800 Washington Avenue draws proposals from three developers

The proposals are in... meaning it is time to report.

The city of Minneapolis has officially closed the option for developers to submit their plans for the development of 800 Washington Avenue. The site is owned by the city of Minneapolis and sits directly next to The American Academy of Neurology and the Aloft Hotel. Three developers stepped forward with each submitting plans for a hotel development.

We would love you input on what design you think is the best being this is a competition afterall. At the bottom of this article is a poll in which you can submit your input.

MORTENSON CONSTRUCTION

Mortenson Construction has submitted plans for a nine story structure that would feature a 188-room Hyatt Centric hotel.

The building would include a restaurant on the ground floor along with additional retail space, hotel rooms on floors two through eight, and what appears to be banquet space / office space on the ninth level. The building would also have outdoor patio space on multiple levels.

Within the project there will be about 15,000 square feet of office space that would be used by the The American Academy of Neurology. Currently the professional society has their 63,000 square foot, $20 million (absolutely stunning) headquarters next door which opened in 2012. There is another option for an an additional 15,000 square feet of office or banquet space within the building that the The American Academy of Neurology would be able use if the need arises.

ESG Architects is the designer behind the Mortenson Construction development. They currently are probably one of the most prominent architectural firms within Minneapolis area regarding new construction projects. We guarantee you probably driven past at least two of their projects within the last day.

The restaurant component would be spearhead by a Dallas company called Culinare. They're no strangers to the area, let alone the neighborhood, as they are responsible for Sea Change, the restaurant at the neighboring Guthrie Theater. Shea Inc would be responsible for the design of the restaurant.

Marcus Hotels and Resorts would operate the Hyatt Centric hotel. The brand has yet to enter the Minnesota market as it is less than a year old. The company recently opened two locations in April, one in The Loop in Chicago and also one in South Beach Miami. 15 additional locations will open this summer in cities such as New York, Paris, and Atlanta.

Hyatt Centric was created in order to appeal to the Modern Explorers of the world and is meant to be truly be more than just a hotel. "At Hyatt Centric, you'll find everything that you you need as you prepare for a business meeting, take in the local sites, or take advantage of a last-minute long weekend" their website says.

Visit their website here in order to learn more about this exciting hotel concept.

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SHERMAN ASSOCIATES

As we discussed earlier in the week Sherman Associates is also proposing a nine story hotel that would feature 140 rooms. While Sherman Associates has yet to divuldge full details regarding the project it can be seen from their latest rendering that the project would take on a very modern design approach.

A 25,000 square foot, two level, Pinstripes is proposed for the building and would be located on the ground and second floor. Pinstripes is a entertainment venue that features a bistro with Italian/American food, a bowling alley, bocce ball, and of course a bar.

Kimpton Hotels is the hospitality partner that Sherman Associates is working with for the project. Currently there is only a single Kimpton Hotel in the state and that is The Grand Hotel on Second Street in Downtown Minneapolis. Years back a Kimpton Hotel was floated for the Mall of America however we all know that that project ended up being the Radisson Blu.

Kimpton Hotels was established back in 1981 by Bill Kimpton. Today it is the largest chain of boutique hotels in the United States. While many of the company's hotel are independently branded there are also two "branded" chain hotels called the Hotel Monaco and the Hotel Palomar. If one were to appear within Sherman Associates development is most likely would be the Hotel Monaco brand.

Most Kimpton Hotels are branded individually meaning it is not simply called a "Kimpton". Details on what type of hotel or what the potential name could be likely would not be established until the city of Minneapolis recommends a project to move forward in late Summer.

Within Sherman Associate's development there also is around 20,000 square feet of space for them to move their company headquarters from across the street at the Old Spaghetti Factory building.

Sherman Associates also will begin work soon on their Thresher Square restoration which will be converted into a new hotel. Sherman Associates will also construction a new seven story mixed use building with 175 apartments and 30,000 square feet of retail (which is rumored to include a Trader Joe's).

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SATURDAY PROPERTIES LLC

Brent Rogers and his company Saturday Properties LLC is proposing another hotel in a six story building. The hotel would feature 166 rooms and would be branded as an Element by Westin. 10,500 square feet of retail space would be located on the first floor with at least one restaurant located within that space.

Designed by BKV Group, another architecture firm that Minneapolis can pride themselves on, the building features a very modern design that reminds us of the new residential project proposed over on 10th and Marquette.

The overall project would not stick out as much as the other projects proposed as the height of the building would be comparable to The American Academy of Neurology and the Aloft Hotel located on each side.

Element by Westin was launched in 2006 by Starwood Hotels and Resorts is a styled as an extended stay hotel. The brand is is the first hotel of the Starwood Brand that is intended to be environmentally friendly. This means that the hotels are built eco-friendly from the ground up including many recycled materials along with using energy efficient lighting and plumbing fixtures.

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Above: Elements by Westin standard suite (Elements by Westin)

What proposal do you like best?