Nicollet Hotel facts for kids

Nicollet Hotel
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nicollet Hotel exterior, 1924
Location in Minnesota
Location	235 Hennepin Ave South
Built	1924
NRHP reference No.	87002008
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 16, 1987
Removed from NRHP	March 15, 1993

The Nicollet Hotel was a famous hotel in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was located near Hennepin Avenue, Washington Avenue, Nicollet Avenue, and 3rd Street South, close to Gateway Park. This hotel was a very important building in the city for many years.

The First Nicollet Hotel

The very first hotel on this spot was built in 1858. It was often called the Nicollet House Hotel. It was named after Joseph Nicollet, a famous explorer.

• This first hotel quickly became a well-known place.
• Many important people from early Minneapolis, like John S. Pillsbury and William D. Washburn, worked from there.
• Over the next 50 years, the hotel was made bigger and updated many times.
• But by the 1920s, it was getting old.
• In 1922, city officials said the owners needed to add a fire sprinkler system.
• The owners thought this was too expensive.
• So, the old Nicollet House Hotel was torn down in 1923.

Building the New Nicollet Hotel

A brand new Nicollet Hotel opened its doors in June 1924. It was a much bigger and more modern building.

• It cost about $3.5 million to build, which was a lot of money back then!
• The new hotel had 637 rooms and was 12 stories tall.
• It was designed by a company from Chicago called Holabird & Roche.
• The building had a simple look with four sections of rooms around a central area.
• There were also shops on the ground floor.

Famous Guests and Fun Times

Even though the hotel looked quite plain, its large size and fun places to visit inside made it very popular.

• Many famous people stayed there.
• A young John F. Kennedy, who later became president, visited the hotel.
• Other presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman also stayed there.
• First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and famous actress Judy Garland were guests too.
• One of the hotel's lounges, called the Minnesota Terrace, was a popular spot for music.
• Famous musicians like Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and Lawrence Welk performed there.

Hotel Management and New Features

In the 1930s, the Nicollet Hotel was managed by the National Hotel Management Company.

• Ralph Hitz, a leader in the hotel business, was in charge.
• He made the Nicollet more famous with his special ways of marketing.
• He paid close attention to his guests and employees.
• In the 1950s, a fun bar with a Hawaiian theme, called the Waikiki Room, was added.
• In 1957, a company called Albert Pick Hotels bought the hotel.
• They changed its name to the Pick-Nicollet Hotel.

End of an Era

During the 1960s, many buildings in the Gateway District were torn down to make the area new again.

• The Nicollet Hotel was saved from being demolished at that time.
• However, the hotel was getting old, and the neighborhood was changing.
• It became hard for the hotel to compete with newer places.
• In 1973, a church called Soul's Harbor Church bought the hotel.
• They used the building for church services, a Bible school, and housing.
• The church faced financial problems in 1984.
• After that, the hotel's furniture and other items were sold off.
• For a few years, people suggested turning the building into a new hotel, apartments, or offices.
• But none of these plans happened.
• The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, meaning it was recognized as important.
• But sadly, it was finally torn down in 1991.

What's on the Site Today?

After the Nicollet Hotel was demolished, the land was used as a parking lot for many years.

• In 2014, the city of Minneapolis asked for ideas to develop the block.
• Four different companies offered their plans.
• In 2015, the city chose a plan from United Properties.
• Their plan is to build a large complex on the site.
• This will include a 36-story apartment building, a Hilton hotel, shops, offices, and a public park area.