IDS Center
Minneapolis, USA

HEIGHT: 236m/774 feet
FLOORS: 57 floors
COMPLETION: 1973
ARCHITECT: Johnson-Burgee Architects/ Edward F Baker Assoc

Historic Italian piazzas served as the model for the IDS Center's 23,000 square foot Crystal Court, which features a cascading 105 foot ceiling-to-floor water fountain, a canopy of glass skylights which soar 121 feet above ground, and an urban park with black olive trees surrounded by white benches.

The Distinctive cut back exterior design, referred to as "zogs," creates the potential for 32 corner offices on each floor. This efficient design is complemented by the column free interior design and 50 foot bay depth which maximize design flexibility.

Contained in the complex's 2.25 million square feet (the equivalent of ten miles of four-lane freeways) are a 57 story (775 foot) office tower; the 19 story luxury Marquette Hotel; the eight story 770 Marquette building; three levels of underground parking; multiple restaurants, commercial and retail spaces and a naturally lighted indoor plaza.

42,614 panes of reflective glass were used in the construction of the IDS Center...enough for one pair of sunglasses for each resident of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota. The IDS Center's continuous span of ceiling-to-floor glass is unmatched by any building in Minneapolis, existing or planned.

Concrete and steel provide enormous stability. 90,000 cubic yards of concrete- equivalent to 1,020 home basements, and 15,000 tons of structural steel - enough for a navy cruiser - were used to construct the complex.

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/rotpics01/ids01.jpeg

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/rotpics01/ids02.jpeg

http://images1.fotki.com/v1/photos/1/10467/18484/fe82c034jpgorig-vi.jpg

http://www.ids-center.com/media/architecture/mainbuilding.jpg

http://images1.fotki.com/v1/photos/1/10467/18484/fe994c90jpgorig-vi.jpg

http://images1.fotki.com/v1/photos/1/10467/18484/sd124-vi.jpg

http://www.ids-center.com/media/architecture/external1.jpg

http://www.ids-center.com/media/shared/introimage.jpg

For more excellent pictures of this building, check out this photo album http://public.fotki.com/MNCapital/twincitiespagecom/minneapolis_buildings/ids_tower/

pretty good. It fits nicely in the Minneapolis skyline.

8.5/10

i love it, the second pic makes it look really tall. and it does fit in the skyline alot.. 8

8.5/10
The last picture's caption is appropriate. Minneapolis had pretty much nothin' (tall) before IDS

The glass facade and the corners are great, but it's shape is somewhat plain.

7/10

It's ok. The roof spoils it.

7/10

It's ok. The roof spoils it.

7/10

Why have you copied my post exactly??? :bash:

quite ok 6/10

8/10

A very impressive looking building. Everything the MetLife in NY couldve been.

7.5/10- extra points because of the glass curtain wall facade that really dances with the light. The indentations/vertcal setbacks racing up the corners are nice, and the base, from what I can see, blends well with the tower.
The roof, however, doesn't blend with the tower at all; it's rather a jolt, in fact, instead of a harmonious meeting with the sky - almost a stereotype of the ugly, flat modernist top...ARRGHH! And the tower itself is still, IMO, too blocky, which, with the roof, reall detracts from its height - it could have used a few horizontal setbacks on the way up...

this is what the metlife building in nyc should of looked like, 7

my fav of the "big three" in MPLS . . .i dont care if its old, im a sucker for corners 7.5/10

i like the glass facade and the shape of the building too. i give it an 8/10

I really like the modern, glass look.... had to stare at it for a while when I first saw it during greyhound bus ride...... 9/10

8.5/10

Some points off for the roof.

quite nice 7.5

9/10
My most favourite building in America

reminds me of the former PanAm in NYC

9.5/10;)

<table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by De Snor </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>reminds me of the former PanAm in NYC</td></tr>
</table>

Yeah Metlife right.I though the same thing.
7.5/10

8.5 A very impressive building for the 70's... interesting vertical setbacks... nice glass... and tall

I especially like the top. Wicked building. 8.5/10

9/10

I love glass!..espacially when it cames with the great set-back like this!!...8.5/10

For a building built in 1973 this is really nice. But as others have said, the roof somewhat spoils it. 7/10.

From far the glass dosent seem so great.. But in closeups the glass looks fantastic! The general shape of the building is great too.. It looks massive but not threatening :)

9/10

Getting tired of stepped towers...7/10.

one damn good building. 8.5/10

6.5/10

Not too bad... :)

ITS JOHNSON!! 10/10

7/10 looking good.. nice considering it's from 1973.

its soo old and still looking awesome 9.5/10

Very cool, and I like the roof.
The twin spires work well for this building.

7.8/10

8/10

8/10

A nice glassbuilding, 8/10

7/10. not more

8.5

cool!

5.5/10 ! :)

8/10


nice one.

The top could have been better, but still it's a 'pretty much O.K.' building.

6.5/10

8/10

It's nice but I think it looks better from some angles than others(good when you can see mainly one side).

8.5/10

9/10

The IDS looks its best in the early morning on a subzero day. Something in the way the glass reflects the cold. Looks awesome. :guns1:

Interesting, I like it...8/10 ;)

very nice! i like the folds. the top looks dirty though

9/10 :okay:

IDS is definetly the queen of downtown. Bejeweled and graceful. The neighboring Wells Fargo is the handsome prince and the former US Bank is the high upkeep princess. Still waiting for that 1000 foot king.

Too much like NYC's Metlife for my comfort, and I hate that building. 6.5/10

9

7/10
It's interesting...

looks like what would happen if metlife and trump tower merges together. compared to its neighbors of similar height, this one needs more work...

7

I love the corners. My favorite part of it is also my least favorite. It reflects its surroundings almost too well. At times it can make the tower look beautiful, such as on a clear day. On an overcast day it can look dreadful and tired.

Just took this picture today:

http://img59.exs.cx/img59/9022/2603.jpg

7/10

6/10

This is one of those buildings that looks better at night than it does during the day.

It soars well from street level, and the form is okay, but its facade looks a tad dated from some angles.

7.5

9/10

Glassy prism. 7/10.

6/10 Needs height. Looked good about 25 years ago, but it's looking dated now. Minneapolis needs a 900 footer to complement this bldg.

7.5 Nice facade.

As a kid I used to make miniature skylines of pretend cities by setting up shampoo bottles on the floor, and I would use a Pantene (or Pert Plus) bottle for the 'IDS Center'. It was my favorite when I was a kid, and still I admire it today.
8.5/10

7.5/10

7.5 not too bad

Its my birthday so I am planing to go up it (and also see minnehaha falls).
I hope there is an observation deck. :sleepy:

Very nice building with a good identity. Adds a lot to the Minneapolis skyline too. I give it a 9.5/10. :)

The glass is not good enough, it seems that it works only with very good light.
The two black stripes in the middle and at the top are disgusting. The wide side gives the skyline a blocky look, while the shape of the building on the slim side makes it look short. Quite a disaster imo, except for the base that looks very neat. The crystal place is awesome. That's the only good point, I'd rather have the podium without the tower :-p
4.

Should a new thread be made for this one? the height was "reassessed" to be 792 feet 241 meters.

The top is kinda ugly with that grey panels.
7/10

7/10

8
I really like this tower, however I feel like it doesn't fit in too well in the skyline, makes it look short.

7/10.

Big and bold 8/10

9/10

6.5.

7/10.

I like it if you see it close but I don't like it when you see it far away. 8/10

8/10

8/10

Good close. Ok at far. 8/10

Nice shape & nice glass = 8/10

9/10

8/10

7/10

8,5/10

8/10

quite nice 7.5

Impressive even if it was built in the 70's. 9/10

Nice looking glass facade, but maybe too wide and with too many setbacks.
8/10

9/10

I rate this tower 3 or less.

Another reminder of how horrible the 1970s were for urban landscapes. A variation on the glass box, graceless, too imposing and pretentious~

Quite simply I see this building as something Minneapolis should not be particularly proud of :bash:

so glassy and nice shape 8/10

Timeless, on the street level seen through first person eyes it is still the best of Minneapolis' major buildings. It has an elegance and lightness that just works on the street and would in any big city. The crystal court is still stunning. One of the few early '70s era modernist towers that stands the test of time. The cities' foremost iconic building.

9/10

8/10

Its an oldie but a goodie. Not the best Minneapolis has to offer but its necessary for Minneapolis to keep its status as one of the most eclectic collection of high rises in the states.
8.5/10

I like it. 6/10

I love the IDS center. 10/10.

8.5/10

3,5/10

7.5/10

7/10

6/10

great building, 8.5/10

7/10

7.5/10

7/10.

not bad at all 7.5/10

8/10

8/10.

8/10

7 / 10

8.5 i hate the top though.

8/10 Pretty nice

7,5/10 :)

7 / 10

The top would look better in white or light green or deep purple.

7 / 10

The top would look better in white or light green or deep purple.

Colorblind much?

7/10

Reminds me of a glass version of the metlife building in new york.

8/10

Looks good. A 7,5 out of 10.

9/10.

6.5/10

8.5/10

8/10 - nice, but ugly top.

6/10

Looks ok. 7.5/10

5/10

7/10

nice 7.5/10

7/10

7.5/10

7,5/10

7/10

I like this one actually, it's impressive in real life as well- 8/10

8/10

7,5/10

niceeeee 9

fine.

Iconic. Classic. 9/10

7/10

6/10

6.5 itsok

7/10

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/184/477363990_cabf951db1_b.jpg
http://flickr.com/photos/23944110@N00/477363990/

Great building, 9/10

wow very cool 9/10

9/10

Nice building.

9/10

8/10 I really like its form and dimensions, but I'm not so sure about its colour/finishes which are looking a bit dated. I'm also reticent about the dark area at the top which a few people have already voiced their objections to.

However, its still a strong contribution to the skyline that any city would be proud of.

9/10

Beautiful.

7.5/10

8.5/10

7/10

6,5/10

7.5

some pople have a hard time remembering that this building is not new. Back when it was built in "72" or so, it was considered one of the best built complexes in the country. The original plan for this tower was going to be a plain old glass box.....I'm glad johnson changed his mind. There weren't many beauts like this designed in that era.....

huuuuuuge!!! 7.

Just wonderful. 10.

huge!
8/10

8/10

Interesting...

7.0/10

gotta love Minneapolis!!!: 9.5/10

8/10

It's kinda plain but it makes up for it with the sides

9. Very good building. Regards.

8/10

impressive 9/10

8/10

8/10

Still modern for its age. But not terribly interesting. 6.5

9/10

10

Good, especially for its age. 9/10

8.5/10

8/10 neat

9/10

very good.
8.5

8/10

7/10

9.5/10

8/10

9/10

9/10

8/10

7/10

cool ;) 7.5/10

7,5/10

9/10. Nice looking tower.

7.5

Pretty nice. 8/10

9/10

9/10

9.5/10

7/10

6/10