^ Yes. Although certainly not beloved for its design it had its place in stadium history: The only stadium to host the Super Bowl, World Series, NCAA Final Four and the MLB All-Star Game. And it was one of the only stadiums to be very profitable for most of its history.
Block E in downtown Minneapolis will be getting a dramatic facelift. Most of the building will be gutted and the Disney-esque facade will finally (!!!) be gone. The 15-screen movie theater area will become the practice facility for the Timberwolves & WNBA champs Lynx. The 1st & 2nd floors will be retail & entertainment venues. The complex was built in 2001. The 22-story luxury hotel will be left unchanged and Kieran's Irish Pub will remain as well. The name "Block E" will be gone but no word on what the new name will be.
Block E image by
RSP Architects
Current Facade
From the confidential files: In the planning stages right now for downtown Minneapolis: 35-story, 38-story and 50-story residential towers, 43-story and 56-story mixed-use towers, 250,000 SF skinny office building and a 43-story "very-high-end" hotel in a surprising location with a major retailer. These are 2-5 years out right now. We may see an official announcement in a couple of months for one of them. And, although it sounds really crazy, there are conceptual designs for
no less than 5 supertalls. I seriously doubt the office market can absorb that much space in a short time but these are 5-8 years out right now so we won't be seeing any announcements anytime soon. However planning has begun and the sites are available for 4 of them. If we see a
major parking lot downtown change hands soon then the groundwork will be set for the 5th.