Introduction to the Nicollet Design Tour

Nicollet Avenue has been Minneapolis’ civic “Main Street” for more than 100 years. People come to Nicollet to work, eat and shop year round, and it’s the first impression many visitors get of the entire metro area. Host to the busiest light rail station and several bus routes, Nicollet provides key connections to many other downtown points of interest including the Mississippi River, Loring Park, the Minneapolis Convention Center, Target Field, Target Center, the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and U.S. Bank Stadium.

James Corner Field Operations and their team began work on the redesign of Nicollet in 2013 and was deeply involved in its reconstruction through 2017. This self-guided tour offers a perspective on the challenges they faced in redesigning Nicollet’s degrading physical conditions, while continuing Minneapolis’s legacy of innovation, and contributing to the larger vision of revitalizing downtown. The redesign became an opportunity to create a greener, more pedestrian-friendly street, a downtown destination and an attractive place to walk and experience the city, bringing new life and energy to downtown Minneapolis.

This text was contributed by Lisa Switkin, a landscape architect and Senior Principal at James Corner Field Operations, a landscape architecture and urban design practice based in New York City. JCFO was the lead design firm selected to renovate Nicollet from 2013-2017. Ben Shardlow, Director of Urban Design for the Downtown Improvement District narrates the tour.

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