Ace Hotel Minneapolis

Location: Minneapolis, MN
Total Square Footage: 175,000 sq ft
Estimated Construction Cost: $24.9 Million
Design Completion Date: 2007

The Ace Hotel concept was part of the overall plan for the Icehouse Redevelopment. The site is located in the heart of Eat Street, at the intersection of Nicollet Avenue South and 26th Street West. Approximately 1.2 acres in size, the project site is most noted for the iconic Icehouse—a large, impressive, windowless brick volume that towers up in the background of Eat Street’s most prominent corner.

The concept for the project is a courtyard scheme in which a one level mass covers the entire site and becomes the plinth upon which are set a series of taller masses. One main site entrance is located at the middle of the site, facing Nicollet Avenue. A light-filled exterior courtyard, located just inside the entrance, is carved into the first floor. Around the courtyard the first floor is planned with retail and market spaces. A second level green space becomes the heart of the project. The existing 2-story building on the south side of the block and the new building mass that wraps along Nicollet Avenue house the hotel rooms and other hotel support spaces.