Calhoun Square

Calhoun Square is an indoor shopping mall opened in 1984 at the southeast corner of Hennepin Avenue and West Lake Street, the main intersection of the Uptown district of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Calhoun Square, shown in 2006

History

The atrium-style indoor mall was created in an early 1980s style of redevelopment[1] by local developer Ray Harris from a series of older buildings, including the Geanakoplos Building (1917).[1]

In the early stages, neighborhood activists opposed to the project started the "Dump Updale" campaign. "Up" referred to Uptown; "dale" was a reference to suburban shopping malls in the Twin Cities whose names end in "dale" (e.g. Southdale Center, Ridgedale Center).[2]

Harris's renovation and construction was finished in 1983, and he remained the owner until he sold the mall in 2004 to a Des Moines, IA, investment group.

In 2007 Calhoun Square was sold to an affiliate of New York-based BlackRock Inc. for $47.3 million. After a 2008 renovation, the mall drew new national and international names, including LA Fitness, H&M, and CB2 [3]

Local ownership returned in 2014 when developer Stuart Ackerberg bought the mall from BlackRock, seeking to restore “the magic and the sizzle of Calhoun Square going back to the 1980s", when many of the tenants were local operators.[3] The Ackerberg Group completed a remodel of the mall's interior in 2015.[4]

The musician Prince wrote a song titled "Calhoun Square", released on disc two of his "Crystal Ball" CD.[5]

On June 19, 2020, the owners of the building announced that Calhoun Square's name would be changed "to disavow the slavery advocate for which the building was originally named." This follows the 2017 decision to rename the nearby lake from Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska, as well as the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. [6]

Restaurants and retail

Dining options at Calhoun Square include Famous Dave's, Fig + Farro, Jimmy John's, Roat Osha, Sushi Tango, and People's Organic.[7]

H&M opened in 2012 in the previously vacant two-story retail space.[8] Kitchen Window has been a tenant since 1989.[3] GNC, Timberland, CB2, VisionWorks, and L.A. Fitness are among the Calhoun Square tenants.[9]

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References
  1. Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota Historical Society Press. p. 255. ISBN 0-87351-540-4.
  2. "Has there been any decent architecture in St. Paul in the last 30 years? - Twin Cities Daily Planet". Twin Cities Daily Planet. 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  3. "New Owner Plans Calhoun Square Tune-Up". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  4. "Calhoun Square facelift coming to Hennepin + Lake". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  5. "Crystal Ball - Prince | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  6. Norfleet, Nicole. "Uptown's Calhoun Square will be renamed to disavow 'known racist'". Star Tribune. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  7. "Directory". www.calhounsquare.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  8. Armbruster, Jessica (2012-12-12). "H&M opens at Uptown's Calhoun Square this Friday". City Pages. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  9. "Directory". calhounsquare.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  10. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Calhoun Square


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