IDS Center

IDS Center
Owner Hudson Filippi
The IDS Center in 2016
General information
StatusCompleted
Location80 8th Street S., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinates44°58′34″N 93°16′21″W / 44.9760°N 93.2724°W / 44.9760; -93.2724
Construction started
1969; 57 years ago (1969)
Completed
1973; 53 years ago (1973)
Height
Antenna spire910 ft (280 m)
Roof792 ft (241 m)
Technical details
Floor count57 (52 occupied)
Design and construction
ArchitectsPhilip Johnson
Johnson/Burgee Architects
Edward F. Baker Associates
DeveloperInvestors Diversified Services
(now known as Ameriprise Financial, Inc.)
Structural engineer
Severud Associates
Website
ids-center.com
Lower structures

The IDS Center is an office skyscraper located at 80 South 8th Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Completed in 1973, it is the tallest building in Minneapolis, and the tallest building in the state at a height of 792 feet (241 m). It originally stood 775 feet 6 inches (236.37 m), though a 16-foot (4.9 m) garage for window washing equipment was added between 1978 and 1979. The structure rises to 910 feet (10,900 in) when including communications spires on the roof, indisputably the highest points in the city. The IDS was constructed as the headquarters of Investors Diversified Services, Inc.—now Ameriprise Financial. It also housed the headquarters of Dayton Hudson Corporation (now Target Corporation) from 1972 until 2001.

The complex consists of five parts: the 57-story IDS Tower itself at 8th Street & Nicollet Mall, an eight-story annex building along Marquette Avenue, the 19-story Marquette Hotel at 7th Street & Marquette Avenue, and a two-story retail building that was originally dominated by Woolworth's. These four buildings are joined by the seven-story Crystal Court.

The 57-story IDS became the tallest skyscraper in Minneapolis when it surpassed the height of the 32-story Foshay Tower in 1972, ending that building's 43-year reign over the city skyline. Construction of the building was followed with great interest, and the topping-off ceremony was a major civic event in the city. In addition to being taller, IDS occupies a much larger footprint than the obelisk-like Foshay. It was the 16th tallest building in the world on completion, and the third tallest constructed that year.

History

Construction

A lobby and shopping area at the bottom of the tower is known as the Crystal Court and provides skyway connections between the tower and four adjacent blocks. The Concourse level is occupied by Globe College and University; originally this floor was an extension of the Crystal Court retail space and included a single-screen movie theater and shops. The building had a 51st floor observation deck until 1984; thousands of people came for one last visit on December 31, 1983. This floor is now office space. The 50th floor contained an east-facing "Orion Room" restaurant, a north-facing bar and cocktail lounge, a private south-facing dining club ("Tower Club"). The west-facing "University of Minnesota Alumni Club" closed to the public in 1994. Today, the entire 50th floor consists of four large ballrooms with a single central kitchen. The rooms are collectively known as "Windows at Marquette," and they serve as banquet space for the Marquette Hotel.

Because of the IDS Center's peculiar and unique stepback design, termed "zogs" by its architect, Philip Johnson, each floor has up to 32 corner offices. The area of Nicollet Mall in front of the IDS Center is familiar to television viewers: the character of Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show was seen on Nicollet Mall looking at an IDS shop in the opening montage of the show. Across South 7th Street from the IDS was Donaldson's Department Store, in front of which she tossed her hat in the air at the end of the opening sequence. A statue commemorating that shot stands approximately at the camera location of the view, created and maintained by TVLand. She is also seen in the show opening dining with then-husband Grant Tinker at what is now the terrace of Jolliet House on the hotel's third floor, overlooking the Crystal Court. Diners can still sit at the "Mary Tyler Moore Table."

The building has not been without structural problems. Since soon after its construction, the Crystal Court had issues with water leaking through the roof after rain or snow due to effects of Minnesota's extreme freeze-thaw cycle. There are also frequent problems in the winter when ice falls from the tower and onto the court's glass roof panels, often breaking through. Occasionally the court will be roped off to prevent injury to the public. The Center and Crystal Court were devastated by a summer wind storm in June 1979 that led to much glass breakage. The entire Crystal Court was sealed off by plywood barriers while this was repaired.

IDS Center within downtown Minneapolis

The battle for tallest status

The Crystal Court
IDS Tower from the ground

The owners of the Capella Tower (formerly First Bank Place) and the architects behind the design stated that it rose 774 feet (236 m) tall upon its completion in 1992. However, the height had been increased due to an engineering need, according to Tom O'Mara, one of the construction managers at the time of Capella Tower construction. There were some ventilation ducts near the roof that required about 14 more inches (36 cm) of height. The construction team added an extra 10 inches (25 cm) to that, bringing the building to a total of 776 feet 0 inches (236.52 m).

In the years following completion, the actual height eventually became known as it was published in almanacs and other listings of building height. The owners of the Capella Tower were hesitant to claim that their building was taller than IDS, and usually deferred the honor to the more well-known structure. As area journalists reported on the sale of the IDS Center to the John Buck Company in 2004 and the death of designer Philip Johnson in 2005, they came face-to-face with the fact that the roof of the tower was one foot lower than its neighbor.

Emporis restored the IDS Center to first-place status in the city in February 2005 by including the height of the window-washing garage, although that has not completely ended the dispute. A spokesperson for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which sometimes handles height disputes, stated that it would be unlikely for the garage to be included in the official height because many would not consider it to be an integral part of the building's design.

IDS Center viewed from a distance

Ownership

The first owner was Investors Diversified Services (now Ameriprise Financial) from 1972 to 1981. Construction cost US$13.5 million. It was then acquired by Oxford Development in 1981 for US$200 million. The building was purchased by the John Buck Company in December 2004 for US$225 million. Just over a year later in January 2006, the company began efforts to sell the property; in August 2006 it was sold to The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc., for approximately $277 million. Beacon Investment Properties of Hallandale Beach, FL purchased the building from Inland in April 2013 for approximately $253 million. Beacon and a joint venture of Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd and Menora Mivtahim Insurance Ltd., both based in Tel Aviv, have owned the building since then.

Broadcasting

Communication spires on top of the building tower to 910 feet (280 m), the highest point in Minneapolis. A number of major FM radio stations which formerly broadcast from the site now use the IDS as a backup in case their primary location in Shoreview, Minnesota were to fail. One of the most notable broadcasters was 99.5 WLOL until the pop format signed off in late February 1991. In fact, one well-known reference was "From the top-top-top of the IDS Center, 99 and 1/2 WLOL Minneapolis-Saint Paul!" In 2009 the equipment was removed and digital towers were added for the national digital switch.[citation needed] Some television broadcasters using the towers include Univision affiliate WUMN-LD and KMBD-LD, which broadcasts HSN programming, while the area's major television stations use them for their STL towers and microwave relays to Shoreview and their studios and live trucks.

FM

FM radio stations
Frequency Call sign Name Format Owner
90.3KFAIFresh Air RadioCommunityFresh Air, Inc.
90.7K214DF
(KTIS-AM Translator)		Faith 900ChristianUniversity of Northwestern - St. Paul
93.3W227BF
(KQQL HD-2 Translator)		BIN 93.3All-news radioEducational Media Foundation
(operated by iHeartMedia)
95.3KNOFPraiseLiveContemporary ChristianEducational Media Foundation
(operated by Christian Heritage Broadcasting)
96.7K244FE
(KQQL HD-3 Translator)		KFAN+SportsEducational Media Foundation
(operated by iHeartMedia)
99.9K260BA
(KFXN HD-3 Translator)		K-LoveContemporary ChristianiHeartMedia
102.5K273BH
(KTCZ HD-3 Translator)		Hot 102.5hip hopEducational Media Foundation
(operated by iHeartMedia)
103.5K278BP
(KTLK-AM Translator)		News Talk 1130News/TalkiHeartMedia
105.7WWWM-FM
(WGVX Simulcast)		Love 105Soft AC/OldiesCumulus Broadcasting

Television

Channel Callsign Affiliation Branding Subchannels Owner
(Virtual) Channel Programming
14.2 K14RB-D EWTN EWTN 14.1
14.3
14.4		 Program guide
Local programming
EWTN		 St. Michael Broadcasting, Inc.
15.1 KWJM-LD Infomercials 15.2
15.3
15.4		 Novelisima
Infomercials
Jewelry TV		 DTV America Corporation
25.1 KJNK-LD Telemundo Telemundo Minneapolis 25.2
25.3
25.4
25.5
25.6		 SBN
Cozi TV
LX
Evine
GetTV
33.1 K33LN-D QVC QVC 33.2
33.4
33.5
33.6
33.7
33.8		 HSN
Shop LC
Shop HQ
3ABN
NTD America
Classic Reruns TV
43.1 KMBD-LD QVC QVC
49.1 KMQV-LD Infomercials 49.2
49.3
49.4		 Timeless TV
Infomercials
Infomercials

Tenants

The tower is leased to businesses. The IDS has 1.4 million square feet (120,000 m2) of office and retail space. Tenants include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "IDS Tower | Buildings | EMPORIS". Archived from the original on September 14, 2012.
  2. ↑ "IDS Center". CVU Skyscraper Center.
  3. ↑ "Mary Tyler Moore to Unveil Tam Toss Statue May 8". City of Minneapolis News. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ Nelson, Rick (January 12, 2018). "Mary Tyler Moore hangout with view of IDS Crystal Court now a breakfast joint". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  5. ↑ Susan Feyder, 34 years later, IDS may finally be high AND dry Archived June 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 4, 2007.
  6. ↑ Tribune, Rick Nelson Star (April 5, 2009). "Things you might not know about the IDS". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  7. ↑ Ford, Joe (April 5, 2021). "How much did it cost to build the IDS Center?". answers-to-all.com.[dead link]
  8. ↑ "Timeline - IDS Center". ids-center.com. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Field Trip - IDS Center". www.fieldtripper.com. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  10. ↑ Staff, BMTN (March 8, 2018). "Deal on iconic IDS closes for estimated $255M". Bring Me The News. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Beacon Investment Properties Joint Venture Buys Minnesota's IDS Center for $253M". National Real Estate Investor. April 26, 2013.
  12. ↑ "57-Story IDS Center, Minnesota's Tallest Office Tower, Minneapolis' Signature Skyscraper, is Acquired by Beacon Investment Properties in a Joint Venture with Harel Insurance & Finance and Menora Mivtachim Insurance for $253 Million" (Press release). April 26, 2013.
  13. ↑ Painter, Kristen Leigh (March 28, 2016). "IDS Center, tallest building in the state, is up for sale again". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ Gilyard, Burl (April 26, 2013). "IDS Center sale: Price 9 percent lower than 2006 sale | Finance & Commerce". Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  15. ↑ Gilyard, Burl (April 25, 2013). "IDS Center sold for $253 million | Finance & Commerce". Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "IDS Center could fetch $300M, depending upon credit of law firms - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal". Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Dady & Gardner, P.A. In Minneapolis, Minnesota".
  18. ↑ "Hubert White Celebrates 100 Years of Business". Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Hubert White celebrates a century in business". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Beacon". Beacon. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Hall Law P.A. - a Minneapolis, Minnesota (MN) Personal Injury Law Firm". pview.findlaw.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.