Wells Fargo Center (Minneapolis)
Wells Fargo Center sits on the site of the old Northwestern National Bank Building, which was destroyed in a fire in 1982. The original design called for a 45-story tower with a square footprint that would have been crowned the tallest building in Minneapolis; however, the site was halved in size, requiring the building's design to be changed to what it is today. Northwestern National, renamed Norwest Corporation, maintained its headquarters here. Despite Norwest's adoption of the Wells Fargo identity after acquiring the latter and moving to San Francisco in 1998, significant regional operations are still maintained in this building. Other major tenants include the law firm of Faegre Drinker and the local office of accounting firm KPMG.
It is brilliantly lit at night from sunset through midnight, with floodlamps pointing up from the setback rooftops to illuminate the sides of the building. Despite this, it is still much more energy efficient than the previous building and in 2000, it was recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as one of the 100 most energy efficient buildings in the US. In 1989, the building was praised by the Urban Land Institute, who honored it with their Award for Excellence in Large Scale Office Development. It is located at 90 South 7th Street. Gaviidae Common, a neighboring shopping center, was also designed by Pelli and built at the same time.
A branch of the Wells Fargo History Museum was located in the skyway level. The museum's exhibits included an 1863 stagecoach, telegraph equipment, gold nuggets and coins. It closed in September 2020.
As of April 2019, Starwood Capital Group acquired Wells Fargo Center for $315 million. The sellers were Hines and Blackstone.
In December of 2024, it was announced the building would be sold again, this time to Onward Investors. The sale price of $85 million represents a 70% decrease in value since the 2019 sale.
Broadcasting
FM
| FM radio stations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | Owner |
| 92.9 | W225AP (KTCZ-FM HD-2 Translator) |
Air1 | Contemporary Christian | iHeartMedia |
| 94.9 | W235CT (WREY-AM Translator) |
Radio Rey | Regional Mexican | Borgen Broadcasting |
See also
References
- ^ "Wells Fargo Center". The Skyscraper Center. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ^ "Wells Fargo Center, Minneapolis". SkyscraperPage. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ^ Lileks, James (October 24, 2015). "Streetscapes: These unbuilt buildings would have changed the Minneapolis skyline". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "EPA Recognizes Nation's Most Energy Efficient Buildings". EHS Today. March 29, 2000.
- ^ "Museums: Minneapolis". Wells Fargo History. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ^ Hudson, Caroline (September 2, 2020). "Wells Fargo to permanently shutter almost all of its museums, including Minneapolis location". Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ Norfleet, Nicole (April 1, 2019). "Wells Fargo Center in Minneapolis selling for $315 million". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ BringMeTheNews (2024-12-16). "Minneapolis' Wells Fargo Center sold for a reported $85M". Bring Me The News. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
External links
