?

[MN Fats]

I toured lat45 and their only connection to the skyway requires a residential key from inside the building. From the skyway side there is a callbox similar to what you find at most apartments' front entries.

[Wedgeguy]

Walking thru the Crossings skyway level the other day and I noticed that the must have been feeling the pinch of the remodeled neighbor to the south. Looks like they are finally working to remodel at least the Thread bare skyway level. I know that they lost at least one restaurant tenant and probably was going to lose more if they did not invest to update a 20+ year old design. Any one seen an schematics for the update?

They had a restaurant in there??

Yes the Crossing as like 4 restaurant spaces with a 2 grab and go places like Dagwood sandwiches and a popcorn place so those would make 6 spots you can get food to grab and go or 4 you can sit down at.
You can get from the skyway to the so called public elevator in L45 to go to the street from the skyway. But like you I was shocked one cold evening when I tried to get in at street level and then saw the pass code swipe when it was locked and said to myself, WTF!

[Sacrelicio]

Walking thru the Crossings skyway level the other day and I noticed that the must have been feeling the pinch of the remodeled neighbor to the south. Looks like they are finally working to remodel at least the Thread bare skyway level. I know that they lost at least one restaurant tenant and probably was going to lose more if they did not invest to update a 20+ year old design. Any one seen an schematics for the update?

They had a restaurant in there??

Yes the Crossing as like 4 restaurant spaces with a 2 grab and go places like Dagwood sandwiches and a popcorn place so those would make 6 spots you can get food to grab and go or 4 you can sit down at.
You can get from the skyway to the so called public elevator in L45 to go to the street from the skyway. But like you I was shocked one cold evening when I tried to get in at street level and then saw the pass code swipe when it was locked and said to myself, WTF!

I thought you meant the Washington Square building. The Crossings was already remodeled somewhat recently, wasn't it?

[amiller92]

Wait, L45 spent the money to put in a public skyway access w/elevator, totally separated from their internal spaces and connected only to the city-owned skyway, and it isn't even open to the public?

It's open to the public (or at least to me) from the skyway, but not from the street.

It's not totally separate, though, as if you had a access card you could get in to the building, or so it looked.

[grant1simons2]

It's the same thing for Nic on Fifth. Open from the skyway down, but not from the ground to the skyway.

[Wedgeguy]

You are thinking the building to the south where Andrea Pizza and those 4 restaurants are located. Crossings is right now stripping off old wallpaper and getting ready for what I think is a 2016 investment tax write off. But it does need to be updated as it looks terrible compared to the recently remodeled building to the south or they stand to lose more tenants on the skyway level. Let's just say it is not an appealing section of skyway to walk thru compared to others in the city.

[amiller92]

It's the same thing for Nic on Fifth. Open from the skyway down, but not from the ground to the skyway.

Hm. I thought I went back in that door by the escalator, but maybe not. I have to wonder if it will stay that way if they ever fill their skyway-level retail space.

[grrdanko]

Wait, L45 spent the money to put in a public skyway access w/elevator, totally separated from their internal spaces and connected only to the city-owned skyway, and it isn't even open to the public?

It's open to the public (or at least to me) from the skyway, but not from the street.

It's not totally separate, though, as if you had a access card you could get in to the building, or so it looked.

Nic on Fifth's skyway is open to the street. The entrance is on 5th next to the light rail platform. There is even a sign on the door that says it's unlocked during skyway hours.

[grant1simons2]

Hmm. Everytime I've tried to use it, its been locked. I could be using it right after skyway hours though.

[relux]

New skyway segment between the stadium and wells fargo towers (via the new parking ramp).

[mattaudio]

It's 2016 and we're still installing that dated signage? I also doubt it meets ADA legibility requirements.

[trigonalmayhem]

Seriously what is with the fake watery-looking background? I thought that was just on some of the old signs because they had zero idea how design was supposed to work and it was a cobbled-together semi-private disaster for signage. Is that actually a design standard for the skyways?

[relux]

Funny, that was my first thought as well. The signage is horrendous and never expected new segments to have the same old signage. I think the city could use a rebranding of the skyways.

[Nathan]

I love how post modern those signs are. It totally screams skyway to me. Their 80s and 90s heyday. Absolutely love them.

[relux]

I've seen these signs in a couple different places now, and not at all near each other either. This one pictured, from the wrong side of Washington, in the commercial building next to The Churchill Apartments. Just yesterday I saw an identical sign (yellow too) in a building off 4th Ave S (don't remember if it was Thrivent or 701 3rd Ave or Accenture Tower).

Weird to see these signs at the very fringes of the skyway network (two distant corners too) but not at all in the heart of the system.


IMAG1262 by twincitizen, on Flickr

Here is an actual map with this design in the TCF Bank building. It's amazing how many times I see people standing at this sign and you can tell they have no idea what they're looking at.


Directly across from the map above there is a "TCF 1929" piece of art built into the brick. A few months ago they covered this with a new light box with the map below. As of today the light box is still there but the map is now gone. The map across from it is still there though.


In the 330 South Second building there is yet another map, probably the best one i've seen thats actually in the skyways.

[relux]

Seriously what is with the fake watery-looking background? I thought that was just on some of the old signs because they had zero idea how design was supposed to work and it was a cobbled-together semi-private disaster for signage. Is that actually a design standard for the skyways?

From the "MINNEAPOLIS SKYWAY SYSTEM - Standards and Procedures Manual" ugh
Unless otherwise noted, all signage will adhere to the policies and procedures contained in Minneapolis Skyway Signage Standards (dated September 2000), which was authored by the Skyway Advisory Committee and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and is administered by the City of Minneapolis Public Works Department. Specifically, all buildings that incorporate new skyways into the system shall adhere to the "Blue Waters Signage Package."

[trigonalmayhem]

The City of Minneapolis Public Works Department strikes again ):<

Can we get them to round off some of the corners in the skyway system so we can take turns faster?