IDS CENTER
Minneapolis, Minnesota

ARCHITECTS: Philip Johnson and John Burgee

ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT: Edward F. Baker

In recent years, two significant features of downtown Minneapolis have brought it considerable national attention. One is the mall, a tree-lined, pedestrian-oriented, ten-block extension of Nicollet Avenue which extends through the heart of the city's shopping district. The other is the skyway system, a series of enclosed walkways that bridge streets at the second-story level, connecting buildings of various commerce over a twelve-block downtown area with bridges to protect pedestrians during inclement weather.

The problems involved in connecting the skyway bridges into the existing buildings were many. The only way this could have been accomplished was through the complete cooperation of building owners, since this is a 100 percent private enterprise. It was made possible in downtown Minneapolis because several buildings and blocks are owned by one corporation or individual; for instance, IDS Properties, Inc., owns three blocks of office buildings in downtown Minneapolis. These skyways go through the office buildings, which also have retail selling on the second floors. According to IDS Properties officials, the biggest problem in putting in the skyways involved tying them in with two major department stores; both these buildings are older, and one is of wooden brick, six stories high and with a cast-iron front. The level variations of the stores caused other problems. (For a detailed discussion of skyway systems, see pages 35-36.) A dominant downtown feature is the IDS Center, a multistructure complex on a full block in the center of the city; it brings the mall indoors to a courtyard and adds new dimensions to skyway-level activities.

The main feature of the center's IDS tower is the Crystal Court, which links the tower to the other structures of the center and the skyway system of pedestrian bridges. Enclosed by a grid of steel and glass topped by plastic pyramids, the triangular canopy of the court rises to 120 feet from the second-story roof of Woolworth's to the eighth story of the tower. The day-lighted 20,000 square-foot Crystal Court encloses numerous retail and public service facilities on three levels. The second floor serves as a balcony and establishes connections with four skyways to surrounding buildings, making the court the heart of the city's unique skyway system. The court is accessible at street level by entrances on each side of the center, as well as through the lobby of the tower. Strollers on Nicollet Mall cut through a 40-foot-wide entrance.

LEFT, ABOVE: Interior view of Crystal Court. (Photographer: Earl Chambers.) LEFT: Main view. (Photographer: Nathaniel Lieberman.)