urbanMSP

Mod note: This thread is for the new Thrivent building proposed for the block south of the Armory. (And the residential development sharing the block, if it happens at the same time). The existing Thrivent building, now owned by Hennepin County, and the parking ramp/apartment building proposed for the remainder of that block, can be discussed in the original thread.

Mod note again: Now that the Thrivent HQ is almost done, I'm just editing this thread title to reflect the Sherman apartment project on the south half of the block.

DMNA meeting tomorrow!

350-400K sq ft. General massing about 20 floors. North side of block. Skyway connected. Their art gallery at street level. Pocket park and main entrance NE corner on Portland. Only 2 curb cuts mid-block east-west. Future residential / hotel on south part of block.

Thrivent presentation happening now.
The building will be on the northern half-block, preserving the southern half-block for future development. They're hoping to get a partner to develop that space at the same time or shortly thereafter, so they can do a K-A style shared underground parking garage. They're planning on having a woonerf/courtyard area in the middle of the block, so the entire block will share two curb cuts, one in 5th and one on Portland. No surface parking in this woonerf, so that good.

The public features of the existing Thrivent building (public cafeteria, credit union, coffee shop) will be retained, and moved to the ground floor so they're actually visible from the outside.

They're envisioning it as a gateway to the skyway for East Town, so it should at least be an obvious, open street connection at 6th and Portland. Two connections, one across 5th to the new parking garage, one across Portland to HCMC.

Can’t wait to see this before I get excited.

So we're still facing a six story half block wrapped around a parking ramp on the east side of the current Thrivent block... At least this block will be of a more appropriate density...

Can't wait to see the renderings on this one. Twenty floors will be a nice height for this area and will take away another surface lot. It would be nice to see that parcel next to the HCMC ramp get filled in as well.

No skyway connection to the southern half of the block? This sounds like a decent proposal and well thought out. It's probably about as best as we could hope for.

Interesting skyway connection from the east end to the HCMC ramp. That leads me to believe they know more about that surface lot, or at least what the future 'hope' is, since that skyway comes in at nearly the middle of the block.

Interesting skyway connection from the east end to the HCMC ramp. That leads me to believe they know more about that surface lot, or at least what the future 'hope' is, since that skyway comes in at nearly the middle of the block.

I agree. It's also interesting that the connection to HCMC has been mentioned from the beginning. I wonder if there is a way the other half of the block might get some sort of upscale senior apartments?

They mentioned that they've been working with HCMC on the skyway connection, so HCMC must have at least preliminary plans for what they want to do with that lot.

I was kinda hoping that they'd build the new HQ on the 1/4-block lot and sell off the full block for development, but the inclusion of a skyway connection on the new parking ramp development was a pretty clear indication that the HQ was destined for the full block.

Off-topic: You never hear about it, but the most inconspicuous empty half-block downtown might be the undeveloped half of Accenture Tower block (333 South 7th St). Obviously that wasn't in the cards for Thrivent since they are developing property they already own, but I wouldn't be shocked if that Accenture property gets marketed for development in the near future.

Latest version of this is so disappointing

I don't know when plans will be publicly announced but lately the size is just not even close to what ya'll were guessing.

I swear if this is like a 3-4 story building I'm gonna be so pissed they didn't just incorporate that into the parking ramp project adjacent to their current building.

Like, did the ground plan they showed the DMNA change, or is it just shorter than the 20 stories predicted upthread? Because I won't be shocked if that's the case. There was a mention they were looking to downsize, and moving from a 20-story half-block building to a 20-story half-block building isn't really doing that.

I swear if this is like a 3-4 story building I'm gonna be so pissed they didn't just incorporate that into the parking ramp project adjacent to their current building.

5. Revised down from 16 near Christmas.

I swear if this is like a 3-4 story building I'm gonna be so pissed they didn't just incorporate that into the parking ramp project adjacent to their current building.

5. Revised down from 16 near Christmas.

Perhaps they should just move into RBC's current building and save the lot for later? They would have more exposure there and maybe they can find a space to open a credit union in the skyway. (I think they have credit unions.)

They want to build a new 5 story building on a lot they own in downtown? And people give them money to manage?

So what was the final proposal for the new Thrivent HQ? How many stories?

So what was the final proposal for the new Thrivent HQ? How many stories?

We don't know anything for sure yet. Semi-related MSP Business Journal is reporting that Thrivent added 300 jobs in 2017 with a current total of 1,352 employees.

Based on unofficial chatter around the office, I am hearing the building will be more than 5 stories. In addition I am hearing the new office will probably incorporate a collaborative open workspace concept. Again this isn't official, just what I have been hearing from other colleagues.

But who knows. We're all eagerly waiting to see the plans for the new design. Seems like it's taking forever.