Wells Fargo Center (Minneapolis)
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| Begun: | 1986 |
| Opened: | 1988 |
| Height: | 774 (236 meters) |
| Floors: | 57 (55 occupied) |
| ZIP Code: | 55402 |
| World Rank: | 139th (as of July 2005) |
| City Rank: | 3rd (as of mid 2005) |
| Location: | 90 South Seventh Street |
| Architect: | César Pelli César Pelli & Associates Architects |
| Developers: | Hines Interests Limited Partnership |
The Wells Fargo Center, formerly known as Norwest Center, is the third-tallest building in Minneapolis, Minnesota after 225 South Sixth and the IDS Center tower. Completed in 1988, it is 774 feet (235.6 m) tall. For many years, this was believed to be one foot shorter than 225 South Sixth, but that structure actually had a different height (see the IDS Center article for details). Norwest Center was designed with a modernized art deco style by César Pelli, reflecting nearby structures such as the nearby Qwest Building and the Foshay Tower, which is several blocks away. It is also considered by many to be an homage to the GE Building at New York City's Rockefeller Center.
Wells Fargo Center sits on the site of the old Northwestern National Bank Building, which was destroyed in a fire in 1982. Norwest Bank was the original lessee, and Wells Fargo still has regional offices there (Norwest, one of the most acquisitive banks of the 1990s, actually took over Wells Fargo in 1998, but decided to use the name Wells Fargo instead of staying Norwest, and then moved their headquarters from Minneapolis to San Francisco, California where Wells Fargo had been based).
It is brilliantly lit at night, with floodlamps pointing up from the setback rooftops to illuminate the sides of the building. In 1989, the building was praised by the Urban Land Institute, who honored it with their Award for Excellence in Large Scale Office Development. It is located at 90 South 7th Street. Gaviidae Common, a neighboring shopping center, was also designed by Pelli and built at the same time.
