Nicollet Mall

Street life, transit, retail, and National Guard deployments along downtown Minneapolis's pedestrian corridor

Nicollet Mall — Minneapolis

Nicollet Mall runs roughly twelve blocks through the center of Minneapolis, from Washington Avenue south to Grant Street, and has served as the city's main downtown pedestrian and transit corridor since the city closed it to general traffic in 1967. The street is lined with office towers, retail buildings, restaurants, and bars, and is connected to the broader downtown skyway network.

The mall's first major redesign came decades after its original closure to cars, when a $50 million reconstruction project by James Corner Field Operations replaced pavement, reconfigured underground utilities, and rebuilt the streetscape with new lighting, seating areas, and a single bus lane. Work proceeded in phases through 2016 and 2017, with businesses remaining accessible behind temporary barriers, and the rebuilt corridor reopened in November of that year.

The years that followed tested the street in ways the redesign had not anticipated. In May 2020, after the murder of George Floyd four miles away in south Minneapolis, unrest spread into the downtown core and retailers along Nicollet boarded their storefronts. Minnesota National Guard troops and Humvees were stationed on the mall through the summer, and a second Guard deployment followed in August after false rumors of a police shooting circulated and caused further property damage in the city center.

Through all of it, the corridor kept changing in other directions. The former Dayton's department store building at 700 Nicollet, which Macy's had vacated in 2017 after more than a century of retail use on that block, reopened in stages as The Dayton's Project, a mixed-use complex with office space, a food hall, and retail tenants. Target, whose flagship store and corporate headquarters both front the mall, remained a constant commercial anchor even as the blocks around it cycled through closures, security deployments, and recovery.

This set is part of the ongoing Minneapolis Places series and documents Nicollet Mall across a period that spans the reconstruction, the unrest of 2020, and the street's continuing daily life into the mid-2020s.

Barrio Tequila Bar on Nicollet Mall
April 8, 2025 — Patrons gather inside Barrio Tequila Bar, a restaurant located on Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis.
Butter Cookies For Days vendor in Minneapolis
October 17, 2024 — A street vendor, identified by the "Butter Cookies For Days" sign on their cart, operates in downtown Minneapolis.
Target on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis October 2024
October 17, 2024 — The Target store on Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis. The store is the flagship store of Target Corporation which has it's headquarters down the road.
The Local restaurant on Nicollet Mall
September 26, 2024 — A Thursday evening on Nicollet Mall. Biker passes by The Local restaurant patio at 10th Street. (Downtown Minneapolis, September 2024)
Skyway at Target Headquarters
August 2, 2024 — Skyway between Target Plaza North and Target Plaza South. The buildings are home to the headquarters of retail giant Target.
Metro Transit Bus at Nicollet Mall July 2024
July 31, 2024 — A Metro Transit bus travels along Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Nicollet Mall, a pedestrian-oriented street, was established in the 1960s as a "pedestrian street" and later transformed into a "transit mall" in the 1970s to prioritize buses and light rail.
Full patio at The Local in Downtown Minneapolis
July 9, 2024 — The Local Irish Pub in Downtown Minneapolis. The patio full of convention goers.
Man walks on Nicollet Mall during sunset
June 19, 2024 — Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, a pedestrian-oriented street, is shown at sunset in June 2024.
Roxys cabaret shoe in downtown Minneapolis
May 13, 2024 — Roxy's Cabaret, also known as Nicollet Diner, stands in Downtown Minneapolis. This establishment operates as a 24/7 diner.
Police officers inside glass tower
March 1, 2024 — Minneapolis police officers are visible inside the flagship Target store on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis at night.
Diner sign with large shoe at Nicollet Diner
November 15, 2023 — Roxy’s Cabaret on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis occupies the upper level above The Nicollet Diner, whose vertical 24-hour sign marks the street-facing entrance below. The venue and diner are part of a mixed-use downtown entertainment and restaurant property on Nicollet Mall, one of Minneapolis’s main pedestrian-oriented commercial corridors.
Crowds eating on Nicollet Mall in the summer
May 4, 2023 — Restaurant patios line Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, a pedestrian mall that has served as a central public space and commercial corridor since its establishment in 1967.
Minneapolis Police squad cars parked in front of Target on sidewalk
April 15, 2023 — Minneapolis Police squad cars are parked on the sidewalk of Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis in April 2023.
Buses are currently not in service at Alice Rainville Place
June 26, 2022 — A digital display at the Alice Rainville Place bus stop in Minneapolis indicates that "Buses are currently not in service." The stop, located in downtown Minneapolis, serves Metro Transit routes.
Chess on Nicollet Mall Downtown Minneapolis May 2022
May 12, 2022 — Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis is a pedestrian promenade designed to foster public activity and community engagement. The mall, originally conceived in the 1960s and redesigned multiple times since, serves as a central gathering space for residents and visitors. This image shows people playing chess and other games on the mall, highlighting its function as a place for leisure and social interaction.
Metro Transit bus goes by Brits Pub
April 4, 2022 — A Metro Transit bus travels along Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, passing Brit's Pub. Nicollet Mall, established in 1967, is a pedestrian-friendly street designed to revitalize the city's core and promote public transit.
Man walks down a snowy Nicollet Mall
December 4, 2021 — Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis is shown during light snowfall in December 2021, with a pedestrian walking past storefronts and seasonal lighting installations. The transit-and-pedestrian corridor was redesigned in the 1960s to prioritize foot traffic along one of the city’s main commercial streets and later rebuilt in the 2010s.
Metro Transit cameras on Nicollet Mall
July 28, 2021 — A Metro Transit surveillance unit is positioned on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, outside a Target store and a Wine & Spirits shop. These mobile surveillance units, often referred to as "Tippy Cams," are deployed by law enforcement to monitor public spaces, particularly during events or periods of heightened security concern.
Nicollet Avenue Seating at Night, Downtown Minneapolis
July 28, 2021 — Outdoor seating on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, is illuminated at night along the pedestrian-oriented transit corridor. The green café tables and chairs are part of the mall’s streetscape design, which combines public seating, planters, and linear LED lighting within a rebuilt sidewalk zone. Nicollet Mall was first established in the 1960s as a transit and pedestrian corridor and remains a major downtown route for buses, businesses, and public space improvements.
The Daytons Project on Nicollet Mall Minneapolis
July 28, 2021 — The Dayton’s Project at 700 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis occupies the former Dayton’s department store building in the city’s retail core. Opened as Dayton’s in 1902 and later operated as Macy’s, the property was redeveloped as a mixed-use complex with office, retail, and restaurant space. The project retained the historic department store identity in its branding while adapting the long-standing Nicollet Mall site for new commercial tenants in the early 2020s.
Empty Nicollet Mall pedestrian street at night in downtown Minneapolis, with an enclosed skyway bridge overhead.
July 28, 2021 — Nicollet Mall runs about twelve blocks through downtown Minneapolis, from Washington Avenue to Grant Street. The city closed it to general traffic in 1967, turning it into a transit and pedestrian corridor reserved for buses, taxis, and bikes. A $50 million redesign by James Corner Field Operations reopened the street in 2017 with new lighting, seating, and a single traffic lane for buses. Enclosed skyways link many of the office towers and retail buildings along the route, letting people move between blocks without going outside.
Bikers going past boarded up buildings on Nicollet Mall
November 3, 2020 — Boarded storefronts line Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis in November 2020, with cyclists and pedestrians moving through the transit-and-pedestrian corridor. Businesses along the mall installed plywood over windows and entrances after the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Nicollet Mall, created in 1967 and later reconstructed as a redesigned streetscape for buses, foot traffic, and downtown retail, remained open to daily use while many ground-floor commercial spaces kept protective coverings in place.
Look down at Nicollet Mall from above
October 12, 2020 — An aerial perspective reveals the distinctive glass-pyramid roof of the Crystal Court, a prominent indoor public plaza located within the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis.
Flagship Target store boarded up on Nicollet Mall
October 4, 2020 — The Target Flagship Store on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis stands with its entrance boarded with plywood.
Mounted Minneapolis Police on Nicollet Mall at 7th Street in downtown Minneapolis, with squad cars and a Metro Transit bus.
September 25, 2020 — Minneapolis Police officers, including a mounted unit, patrol Nicollet Mall at South 7th Street in downtown Minneapolis on September 25, 2020. The photograph looks north along the transit mall between City Center and the Nordstrom Rack building, where Metro Transit buses use dedicated center lanes beneath a skyway crossing.
Boarded ground floor of Target World Headquarters at 1000 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, at night.
September 10, 2020 — Target World Headquarters at 1000 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis is seen at night with its ground-floor windows and entrances covered by plywood. The office building occupies a corner on Nicollet Mall, with the street signs for Nicollet and 10th Street visible at the intersection.
National Guard vehicles on Nicollet Mall in August 2020
August 28, 2020 — A Minnesota National Guard M-ATV and a Hennepin County Sheriff's Department vehicle are positioned on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis on August 29, 2020. Their presence followed civil unrest that erupted after false rumors of a police shooting circulated days earlier. Nicollet Mall, a prominent pedestrian and transit mall, serves as a central artery in the city's commercial district. The vehicles are stationed near a Target store, a major retailer with a significant presence in the area, reflecting the heightened security measures in the urban environment during this period.
Minnesota National Guard vehicles outside Daytons in Minneapolis
August 28, 2020 — A Minnesota National Guard vehicle is positioned on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis in August 2020. This deployment occurred in response to civil unrest that followed false rumors of a police shooting, which led to property damage in the city center. The vehicle is seen near the historic Dayton's Project building, a significant architectural and commercial landmark.
Boarded-up Target store at Nicollet Mall and 9th Street in downtown Minneapolis, closed during June 2020 unrest.
June 4, 2020 — The Target flagship store at Nicollet Mall and South 9th Street in downtown Minneapolis is boarded up and closed on June 4, 2020. Temporary plywood covers the ground-level windows and entrances, and posted notices state that the store is temporarily closed. The closures came during the period of unrest and protests in Minneapolis following the May 25 killing of George Floyd, when businesses across the city center took protective measures.
Minnesota National Guard Humvee on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis during unrest in June 2020.
June 1, 2020 — A Minnesota National Guard Humvee is parked on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, beneath the city’s skyway system near 7th Street South.
National Guard troops on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis during George Floyd protests.
May 30, 2020 — Minnesota National Guard soldiers stand at an intersection on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis on May 30, 2020, during overnight protests following the death of George Floyd. The troops are positioned outside commercial buildings with plywood covering the windows and doors, reflecting security measures taken as unrest spread through the city. Nicollet Mall is a major downtown pedestrian and transit corridor, and the Guard deployment marked the city and state's emergency response during the fourth day of unrest.
Boarded Nordstrom Rack at IDS Center on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.
May 30, 2020 — The Nordstrom Rack storefront at the IDS Center on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis is boarded over in the early hours of May 30, 2020. Plywood barriers were installed at retail and office properties across the city after protests and unrest followed the murder of George Floyd. The IDS Center, completed in 1972, is a major downtown office and retail complex, and Nicollet Mall is one of Minneapolis’s main transit and shopping corridors.
Boarded Target store at Nicollet Mall and 9th Street South in downtown Minneapolis at night.
May 29, 2020 — The Target store at Nicollet Mall and 9th Street South in downtown Minneapolis is boarded up during the early morning hours of May 29, 2020. Plywood covers the ground-level windows and entrances of the large retail location, a protective measure taken as unrest spread across the city after the murder of George Floyd.
Target store at corner of Nicollet and 9th street in downtown Minneapolis
May 5, 2020 — Target’s flagship store at 900 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis stands at the corner of Nicollet Mall and South 9th Street. A skyway crossing the street behind the store connects this block to Minneapolis’s larger enclosed pedestrian network in the central business district.
One hotel room light on at the Millennium Hotel
March 23, 2020 — The Millennium Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, stands in fog and rain with most of its guest rooms dark and a single illuminated window visible on the facade. The hotel, located on Nicollet Mall, was photographed in March 2020 as travel restrictions and public health measures tied to the COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced hotel occupancy in city centers across the United States. Nearby downtown office towers and Westminster Presbyterian Church appear through the mist, placing the building within the largely quiet central business district during the early weeks of the outbreak.
The Sushi Train restaurant entrance at 1200 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, Minnesota, features prominent signage and illuminated windows on a snowy evening.
February 14, 2020 — The Sushi Train restaurant is located at 1200 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. This establishment offers a conveyor belt sushi experience, a dining concept that originated in Japan in the 1950s and gained popularity worldwide. The restaurant's signage, featuring the "Sushi Train" name and colorful circular emblems, is visible from the street.
Laughing in the Purple Rain
February 12, 2020 — Fiber art installed on a fence in downtown Minneapolis on February 12, 2020 includes a stitched quotation from Prince’s “Purple Rain.” The work references Prince, the Minneapolis musician whose 1984 song and film are closely associated with the city. The installation appears to be part of a temporary public-art display on Nicollet Mall.
Ferris wheel on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis during NCAA Final Four festivities, with lit office towers.
April 2, 2019 — A temporary Ferris wheel stands on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis during the 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four. The ride was installed as part of the Tip-Off Tailgate, a fan festival staged along the transit mall in the days surrounding the championship games at U.S. Bank Stadium. Visible in the surrounding skyline are central downtown landmarks including the illuminated WCCO sign and the art deco Foshay Tower, placing the attraction within Minneapolis’s main business district.
Blue Ferris wheel on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis at night during the 2019 Final Four.
April 2, 2019 — A temporary Ferris wheel stands on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis during the 2019 NCAA Final Four festivities. The installation was part of the entertainment and fan programming organized as Minneapolis hosted the national semifinal and championship weekend in early April 2019. Set within the Nicollet corridor among office and retail buildings, the ride marked the mall’s use as an event space during one of the city’s largest annual sports-related gatherings.
Ferris wheel lit at night on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis
April 2, 2019 — A temporary Ferris wheel on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis was installed as part of the 2019 NCAA Final Four festivities. The ride stood within the event footprint created for the tournament and related fan programming held in Minneapolis in early April 2019. Surrounding office towers and event lighting place it in the central downtown corridor used for Final Four public attractions during the championship week.
Blue-lit Ferris wheel in downtown Minneapolis at night during the 2019 NCAA Final Four.
April 2, 2019 — A temporary Ferris wheel installed in downtown Minneapolis near Nicollet Mall operates during preparations for the 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four. The attraction was part of the tournament’s public event infrastructure in the city center in early April 2019, when Minneapolis hosted national championship weekend activities. Office towers, skyways, and street-level development around the wheel place it within the commercial core where fan events and related programming were concentrated.
Downtown Minneapolis towers reflected in a still water feature at night.
March 26, 2019 — Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, is seen from a reflecting pool near Nicollet Mall, with office towers and residential high-rises forming part of the central business district. The cluster includes Capella Tower and the Fifth Street Towers area, along with apartment development added as downtown housing increased during the 2000s and 2010s.
Rooftop view of the former Dayton's department store building on Nicollet Mall, downtown Minneapolis, during redevelopment.
October 15, 2018 — The former Dayton's department store building spans the block bounded by Nicollet Mall, Seventh Street and Eighth Street in downtown Minneapolis. Built in stages beginning in 1902 for the Goodfellow Dry Goods Company, the structure grew to more than 1.2 million square feet under Dayton's and later Macy's ownership. Macy's closed its downtown store in 2017, and United Properties purchased the property for a mixed-use redevelopment known as The Dayton's Project. The renovation added office space, retail, and a food hall while preserving much of the original masonry structure, with portions reopening in stages starting in 2019.
A construction sign on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis announces "The New Nicollet" redevelopment project, noting "Coming November 2017."
June 11, 2017 — A sign on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis announces "The New Nicollet," a major redevelopment project. The banner, dated "Coming November 2017," humorously acknowledges the public's weariness with ongoing construction.
Construction of a church addition is underway on Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis, with a tower crane overseeing the new structures.
May 22, 2017 — Construction is underway for a significant addition to a church located on Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis. A tower crane dominates the construction site, overseeing the development of new structures adjacent to the existing church building. This project represents ongoing development in the heart of Minneapolis, transforming the urban environment of Nicollet Mall, a prominent street known for its retail, office, and cultural institutions.
Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis undergoes reconstruction in 2017, transforming the pedestrian thoroughfare to modernize infrastructure and enhance public spaces.
May 21, 2017 — Construction on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis continued in 2017 as the street was rebuilt between office towers, retail buildings, and the skyway network in the city center. The reconstruction project replaced pavement and underground utilities and reconfigured the corridor to improve pedestrian access, transit operations, and public space along Minneapolis's main transit mall. Work on the redesign proceeded in phases during 2016 and 2017 while businesses and building entrances along Nicollet remained accessible behind temporary barriers and detours.

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