A close look at Minneapolis' remade Nicollet Mall

After $50 million and 28 disruptive months of construction, the barriers have finally come down on Nicollet Mall, marking its third remake in a half-century. The first was a radical and much-copied transformation of the city's shopping thoroughfare into a pedestrian and transit mall (the work of landscape architect Lawrence Halprin), which debuted to raves in 1967.

An uninspired and arguably unnecessary remake in 1990 lasted roughly the same amount of time. And with its official debut this week, we now have Nicollet Mall 3.0. Designed by James Corner Field Operations (the team behind New York City's famous High Line elevated park), the new mall is notable for its pedestrian-friendly features.

There are twice as many trees as with its predecessor. They're not the Kmart-esque saplings usually planted on downtown streets, but a handsome variety of towering, mature and great-looking specimens. Bravo.

Curbs disappear at intersections, and nearly 300 movable, highly colorful chairs are scattered across the mall's 12 blocks. An LED lighting scheme adds both necessary illumination and playful drama, and glass bus shelters provide a break from the elements as well as clear sightlines (Metro Transit buses return on Dec. 1).

There's art, too, an outdoor collection second only to the one in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The sole remnant of Halprin's mall, Jack Nelson's "Sculpture Clock," has been lovingly restored and refurbished. Several commissions from the 1990 mall have also returned, including Kate Burke's whimsical manhole covers.

They're joined by Ned Kahn's bold, wind-animated "Prairie Tree," and Blessing Hancock's distinctive "Nicollet Lanterns," a series of suspended, poem-covered spheres. More art is on the way next spring: Tristan Al-Haddad's "Nimbus" will appear in front of the Minneapolis Central Library, and George Morrison's granite mosaic "Tableau" (from the 1990 mall) will land near the Loring Greenway's entrance.

What's most noticeable, however, is concrete. Lots and lots of concrete, some of it etched with patterns. On the bright side, the lighter (and, dare I say cheerier) color palette is a reversal of the dark, somber (and slick-when-wet) granite paving of the previous mall's incarnation.

Still, it's awfully monochromatic. Corner's earlier mockups, with their prodigious and visually interesting use of pavers (lost to a budget tsunami) are far more compelling. Will this patterned concrete last the mall's usual 25-year life expectancy? Hard to say.

In the meantime, let's take a celebratory stroll. Nicollet Mall is back, hurrah.