About this Event
The Northwestern National Life Building was constructed to replace the Northwestern National Life Insurance Company Home Office near Loring Park, which had become too small for the number of employees in the company. The building features an 85 foot portico that serves as the visual terminus for the Nicollet Mall. Yamasaki's touches also included reflective pools and landscaping, and he claimed he was designing "a park with a building in it".
Minoru Yamasaki designed 8 buildings in Minnesota between 1958 and 1981. These years span the most productive and successful period of Yamasaki’s work, bookended by the construction of Pruitt Igoe in 1954 and the opening of the World Trade Center in 1973.
Local developer Chad Tepley of CDT Realty purchased the building and is planning a 165-room boutique hotel with rooftop bar, restaurants, and public spaces intended for cultural events. Tepley is currently in the process of getting the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which could unlock tax credits for the project. He expects a summer of 2028 opening.
This is an in-person guided tour! Thursday, June 4, 2026.
Guests must choose a tour time upon registration. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes before your entry time:
4:30pm
5:15pm
6:00pm
Member Presale begins on Tuesday, May 19. General Admission tickets go on sale Saturday, May 23.
Docomomo US/MN members: $8
General admission tickets: $22
To unlock member discount / early-bird tickets, please enter your member email address in the 'Promo Code' field of the Eventbrite ticket window. Members may add up to four discounted tickets per registered email address.
Transportation is on your own, or with a friend or two!
Limited Free Parking is available in the building lot located on S. Marquette Avenue between Washington Avenue S and S. 2nd Street. Metered street parking is also available on S. Marquette Avenue.
Please meet the group in the outdoor atrium of the Washington Ave S. side of the building. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes before your entry time.
Headline photo courtesy Morgan Sheff.
More info and photos on the Docomomo US/MN event page: https://www.docomomo-us-mn.org/mid-mod-marvel-northwestern-national-life-building
Event Venue
Northwestern National Life Building, 20 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, United States
