225 South Sixth
Minneapolis, USA

HEIGHT: 237m/776 feet
FLOORS: 56 floors
COMPLETION: 1992
ARCHITECT: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners

This office complex, erected on an L-shaped site, is a rationalized response to disparate urban conditions and also to the need to accommodate two major corporate tenants with individual identities. In solution, the building includes a 58-story tower that acknowledges nearby high-rises, a 20-story building that responds to mid-rise neighbors and defines a previously borderless park, and finally, a corner winter garden that hinges the complex together while focusing smaller-scale historic landmarks.

The mass is built up with six-story cubes, or locally scaled building blocks, and round towers of various heights and diameter that speak to the larger city. Each component has a different orientation and grid pattern, but all are unified by a common geometry, related materials and a ground-level arcade. Atop the whole is an illuminated crown which, housing an antennae farm and communications network, signals the existence of a significant urban event in this part of the city.

The building's base is carved away to create a permeable membrane of public amenity and circulation. Street life is thus revalidated in a city where pedestrian traffic has been largely rerouted through elevated skywalks. First Bank Place itself plays a key role in the skywalk system, providing shelter from Minneapolis's sub-zero winters by means of bridges to neighboring buildings.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/33048649_8a52852786_b.jpg

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-2.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/61/161309018_4bc4d12f8e_b.jpg

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-4.jpg

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-1.jpg

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

I like it very much, but not quite as much as Wells Fargo.

8.0/10

It's an "okay" building, though I don't like the feature on the roof.

5.5/10

This is 1 of my top 10 towers in the world!

so, a 10!

I absolutely love this building. 9.5+/10.

I like the roof

8/10 :)

Very neat indeed. I like this one :) 9/10

8/10 - very unAmerican ;)

Originally posted by adelaideglenelg
It's an "okay" building, though I don't like the feature on the roof.

5.5/10

Ouch! That is funny, the "tiara" that it has as its crown is my favorite part of the building. The part i don't like as much about it is that has a somewhat awkward base...

I give it a 9/10....Overall, i like it a lot.

I like this building even though the top is funky looking....LOL..it really looks more like an Asian building than an American one...
8.5/10....

Nice...the top reminds me of the Deutsche bank HQ in Frankfurt.

8/10 :)

the other side looks much better imo

Originally posted by Sunflower
Nice...the top reminds me of the Deutsche bank HQ in Frankfurt.

8/10 :)

Are you not talking about an other building ?
Westend instead DB HQ ?

nice crown.. nice design... also love the asian stile touch to it too..10

i love this one. . .but wish they kept it a half circle all the way up .. . but very cool crown 8/10

8/10

The quality of the facade is first class, but I'm not really a fan of these designs.

8/10 - A harmonious combination of several distinct masses, with a really nice nearly all glass curtainwall facade that really dances with the light, and has good contrasts with the lattice effect and stripes. The crowning "tiara" works here, and the night lighting is really impressive.

My main quibbles - it's still a bit chunky, I wonder if running the "stripes" veritcally along the cylindrical section of the tower would have helped the height, and I'm not quite sure about the base...

8.5 Like the design. like someone said, very unamerican in design. great scraper in a not very known city outside the US. However, i dont like the "crown" in the top.

I gave it a 7. You guys aren't gonna beat me up, are you?

I think it's a nice building, but it's far too inconsistant in it's design. I love that top portion however, especially that crown.

This is truely one om my fav's all over the world. This is a stunning beauty only can give a 10 !!!!! :okay:

I dislike this building from the side showing its blockyness (2nd pic). It doesn't look consistent with the round top and crown. From the other side it looks fantastic, but unfortunately it's rarely seen from that angle. I'd like to give it more, but it only earns 7.5/10 from me.

one one profile it looks stunning,

on the other it looks awkward and forced


for one profile i give 9.5 for the other 6.5

so i think a midway score of 8 is fair

I give this one a 9, I love it

This side is better in my opinion

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-4.jpg

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-1.jpg

10 / 10
I like the roof

<table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by Sun </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>I give this one a 9, I love it

This side is better in my opinion

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-4.jpg

</td></tr>
</table>

I agree! I give it a 8.5/10.

the feature on the roof ruins it...the rest is good however...

Omg lovely! Can't tell you how nice this building is.
9.5/10

8 I don't like the tiara on the top... an interesting mix of round and block... the facades don't clash too much... a pretty good skyscraper

6.5/10

This isn't as good as Wells Fargo (Minn.) but definitely eye-catching. The different elements seem a little disjointed to me. 7.5/10.

Very original design! The top makes it look better all the more :) I just love how its lighted at night.. :guns1:

9/10

I tot it was something in China...:) Ok for its setting thou...7.5/10.

certainly not a boring one-and not a weird one either. 8.5/10

8/10

this one is awesome, this one is my favorite of the big three in minneapolis

Nah, it's too...hm...strange. 7/10

nice design. the backside is the best 8/10

10/10

One of thos nice modern buildings ! :) 9.5/10 ! :)

9.5/10


I love this one.

There's too much going on, but the way it has been dealt with makes up for that.

alltogether: 7.5/10

8/10. Well design!

8/10

the roof's nice (even though i can name at least 2 other buildings with similar roof designs), and the shape of the rest of the building is ok, even though it looks like it's made of cylindrical and square blocks.

8

I don't like the top either, but if you took it away it would look very unfinished. Any thoughts on a replacement for the "tiara", a spire perhaps? 8/10

Funky Modern 8/10

9 out of 10

i love minneapolis with its skyscrapers!
9/10

9/10

It all depends on what angle I look at it from. On the glass side it is my favorite of the big 3 in Minneapolis. From the granite sides, I do not like it very much. It does look too busy.

I like the design nice nice 9/10

http://img22.exs.cx/img22/848/10554.jpg

Interesting design. 7/10.

8/10

Amazingly powerfull and strong looking piece. It also fits extremely well with it's surounding buildings and I just really love it's crown!! 10/10

At the 4th picture it looks ok, but at the first one it's so ugly, it makes me puke. I'll have to give a 4.

9/10!!!

A good fusion of box and cylinder shapes.

Nice, clean, shiny facade, plenty of soar, and looks great in the early evening when the lights start to come on.

The element that forms the crown is a nice touch.

8/10

10/10

9.5. Just an amazing building.

An amazing addition to our skyline. Minneapolis would look so much less cool without it! I love the lines on each floor on the back side of the building.

8.5/10

just awesome...awesome :drool:

minneapolis has the greatest 3 tallest skyscraper combo in the world besides Singapore :)

One time I called it the one with the football stadium on top. 9.5

nice shape, glassy and a cool crown. love it!!

9/10

Living in MPLS, this is also known as "God's Ashtray" and I think it is fitting for it. It is a great view for the skyline and it gives the city some charachter.

Very nice, 8/10

9/10 a gem

This building is absolutely beautiful, imo. For concept and esthetics, I give it a 10. But the ground level is way less than inviting for pedestrians. It feels sealed off from the sidewalk, and once you are in there, it's just a big open space with a couple of escalators. Not like the IDS, which is very inviting and comfortable at the ground level.

7.5/10

F***cking brilliant!!! This one gives Minneapolis that edge it deserves. I give it a Perfect 10/10. :okay:

Interesting shape, good cladding and also an unusual crown with an acceptable lighting.
Unfortunately, it's a bit too broad and overwhelming, and the brutal cut on the circle gives the crown a weird look.
7.

9/10

One of my most favorites buildings!!!
ITS JUST AMAZING!!!!
10/10 :):):)

8/10

The shape is wonderful seen from some angles,however,from others is a bit boring.The same goes for the cladding.

One of my favourite buildings in the world. 10/10. I'm not suprised its currently ranked 2nd in this section. Here's another photo - although it's small it shows it off perfectly.
http://www.stevendahlman.com/photo/project/photo/225sosix03.jpg

I love this tower. 9,5/10.

fantastic 10/10

8.5/10

Roof's ugly. 7.

Looks really great from some angles but not that great from the other ;) 8,5/10

9.5/10

9/10.

8/10

9/10

I love this building. 10/10

8.5/10

More pics:

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/9189/37ut.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/9482/17ck1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

7.5/10 i really like it!

8.5/10 a very underated skyscraper.

Beauty 9/10

this is a perfect tower

9,5/10

7.5/10

Nice facade and nice crown...

8/10

5.5/10

nice peilli building 8/10

I really like this building. I didn't know it was so massive. the base is enormous. I like the crown. its really what defines the whole building, why it stand out so much. This and IDS is what i think of when i think of Minneapolis. I do wish the crown went all the way around. Although the back side that shows the reverse of teh rounded parts is interesting to look at it with its edges.
9/10

IMO, this is the best one in Minneapolis. 10/10

8/10

Never seen this before but I love it 9/10

8.5/10

7/10

8/10

8.5/10

8/10

5/10

its a very very nice building.......! i like its top very much......8.5

great tower 9/10

7.5/10

bang on the money.. love the top as well..

9/10

What´s up with the roof? 5/10

7.5/10

I don't like the contrast between the two different styles of windows, such as in the first picture. I also don't like the roof thing, especially in the third picture.

6.5/10

9/10

8/10

7/10

8.5/10.

9/10

8/10

9/10

10. great!

7/10 Would have gotten a higher rank if not for the ugly top

oneof my favorites....the reason for the horizontal bands on the circular part of the tower is to make it look wider......compared to the other tallest in the city this towers footprint is smaller........also you have the wells fargo building a block away with vertical stripes......it neutralizes that effect.....

10/10! my second favorite minne skyscraper! I think this was the first tower with that kind of top. many others like the one in frankfurt were built afterwards. this is indeed very unamerican, but i think it fits nicely into minneapolis. It looks so futuristic too!

8/10

I like this! A 8,5 out of 10.

9.5/10

8/10

9/10

9/10

10/10

7/10

beautiful 10/10

8.5

8/10

10/10

" My favorite, in Minneapolis, is the Wells Fargo tower! " It's as elegant and majestic in the Twin Cities as It would be in New York City.

3/10

Love it. Looks great in person. 10/10

here are some flickr shots


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/61/161309018_4bc4d12f8e_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/206089533_61b9958864_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1271/575278574_e950620d79_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2106/1871935821_00f96e91e3_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/13/17733483_d7e89d8ce1_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/35/113555985_399cd30368_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/33044152_f5fd6fb67e_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/33048649_8a52852786_b.jpg

9.5/10 i like the roof :)

9 :cheers:

I like the roof

8/10

sexy. 9

This building's name has officially been changed to the Capella Tower:

If building becomes beloved, name can stay
By JAMES LILEKS, Star Tribune

Last update: March 22, 2008 - 10:55 PM


There are three tall buildings downtown: IDS, blue and beloved. Wells Fargo, slim and urbane. Then there's the big weird one with the glowing pie plate on top. No one ever knew what to call it. Well, it was 225 South Sixth Street Tower, located at 225 S. 6th Street, but it was renamed last week. What? you ask breathlessly. What gassy make-believe name did it get? 225 Sixth Plaza Square PointeCentre? ¶ No, it's Capella Tower, named after its new tenant. We're lucky the company has a euphonious appellation; if the law firm of Dorcus, Stinque & Aeirwacks decides to occupy 35 floors, it would be Dorcus Tower, and there's nothing we could do about it.

The new name will fit nicely, because it replaces a name that never caught the public's imagination. It used to be FirstBank, one of those financial institutions that changes its name one day and leaves you with unused checks you never feel comfortable using.

Will we see other rechristenings in the months to come? My editor suggested renaming Block E "Hooters Square," but that would indicate a peculiar physical deformity. The Star Tribune building has the name in stone on the façade, so you can't do much with it -- unless you knock off some letters and open a BBQ joint called St. Rib.

City Center will always keep its name, since the alterative -- "Urban Multi-Use Light-Purple Anti-Human Concrete Bunker" -- doesn't look good in neon.

The most beloved buildings never change their names. The Lumber Exchange will ever be so, even though the days of dragging a log into the lobby and swapping it for another are long gone. The IDS? Good luck dynamiting that name from the public mind. I pity the company that tries to rename it Triox Center or Finance One CorpPlace because no one will call it that. Even if the economy collapses and every store leaves but one, it'll still be IDS.

After its main tenant, the Incredible Dollar Store.

http://www.startribune.com/local/16926491.html

8/10 Like it :)

I like it a lot! 8.5/10

beautifull 10/10

10/10!

Very nice!!

9.5/10

9/10

9/10

9/10

9.5/10

It is interesting that this is one of the top scoring buildings in this section but in Minnesota it is without a doubt the least popular of the big three towers. It looks nice in pictures but in real life Wells Fargo and the IDS Center work better, especially at street level. This building sucks at street level.

9/10

I think this building will face more elegant without its 'crown'. 7/10

10. stunning!

7.5

9/10

Undeniable originality. It really does stand out as a unique tower, not only in the Minneapolis skyline, among all the skyscrapers in the United States. There are very few skyscrapers in the world that look like this.

7/10...i really like it, but not too keen on the top tho

I like that the top looks unfinished. It would look more odd if the crown went all the way around to the chiseled side. I just wouldn't relate to it at all. It definately has two personalities. The entry and atrium that is on 6th st. and 3rd ave. is a bit jarring though. This building really isn't very inviting to pedestrians. Even though it is a multi-tenant tower it seems more like a single tenant building that serves little more than the workers.

nice cladding! 7.

Nice one. 8,5/10

Wonderful *.*
9.5/10 fails anything to the 10/10 :/

10/10

8/10

Breathtaking- 10/10

8/10

Nice fin :D

9. Very good building. Regards.

9/10

great design 9.5/10

10/10

not bad 7/10

The design is sober and stately but the visor is too large. 7

9/10

7.5

8.5/10

8,5

cool! 9

9/10

Very strange shape and does not really fit into Minneapolis. 4/10

wow 8/10

10/10

each of our big three is completely different from the next. i think that this contrast to each other plays quite well. it is because of it's difference that it fits in....imho.

8.5/10

6 / 10

Hard to dislike it with a crown like that.


IMO icon of the city's skyline.

9

This tower deserves to be Minneapolis' tallest. I love the IDS, but they cheated with their sad little window washing structure at the top.

:lol:This tower deserves to be Minneapolis' tallest. I love the IDS, but they cheated with their sad little window washing structure at the top.

you got that right! there is no way that it should be accepted as part of the structure!

8/10

7/10

Beautiful images....10/10


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/33048649_8a52852786_b.jpg

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-2.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/61/161309018_4bc4d12f8e_b.jpg

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-4.jpg

http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/8826/8826-1.jpg

8/10

8,5/10

9/10

5.5/10

why is it so mixed. i could build 4 different buildings with these ideas

6/10

Solid 9. One of my favorite skyscrapers ever, though I agree that the base is a bit bulky and odd, and had I been in charge, the crown would've gone all the way around. Other than those minor quibbles, I love the design. I think it still looks futuristic and cool despite being 21 years old.

8,5

6.5

7/10

10/10

8/10

9.5/10. Minneapolis has some damn good towers :)