The Mall of America

Article by Michael Rainville, Jr.

If Minnesotans are good at anything, it is figuring out ways to live our best lives when it’s -15° with three feet of snow outside. Skyways have changed how our downtowns operate, indoor stadiums and arenas have made it possible to cheer on our teams comfortably, and the “-dales” showed the nation that people can indeed shop in frigid conditions. One of the most impressive innovations to our winter world is the Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the United States.

Before the Mall of America broke ground on June 14th, 1989, that site was the location of Metropolitan Stadium from 1955-1985. The 48,000-seat stadium was home to the Minneapolis Millers from 1956-1960, the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings from 1961-1981, and the Minnesota Kicks from 1976-1981. In January of ’82, the Twins and Vikings left for the new HHH Metrodome, and the old Met laid vacant on seventy-eight acres for three years until its demolition.

The Bloomington Port Authority considered four proposals for the site, a new convention center, an office park, multi-residential buildings, and a retail/entertainment complex. While the others aren’t the worst ideas, the port authority went with the latter. The Ghermezian brother’s Triple Five Group, who also opened the largest mall in North America in 1986, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, took the lead for the creation of the Mall of America.

The Mall of America under construction.

The Mall of America officially opened to the public on August 11th, 1992 to much fanfare, with one of the more popular areas of the Mall being The LEGO Store and Camp Snoopy, the largest indoor amusement park in America. To this day, the Mall relies on the skylights and body heat of their own visitors to heat the Mall. In fact, they even have to turn on the A/C in the winter to make a comfortable shopping experience for everyone. Among the 330 new stores, the four main anchor tenants were Bloomingdale’s, Sears, Macy's, and Nordstrom. More importantly, 10,000 people, 13,000 during the holiday season, were now employed at the Mall. More jobs, more entertainment, more tourism - what’s not to love?

Camp Snoopy was the original amusement park in the Mall of America.

The Mall has had many tenants throughout the years, but the building stayed relatively unchanged up until 2015. That year, a fourteen-story JW Marriot hotel opened, along with additional retail space and a second atrium for the Mall. This led to more expansion in the years to come. Luxury stores and office buildings opened in 2016, and perhaps the most interesting phase of this project is the Mall's expansion into the large surface lot to its north. For now, the plan is to build an indoor waterpark with 335,000 total square feet of waterslide and lazy river fun. COVID-19 has stalled this project, but hopefully once the world has healed and the pandemic has come to an end, the surface lot can be better utilized.

The large number of shops and restaurants make for an exciting experience, but the Mall of America wouldn’t have become what is it today if it wasn’t for their attractions. Camp Snoopy, since rebranded as Nickelodeon Universe, with twenty-seven rides and attractions, is a must-visit for locals and tourists alike, but the fun doesn’t stop there. SEA LIFE, once called Underwater World, gives visitors an opportunity to get up close and personal with the creatures of our oceans. The Escape Game, Amazing Mirror Maze, Crayola Experience, movie theater, Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy, and many more provide visitors with entertainment for days. Major events happen frequently as well, such a movie premiers, concerts and book signings.

One of the more popular events to take place in the Mall was a good ol’ wrasslin’ show; the very first WCW Monday Night Nitro on September 4th, 1995.

The home plate from Metropolitan Stadium is located in the northwest corner of Nickelodeon Universe.Thankfully, the Mall never forgot the past. A bronze plaque lies on the floor of Nickelodeon Universe to mark the spot where home plate was once located when the old Met was still standing, and a single chair from the stadium is mounted on the wall near the log flume ride to mark where Harmon Killebrew hit a 520-foot home run, the longest in Twins' history.

Located a few miles from the downtowns of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and just four light rail stops away from the Minneapolis – Saint Paul International Airport, the Mall of America has proved over the past three decades that it's a major pillar in the Twin Cities community. Sometimes it’s easy for us locals to gloss over the Mall, because of prices, or there’s too many people, or finding a parking spot can be a struggle, but we really do have a not-so-hidden gem in our own backyards. I, for one, am looking forward to watching the Mall’s own growth and success help the growth and success of the Twin Cities for years to come.

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About Michael Rainville, Jr.

A 6th generation Minneapolitan, Michael Rainville Jr. received his B.A. in History from the University of St. Thomas, and is currently enrolled in their M.A. in Art History and Certificate in Museum Studies programs. Michael is also a historic interpreter and guide at Historic Fort Snelling at Bdote and a lead guide at Mobile Entertainment LLC, giving Segway tours of the Minneapolis riverfront for 7+ years. Contact: mrainvillejr@comcast.net. Click here for an interactive map of Michael's past articles.