Lego masterpieces are on display for visitors at the Mall of America.
Mall of America has a gross area of 4.2 million ft² (390,000 m²), with 2.5 million ft² (230,000 m²) available as retail space.
The mall is a nearly symmetrical building, with a roughly rectangularfloor plan. Over 520 stores are arranged along three levels of pedestrian walkways on the sides of the rectangle, with a fourth level on one side. Four "anchor" department stores are located at the corners. The mall employs over 12,000 workers.
Two nearly identical seven story parking ramps on east and west sides provide approximately 13,000 parking spaces. Parking lots on the north and south of the building, along with nearby overflow parking, bring the total number of spaces up to approximately 20,000.
The mall is used as a major transportation hub in the region, with bus service linking the mall to other destinations. Regular public transit service is provided by Metro Transit and other area bus lines, and an area casino offers free shuttles to their establishment. One of the major bus stations is in the lower level of the eastern parking ramp, where a new light railstation opened on December 4, 2004. The Hiawatha Line connects the mall to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and stretches into downtown Minneapolis (another major shopping destination in the region, particularly during weekdays). It is expected that the line to the mall will be heavily marketed to passengers at the airport, particularly people who will be on layovers of three hours or more. The mall is being discouraged as a park and ride facility, and overnight parking is banned to prevent passengers taking the train to the airport. Commuters and airport parkers are encouraged to use the nearby 28th Avenue Station's parking lot.
Despite Minnesota's extremely cold winters, the mall is largely unheated. Heat is allowed in through skylights above The Park within the MOA. Heat is produced by lighting fixtures, other electric devices and also by employees and guests of the mall in sufficient amounts to keep it comfortable. Only the mall's entrances are heated. In fact, even during the winter, air conditioning systems need to be run nonstop during peak hours to ensure a comfortable shopping environment.
The Park at MOA
The Park at MOA, formerly Knott's Camp Snoopy, February 2000
The Park at MOA is an indoor theme park in the center of the mall. The park features two roller coasters among numerous other rides and attractions, and is the largest indoor theme park in America.
On the morning of January 10, 2006, WCCO radio reported that licensing negotiations between the Mall of America and the syndicate that owns the rights to the "Peanuts" characters had failed, and that the park's "Peanuts" theme would be phased out. The primary point of contention was the syndicate's refusal to allow the Mall to effectively market the park outside of Minnesota.
History
Mall of America is located on the former site of Metropolitan Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins played until the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened. The teams left Met Stadium in 1982. A plaque in The Park at MOA commemorates the former location of home plate. One seat from Met Stadium was placed in the Mall of America at the exact location (including elevation) it occupied in the stadium, to commemorate a 520 foot home run hit by hall-of-famerHarmon Killebrew on June 3, 1967. There are no corresponding references to the Vikings, although some have suggested that a statue of Armen Terzian might be appropriate.
In 1986, The Bloomington Port Authority signed an agreement with the Ghermezian Organization, who had previously worked on West Edmonton Mall.
Groundbreaking for the mall took place on June 14, 1989. Organizations involved include Melvin Simon and Associates, Teachers Insurance and Annuity, the Triple Five Group, and the office of architect Jon Jerde.
The mall opened its doors to the public in 1992. Even before opening, Mall of America had earned several nicknames, including "The Megamall" (or "The Megamess" during construction), "Sprawl of America", "Hugedale" (in reference to the four major "Dale" shopping malls within the Twin Cities, Rosedale, Southdale, Ridgedale and Brookdale) and, simply, "The Mall".
In 2003, after a protracted six year legal battle between Simon Properties, the managing general partner of the property, and the Ghermezian brothers Triple Five Group over majority ownership of the site, a federal appeals judge ruled in favor of the Ghermezians, effectively transferring control and planning authority of the mall back to its original conceptualizerStar Tribune (LexisNexis Search), [Brothers win back control of megamall; Simon Property will contest a ruling that transfers majority ownership.], September 12, 2003.. The dispute stemmed from a 1999 purchase of Teacher's Insurance 27.5% equity stake by Simon Properties, giving them majority ownership. The Ghermezians claimed they were never told of the deal and sued Simon, citing fiduciary responsibility. The ruling clears the way for Triple Five to begin work on what is being called "Phase II", the development of the parcel of land north of the mall, the former site of the Met Center.
Mall of America Phase II concept.
Phase II, in current form, includes a dinner theatre, ice rink, three hotels, and a waterpark; similar in design to the West Edmonton Mall. The plan has been impeded by outside forces, however. Groundbreaking for Phase II is set for early spring 2007, and the construction will integrate the existing IKEA store into Phase II as one of its new anchor stores.
In a column on October 3, 2003, a Wall Street Journal writer described the MOA as a "dinosaur" [link], although the mall continues to be a popular attraction.
