Photo Set

Downtown East

Construction of US Bank Stadium, the Wells Fargo Towers, and RBC Gateway in Downtown East.

Downtown East is a neighborhood anchored by U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016 on the site of the demolished Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and became the home of the Minnesota Vikings. The $1.1 billion venue, designed by HKS Architects and built by Mortenson Construction, features the largest transparent ETFE roof in North America and can seat more than 66,000 people.

The stadium was the catalyst for a wholesale transformation of a district that had long been dominated by rail yards and surface parking lots. Ryan Companies developed the adjacent mixed-use project that replaced the former Star Tribune building at 425 Portland Avenue South — demolished in 2015 — with two Wells Fargo office towers, a public plaza, and new residential buildings including the Edition Apartments. The Armory, a historic former military building, anchors the redevelopment area near the downtown core alongside these newer towers. This set follows the neighborhood from the early tower-crane phase of construction through its emergence as a built-out business and residential district, including the nearby RBC Gateway development underway by 2019.

Tower cranes and construction equipment operate at the RBC Gateway site in downtown Minneapolis at dusk.View full post: Night Excavation at the RBC Gateway Construction Site
September 12, 2019 — A tower crane at the site of the new RBC Gateway development in Downtown Minneapolis.
The Armory building and illuminated Wells Fargo office towers stand in downtown Minneapolis at night.View full post: Snow-Dusted Armory Roof Beneath the Wells Fargo Towers at Night
January 4, 2018 — The Armory and the new Wells Fargo Towers in Downtown East, Minneapolis.
Edition Apartments and US Bank Stadium anchor the Downtown East neighborhood of Minneapolis at dusk.View full post: Dusk Over Park Avenue Near US Bank Stadium and Edition Apartments
July 12, 2017 — US Bank Stadium, a multi-purpose venue completed in 2016, anchors the Downtown East neighborhood of Minneapolis. Adjacent to the stadium is the Edition Apartments.
Downtown Minneapolis skyline with historic brick buildings and parking lot along Washington Avenue.View full post: Gold Medal Flour Sign Above Downtown Minneapolis at Dusk
February 18, 2016 — A look at Washington Avenue in Downtown Minneapolis with the old flour mills in the background.
US Bank Stadium construction site in downtown Minneapolis at dusk with illuminated cranes, surrounding buildings, and active roadways.View full post: Snowy Night Over US Bank Stadium and Downtown East
January 14, 2016 — US Bank Stadium under construction in Downtown Minneapolis in January 2016.
US Bank Stadium's white steel framework and red construction cranes rise above downtown Minneapolis during daytime construction.View full post: Aerial View of US Bank Stadium Taking Shape Above Downtown East
August 13, 2015 — US Bank Stadium replaced the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on the same downtown Minneapolis site, opening in 2016 as the home of the Minnesota Vikings. The $1.1 billion project, designed by HKS Inc. and built by Mortenson Construction, seats about 66,000 for football and can expand to roughly 73,000 for events like the Super Bowl, which it hosted in 2018.
US Bank Stadium under construction in downtown Minneapolis with yellow cranes and steel framework visible among surrounding office buildings.View full post: Aerial View of US Bank Stadium Rising Over Downtown East
August 7, 2015 — US Bank Stadium replaced the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome as the home of the Minnesota Vikings, rising on the same Downtown East site the Metrodome had occupied since 1982. Construction ran from 2013 to 2016 at a cost of roughly $1.1 billion, funded through a mix of state, city, and team contributions.
US Bank Stadium construction site in downtown Minneapolis with active cranes and surrounding office buildings during 2015.View full post: The Armory and Parking Lots Beneath Rising Downtown East Towers
August 7, 2015 — Construction cranes dominate the Minneapolis skyline in the Downtown East neighborhood during 2015. With construction occurring on the 1.1 billion dollar US Bank Stadium, replacing the Metrodome.
Construction cranes and steel framework dominate the downtown Minneapolis site of US Bank Stadium under development in July 2015.View full post: Evening Light Over US Bank Stadium’s Rising Steel Frame
July 27, 2015 — Construction of US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis's Downtown East neighborhood was underway in July 2015. This stadium was built to replace the Metrodome and serve as the home for the Minnesota Vikings.
Yellow tower cranes operate above the Wells Fargo Towers construction site in downtown Minneapolis.View full post: Cranes Above the Wells Fargo Towers Construction Site, Minneapolis
July 27, 2015 — Construction of the Wells Fargo Towers in Downtown East, Minneapolis, in July 2015. These two skyscrapers, completed in 2019, house offices for Wells Fargo and other businesses.
White steel framework and red construction cranes rise at night during U.S. Bank Stadium construction in Minneapolis.View full post: Cranes Over US Bank Stadium’s Steel Frame at Night
July 15, 2015 — Construction of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, highlights the complex steel framework and towering cranes that defined its assembly. The project, initiated in December 2013 on the former site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, was designed by HKS Architects and constructed by Mortenson.
US Bank Stadium under construction in downtown Minneapolis with Wells Fargo office towers rising nearby.View full post: Downtown East at Dusk and US Bank Stadium Construction
June 21, 2015 — US Bank Stadium, seen here under construction, opened in 2016 as the home of the Minnesota Vikings on the site of the demolished Metrodome. The stadium seats roughly 66,000 and cost about $1.1 billion to build, with a design featuring the largest transparent ETFE roof in North America. Ryan Companies developed the adjacent Downtown East project, including the two office towers visible here that became the Wells Fargo operations center, adding roughly 1.1 million square feet of workspace for thousands of employees.
Tower cranes and construction equipment at the US Bank Stadium site in downtown Minneapolis during nighttime construction.View full post: Night Shift at the US Bank Stadium Steel Frame Site
September 27, 2014 — US Bank Stadium rose on the site of the demolished Metrodome in the Downtown East neighborhood of Minneapolis, replacing the Vikings' home of nearly three decades. Ryan Companies led construction on the $1.1 billion project, with HKS Inc. serving as architect. Construction ran from 2013 to 2016, and the Minnesota Vikings played their first game there in September 2016. The building can seat over 66,000 for football and has hosted Super Bowl LII and the NCAA Final Four.
The Star Tribune building and its illuminated green sign stand above downtown Minneapolis at night.View full post: Downtown Minneapolis Skyline Behind the Star Tribune Building
April 26, 2014 — The Star Tribune building stood at 425 Portland Avenue South, serving as the newspaper's headquarters and printing plant for more than six decades after its construction in the late 1940s. The Star Tribune sold the property in 2013 and relocated downtown as part of a broader consolidation of its operations. Crews demolished the building in 2015 to clear the site for Downtown East, a mixed-use redevelopment tied to the construction of US Bank Stadium. Two Wells Fargo office towers and a public plaza now occupy the former newspaper site.

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