Gaviidae Common / Downtown YMCA

[mnmike]

I have more details, but it's more fun watching people overreact/speculate, especially on here.

Floors one and two will continue to have retail, with the Y retaining some portions of one and two.

Well that is just mean! But the atrium will not be destroyed?

[amiller92]

Yes. It will be a full service branch, including pool and gym.

Where will they put the pool?

[MplsErik]

The pool and gym will be on the 4th floor

Yes. It will be a full service branch, including pool and gym.

Where will they put the pool?

[xandrex]

Looks like the story was updated with an outside rendering.

[MplsErik]

Here's an image

[Nathan]

Goodbye beautiful post modern mall. Hello Y Y why.

[amiller92]

Can we just say no to the Ys?

[mnmike]

That seems...to be over the signage limit. The city wouldn't even let the Meet Minneapolis store have anymore signage than the sad little corner sign they have, and that required a special exception because of the Centerpoint signs on that building...will they allow all that? Hmm.

[MplsErik]

Very unlikely. You're looking at an initial sketch, not a submission to the city planners.

[grant1simons2]

I like the really big y, but it's overkill with the little ones. I think this could be a very interesting development highlighting how the mall is changing.

[seanrichardryan]

Gawd.

[minntransplant]

I'm really enthusiastic about this project. I walk through or by Gaviidae every day and it is always striking just how dead the building is despite being a central hub of the skyway system. I especially like the giant Y and hope that the feature remains (not sure about code issues or feasibility issues). It is basically public art, and I think having more interesting things to look at along Nicollet is a positive. This will truly be a flagship gym for the Y - not only for Minneapolis, but nationally.

[Silophant]

I like the glassy build-out of the 5th floor setback, but I'm not so sure how I feel about the giant Y.

I wonder if they can come up with a creative reuse of the upper skyway. Does anyone know if that's a part of RBC Plaza or Gaviidae?

[mattaudio]

Hopefully they can have something - ANYTHING - on the street level, which gives people (including non-members) a reason to interact with the building.

No comment so far on the pergola covering the sidewalk on Nicollet? Have we seen that in other plans?

[Silophant]

I think that's the "Light Walk" from the Nicollet Mall project, not a part of this project.

[TroyGBiv]

Walgreens would never accept that! It is clearly just a sketch - not a real proposal rendering.

[seamonster]

Walgreens is on the other end of the building. Note the double skyway in the rendering. This is the view being represented:
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9779243 ... 6656?hl=en

[eastharrietguy]

I hope the city nixes the giant "Y" signage. And I'm still unclear why they felt the need to move. Their current space is not THAT old and in a good location. Good luck finding a user for it.

[David Greene]

Here's an image

The mauling of the fourth floor just kills the feeling of the building. Ruins the proportions entirely. Not thrilled about that fifth floor either as it would look bad with the fourth floor in-tact, meaning it probably drove the changes to the fourth floor.

[Silophant]

So I split (probably) all of the YMCA posts off into this thread, since they're getting started with the renovation.

In addition to the tuckpointing or whatever they've been doing with the scaffolding on the Walgreen's end, they're demoing out everything above the second floor, in addition to the first- and second-floor former BMO Harris space on the 6th Street corner. Opens in early 2018, say the signs in the windows.