Former names Norwest Center Antenna spire 774 ft (236 m) Floors 56 Architect César Pelli | Status Complete Height 236 m Opened 1988 | |
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Construction started 1986; 31 years ago (1986) Opening 1988; 29 years ago (1988) Owner Equity Office Properties Trust Location 90 South Seventh Street; Minneapolis, Minnesota Developer Hines Interests Limited Partnership Similar IDS Center, Capella Tower, 33 South Sixth, Foshay Tower, US Bancorp Center | ||
The Wells Fargo Center (90 South 7th St), formerly known as Norwest Center, is the third-tallest building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after the IDS Center and the Capella Tower. Completed in 1988, it is 774 feet (235.6 m) tall. For many years, this was believed to be one foot shorter than Capella, but that structure actually had a different height (see the IDS Center article for details). Norwest Center was designed with a modernized art deco style by César Pelli, reflecting nearby structures such as the nearby CenturyLink Building and the Foshay Tower, which is several blocks away. It is also considered by many to be a homage to the Comcast Building at New York City's Rockefeller Center.
Map of Wells Fargo Center, 90 S 7th St, Minneapolis, MN 55402, USA
Wells Fargo Center sits on the site of the old Northwestern National Bank Building, which was destroyed in a fire in 1982. 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 Baker Daniels 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 USA. 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 is located in the skyway level. The museum's exhibits include an 1863 stagecoach, telegraph equipment, gold nuggets and coins.
The building is currently owned by Hines.