Mall of America - Bloomington

[PigsEye]

I kinda think wayfinding could have been done easily but adding some very subtle accent colors such as a blue, red, silver, and green for each wing of the existing mall. Plus perhaps gold for the expansion segment? I'm not suggesting painting the entire thing in the color just perhaps an accent tile ever 20 ft. and a thin 3-4 in color strip on the wall. I don't think they value a wayfinding design for whatever reason. Perhaps it's because the mall is only a regional mall and not a national tourist destination. Plus having shoppers getting lost means more time wandering around in the mall equals more shopping time which in return means more sales.

I wouldn't think the transit station would be a priority. My guess is they will be working on it this next spring once the new wing of the mall is open. It sounds much nicer way to attract new tenants stating your are redoing the transit connection, instead of having potential tenants visiting the remodel station and asking... "is this it?" and being obviously underwhelmed. Plus it would better fit into the news cycle to keep the mall "always expanding" Also could help turn focus away from low occupancy if that were to happen which was suggested in a recent article they were decreasing expectations. It's best they delay it until 2016 at the very earliest if not 2016 summer.

[MNdible]

I believe the transit station has an RFP out for design services even as we speak.

Yep, here it is.

[HiawathaGuy]

I believe the transit station has an RFP out for design services even as we speak.

Yep, here it is.

Thanks for posting this update! I use the MOA transit hub multiple times a week taking the train to/from there after transferring to/from my bus. I'm curious to see if the full build-out plans they've shown are what they plan to do with this RFP. I've been doing that commute since 2004 and cannot wait to see this place get a redo!

[exiled_antipodean]

I don't think they value a wayfinding design for whatever reason. Perhaps it's because the mall is only a regional mall and not a national tourist destination. Plus having shoppers getting lost means more time wandering around in the mall equals more shopping time which in return means more sales.

Department stores in the early twentieth century, and malls now, deliberately set up their space so that you can find more things to buy, but it's always a little unclear how to get out and stop shopping. It's deliberate ambiguity.

[sdho]

I dunno about being underwhelmed by the new transit station. Have you seen the visualization? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8pkTowqshc

It's a pretty drastic improvement. I hope they also improve the finish quality and lighting for the outside portion -- in the ramp. It's bright enough to see fine now, but it just feels like a creepy parking garage. If they did more consistent lighting, up-lighting, or even post lights from the sidewalk, that could give it a nicer feel.

The direct connection to 24th and into the mall proper is probably the best part, though. Plus avoiding the ridiculous security gate that delays buses from entering.

[PigsEye]

I don't think they value a wayfinding design for whatever reason. Perhaps it's because the mall is only a regional mall and not a national tourist destination. Plus having shoppers getting lost means more time wandering around in the mall equals more shopping time which in return means more sales.

Department stores in the early twentieth century, and malls now, deliberately set up their space so that you can find more things to buy, but it's always a little unclear how to get out and stop shopping. It's deliberate ambiguity.

haha indeed, I figured as such. Once in southern Minnesota I got lost in a Loves gas station. I just kept buy milk over and over for about half an hour before I found my way out. Ended up with 26 gallons of milk and 10 lbs of butter. I would recommend avoiding those stores as well!

[at40man]

The new Mall extension on the north side looks very nice and classy. Not sure how others feel about it, but I've been very impressed by the new white décor of the remodels sections of the mall. They have transformed the dark Victorian train shed look into one bright and classy place. North side still has a lot of work and demolition yet to get done. Would hope that it is finished before the Christmas selling season. But that might be asking a lot. But it looks like it will follow the décor of the other sections and be lots of white stone and tiles. The new extension will be a great addition.

Really? Completely disagree about the internal remodeling. Sure, the old stuff was 20 years old and perhaps needed some spiffying up, but I thought it was really helpful for wayfinding and just to provide a distinct sense of place in each part of the mall. I believe the "addresses" actually make reference to the former styles -- like American Apparel is 186 N Garden, Bloomington. It was a lot easier to tell what was the North Garden when it looked like a garden.

The new decor, while a nice finish quality, seems like a knockoff of the already-uninspired Southdale Center remodel. I think it'll look dated in 5-10 years, when of course, many tons of perfectly good tile can again go to some construction landfill to be replaced by something slightly different.

As for wayfinding, I wish they'd at least kept different color schemes, or some way to differentiate. I think there may be some differences with the light fixture/crystal things, but I haven't noticed a pattern.

I don't think it is a knockoff given that the Megamall started this renovation prior to Southdale's. It's just taken a lot longer since they've been going at it 1 section per year.

I did like the themed corridors, and do wish they had incorporated a bit more distinction. But you can spot the differences in tile colors and patterns, the general shape of each corridor, and the hanging light fixtures (which are used in the corridor that doesn't get natural light). I'm not so much a fan of how they painted the ceiling of the South Street Dining beige -- I liked the midnight blue with tiny pot lights that were reminiscent of an evening sky.

4th floor needs some pizzazz. It's just too dull. It kills me to see skylights above the new angled ceiling panels. I'm glad, though, that the carpet is gone in this area and all areas of the mall. The place gets far too much traffic to have vast expanses carpet.

Overall, I like the new look. It is bright and airy.

[Rube Dali]

Burger King, Qdoba, Great Steak, Panda Express and A&W are now open in the Culinary on North area, so it looks like most of the old food court will re-open. Meatball Spot and Little Tokyo, plus the new Piada space haven't opened yet.

[TroyGBiv]

Wasn't the new food court supposed to have more upscale restaurants? The new stores were also supposed to be high end - but a couple of my retail peeps said that word is they are having a real trouble securing many (any?)... Ridgedale is very attractive with the new Nordstroms and Rosedale is still extremely profitable... Seems like the south court at MOA has the most upscale retailers...

[HiawathaGuy]

First part of Mall of America's new $325M addition opens
http://www.startribune.com/part-of-mall ... 4570981/#1

The brass accents are odd to me, but the rest of the space looks very inviting and nice. I like the wall of windows overlooking IKEA and the airport.

[HiawathaGuy]

Mall of America unveils another addition with luxury retail, hotel, offices
http://www.startribune.com/mall-of-amer ... 330283081/

"The Mall of America is about to get bigger, again.

TripleFive Group and Ryan Cos. submitted new plans to the City of Bloomington for the mall’s next expansion phase that will add more than 1 million square feet and will be connected by a multistory bridge across Lindau Lane. If approved, construction would begin as early as April with a grand opening scheduled for the fall of 2018."

The mall must be feeling very confident in their marketing and their business! Kudos.
I love that our mega mall is such a better looking mall than the sister in Canada. It'll be interesting to see plans.
But retail, office, hotel and residential... I love it!

[HiawathaGuy]

Images from Star Tribune:

View From Southest (Lindau Lane underpass is on the left)


View From Northwest (I hope they don't have benches that close to vehicles! )


East Atrium


Collections Boulevard

[HiawathaGuy]

Better Article, with more location information. Still no IKEA connection, sadly.
Interesting to see that they are screening the multi level parking ramp, at least the south Lindau Lane side. Curious if they'll wrap the whole thing? If so, I wonder if they may continue that trend on the east and west facing existing ramps?

Mall of America submits plan for $500M expansion
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... -2016.html

[Rube Dali]

I'm guessing that the proposed Bass Pro Shop has been dropped, or is still in the future.

[FISHMANPET]

Images from Star Tribune:
East Atrium


Collections Boulevard

It's like people want dense walkable urban spaces but just can't quite get themselves there mentally. So we build these caricatures instead.

[VacantLuxuries]

What struck me as weird when I went to check out the newest addition was all the parking and landscape work done on land they already planned to build over the next year. Why bother?

[HiawathaGuy]

What struck me as weird when I went to check out the newest addition was all the parking and landscape work done on land they already planned to build over the next year. Why bother?

Agreed. But it may have been a Bloomington requirement. Especially if they didn't think they were going to build IIB for a while. I guess economics must be good.

The Biz Journal article mentions that the MOA also discussed the final IIC phase. On that detailed layout, the only IIC mention is another hotel. So I was confused if any of those other surface parking lots they show will be space used later, or just left that way. I suppose time will tell. But it really seemed odd that they weren't going to add a connection to IKEA. Nor does it seem as though they plan an indoor ice rink (maybe that's a moot point now with St. Paul? - but one would tell me tourists would use it). I also found it odd that there's no mention of the waterpark either. There are so many hotels going up around MOA. If they're going to venture into adding more - I would have expected it to cater to a clientele that was unique. I guess I'm not in the know.
I also really thought a Bass Pro Shop would be a perfect addition to the mall. Especially given the push for these "high end" retail destinations. Give the husbands of all those shopping ladies a place to play too. Is that sexists?

[HiawathaGuy]

It's like people want dense walkable urban spaces but just can't quite get themselves there mentally. So we build these caricatures instead.

*See Las Vegas.

If The Shops At West End or the Lifestyle Center in Maple Grove were covered with all glass, I think more people would venture to them for shopping, especially year-round and for longer lengths of time.

[acs]

As if downtown retail wasn't hurting enough, leave it to Bloomington and Triple 5 to put the final nail in the coffin.

[HiawathaGuy]

As if downtown retail wasn't hurting enough, leave it to Bloomington and Triple 5 to put the final nail in the coffin.

I don't agree at all. Downtown can and will never compete with MOA - even if they did nothing. That ship sailed 20+ years ago.

Downtown is growing, fast. So in theory, there should be a natural infill of desired shopping places for that area.

I don't think MOA is trying to attract those people to their doors, or the 160,000 downtown workers. They clearly are marketing these expansions to tourists. I think it's smart, and I think it benefits us all as a metro region. Especially since the Blue Line connects the two.

What I do think should happen though, is that this should convince someone downtown, to build something that makes those tourists want to go there! I think the Riverworks Project is a great step. But there needs to be something to allure the masses into downtown more. A tall observation area... something!

But to blame Tripple 5 or Bloomington for expanding there seems a bit misplaced. That's their right.