When making the case to renovate or replace Minneapolis’ 27-year-old Target Center, the answer was obvious to the city, owner of the venue, the National Basketball Association’s Minnesota Timberwolves, which makes its home there, and the building operator, AEG.
Holding 200 large-crowd events annually, the sixth busiest building in the country and 17th busiest in the world has a prime location in the heart of a city that has seen a plethora of new sporting facilities in the last decade and a half. These include the Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, built in 2000; TCF Bank Stadium, erected in 2009; Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins’ Target Field, completed in 2010; and the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings new home, U.S. Bank Stadium, opened in July of 2016. And construction is currently underway for a Major League Soccer stadium, Allianz Field, to house Minnesota United FC beginning in 2019.
“With so much stadium work going on, the concept of tearing down Target Center and doing another $500-million venue didn’t make sense,” said Tom Reller, Sr., Target Center’s operations director. “We realized we could do enough [with a renovation] to make a difference and preserve an asset, hence our tagline, ‘Target Center Reimagined.’”
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
Talks for this project began in 2009, when the city made a substantial investment to install a green roof on the facility.
The approval process began in 2011 in conjunction with the U.S. Bank Stadium talks.
“This was a public/private partnership, and because the city contributed funding, we needed state approval,” said Steve Mattson, Target Center’s vice president and general manager. “Of the $140 million for this project, $74 million came from the city, the Timberwolves put in $49 million and AEG contributed $5.9 million.”
It is estimated that the extensive renovation, which touched and transformed most of the building, saved about $350 million when compared with the cost of a rebuild and has added 20 years to the arena’s useful life.
The construction timeline took about 18 months, starting in May 2016, with completion this October.
Goals of the renovation included creating additional clubs and gathering spaces, along with improving traffic flow, to enhance the fan experience. Upgrades also were needed to help draw top events to the venue.
The design and construction team consisted of architect Alliiance; Sink Combs Dethlefs for the arena design; Ericksen, Roed, and Associates as structural engineers; ME Engineers as MEP engineer; and Mortenson as the contractor.
For family-owned Mortenson, based out of Minneapolis, the project was a full circle experience. Target Center was the first sports arena the company had built back in 1990.
“We were able to transcend that experience into building sports arenas and football and college stadiums around the country,” said Derek Hansen, Mortenson’s construction executive who served as construction manager during the renovation. “We also were working with original staff that first built this venue, so it was a neat project for us from that standpoint.”
The team was faced with a number of challenges from the get-go. First and foremost was the limited footprint; Target Center takes up just one city block. This is the antithesis of today’s larger NBA buildings.
“Fortunately, we had a creative design team that was able to take every inch possible and widen concourses, while capturing stairwells and exits,” said Mattson. “There were many areas that needed modernizing, and we also had to take care of deferred maintenance.”
Not only did the exterior need to be reclad to fit better with its neighbors in the warehouse district but, because the building was constructed prior to 1992s American with Disabilities Act, upgrades were needed to bring accessibility up to code.
One of the biggest challenges was working around an open facility. More than 12,000 people pass through the Target Center skyway, yet work was phased to allow safe and continuous access throughout construction.
To minimize disruptions during the process, Mortenson held weekly meetings with all stakeholders to review anticipated construction activities and mitigate any potential conflicts. This not only included Timberwolves and Women’s Basketball Association Lynx games, but also AEG events and the neighboring Target Field, Lifetime Fitness and Hubert’s Sports Bar.
A COMPLETE OVERHAUL
To fully appreciate the venue’s menu changes, it helps to take a look back at what was.
Target Center’s biggest criticism was its lack of windows and open feel. The exterior, a combination of cement panels and various types of metals in light blue and red stood out as dated.
“The complaints were that people downtown had no idea what was going on in the Target Center, and it was important to be more open to the downtown,” said Reller.
The project was executed in three phases. The first part of the renovation began mid-April in 2016 following the end of the Timberwolves’ season. This saw the addition of a new center-hung, high-definition scoreboard; suite level renovations; the addition of premium club spaces and an in-house video production room and broadcast cabling upgrades. New audio and speaker systems also were installed.
During phase two, construction began on exterior elements, including a new modern façade and expanded marshalling yard. Also, a five-story glass atrium, lobby, box office and loading dock were added.
During phase three, when Target Center shut down between April 17 and Oct. 20, $64 million of work was put in place, which is 44 percent of the total project cost. The major interior construction included work on locker rooms, concourses and public restrooms. Retractable and platform seating upgrades were made, along with concourse and food/beverage improvements.
“It was a great collaboration with AEG and the Wolves,” said Hansen. “It is unique to do this much work without interrupting the building overall and only having a short shut-down period.”
A movable ice floor replacement also was installed. This unique feature raises 5 feet for ice events. The rink alone weighs 1.4 million pounds and utilizes 16,000 gallons of water to create a ½-inch sheet of ice.
The 18,600-pound, 976-lineal-foot ribbon board also was installed and a new skyway connection was built to connect the venue to the parking garage.
Because e-mail and Wi-Fi were not factors in 1990, there was work in bringing Target Center up to today’s technology standards.
“One of the big changes was repurposing or trading spaces,” said Reller. “In 1990, there were 18 box office windows and a big lobby for patrons. But now people are purchasing tickets online or on their smartphones, so the lobby and box office spaces [have shrunk]. It’s just an example of how times, the use of space and technology have changed in the operation of venue spaces.”
In the workforce of 2,000, 25 percent encompassed small, women- and minority-owned businesses, and minority, women and apprentice worker participation was at almost 50 percent for this project.
“We were fortunate to bring together a public/private team where we would otherwise have a lease expiring in less than 10 years,” said Mattson. “Now these three parties have a relationship that runs until 2035 in a venue that can host anything.”
PREMIUM UPGRADES
One of the largest aspects of Minneapolis’ Target Center complete overhaul was creating a number of new premium spaces.
“When the building was constructed in 1990, it was built with a full ring of 68 suites, the first of its kind at that time,” said Steve Mattson, Target Center’s vice president and general manager. “Premium spaces in public venues have changed immensely, and we now need varying levels with different amenities.”
Not only was the east suite level renovated into club space with upgraded suites, but 10 suites also were converted into two theater boxes. Two new club spaces–Lexus Courtside Club and TCL 612 Lounge–also were added.
“This was probably the most dramatic change,” said Don Dethlefs, CEO of Sink Combs Dethlefs, design architect. “We reimagined the whole suite level with the Timberwolves.”
The suites have glass doors to be more open and offer catering or the use of shared bar space.
Located on the side on the arena bowl, the Target Center Chairman’s Suites include a private suite with a balcony and access to the Chairman’s Club. The club provides a complimentary, communal bar that overlooks center court. Each suite is set up to accommodate groups of up to 18 people with 12 premium 22-inch seats and six bar stools at a drink rail.
“This lounge space was so successful that we added four more suites on the corner, along with another bar,” said Dethlefs. “It’s a nice combination of mixing clubs and suites.”
Located on the north and south ends of the arena bowl, Theater Boxes are designed for smaller groups, with the amenities of an all-inclusive club seating experience and a sideline location. Currently, there are 20 Theater Boxes. Each box accommodates up to six people with four larger 27-inch moveable luxury chairs and two dedicated bar stools at a drink rail. These boxes are sold in four- to six-seat arrangements, depending if the bar stools are desired for additional patrons. Other amenities in this area include a seated dining area behind the drink rails that can be used prior to the event, fixed bars and portable food carts.
To add space, restrooms were removed from the suites to common areas and upgraded.
On the south end, the Treasure Island Casino was enlarged, finishes were upgraded and the flow was improved.
COMBINING FORCES FOR COMMON GOALS
In creating Target Center’s Design, Don Dethlefs, CEO of Sink Combs Dethlefs, which has offices in Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles and Ann Arbor, Mich., said main factors included improving fan access, the facility’s relationship to downtown and the experience of those who played sports and performed at the venue.
“We worked with the city, Timberwolves and AEG, who all had a say, to determine where to spend the money,” he said.
Because more people access the building through the skyway than on the event level, it was necessary to create better access.
“We formerly only had an entrance on the north side, so we added another skyway that is accessible on the other side of the building,” said Dethlefs.
The former lobby also was repurposed into a courtside club under the bowl.
“This club generates a great experience and enhances revenue,” he said.
With basketball practice facilities moving across the street to Mayo Clinic Square, the Timberwolves’ former offices were converted to a mid-tier club.
“We added windows wherever we could, but we were somewhat limited due to the restrooms and sports facilities located on outside walls,” said Dethlefs.
Minneapolis-based architects Alliiance teamed up with Sink Combs Dethlefs on Target Center’s design. The firm was able to add a local perspective.
“As years have gone by and with the creation of nearby Target Field, the warehouse district has been revitalized,” said Tom Hysell, principal at Alliiance. “There are now more people living downtown, and this area has become more centralized.”
He added that the venue was built at a time where it cramped the block and spilled to property lines.
“It was a heavy building with a postmodern design, so what we needed to do was create a facility to better fit in with the city for the next 20 to 30 years,” said Hysell. “For the Timberwolves and Lynx, it was about enhancing the fan experience and increasing revenue on premium products, while AEG was about maximizing operation in a 30-year-old building.”
By repurposing space to today’s standards, the team was able to create a venue that worked for all parties.