Nicollet Center Updates

With the construction wall going up in the Lobby this week, the project will largely take place between that wall and the Nicollet Mall wood fence along the sidewalk. We'll be sure to include photos of what’s happening so you all can see the progress week to week!

A QUICK REMINDER: anyone who goes down to the Lower Level will 
encounter a new route to the LL restroom. From this point forward, any staff or guests needing a restroom can walk through the pool area to get to the All Gender Restroom. Please follow the signs to enter this space, using the key hanging on the door for access.

This Week

• The front desk was moved to the bottom of the ramp. 
• The construction wall was installed in the lobby so that the bulk of the construction project can take place at the entrance and in the former fitness area.

What’s Next

• This next week the ceiling and all walls will be removed from the former fitness area, to make way for the new classrooms and spaces to be built.
• The front glass and front door walls will remain in place for security purposes until it’s time to remove them.

Questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to email St. David’s at construction@stdavidsmn.org.

Last week was a big week in front of our building. Temporary walkways were constructed on Nicollet Mall, and the orange metal canopy was disassembled.

Additionally, some work was done on the lower-level hallway and men's locker room to make space for footings that will hold up the new entrance on Nicollet Mall.

Impacts to Families and Staff

Due to this construction, we are changing the route staff and clients take to get to the All-Gender Restroom on the lower level of Nicollet Center. Those who need to use the All-Gender Restroom or attend Aqua Therapy will be impacted.

Because that door is locked, anyone using it will need a key. We’re going to hang a key near the door so that staff and clients can access this area. Directional signs went up on July 7.

What you'll see and hear this week

• The front desk will be taken down and a temporary front desk will be set up at the bottom of the ramp.
• A temporary wall will be constructed where the front desk is currently located, to make the work area at the front of the building safer.
• McGough will sawcut on the lower level and the sidewalk out in front of the building. 

Questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to email St. David’s at construction@stdavidsmn.org.

We are excited to share that a meaningful milestone in St. David’s future is here. After months of planning and preparation, today we are officially kicking off Phase II of our building construction project—an exciting new chapter that reflects our continued commitment to the children, families, and community we serve. This work will bring important improvements to our space and expand our ability to support our mission for years to come.

This second of three building phases will add a new entrance on Nicollet Mall and many new spaces for St. David’s services in the current fitness area. Then in early 2027, this project will continue with a renovation to the Lobby, updates to Rooms 101 and 103, and added security to the parking lot entrance. In total, Phase II of construction will take approximately nine months.

We appreciate all the questions from families in the last few months as we’ve moved towards this milestone, and welcome your questions as the project begins. Please feel free to reach out any time, see below for contact information.

What’s Next

• This week, McGough Construction will install a barrier along Nicollet Mall to make their work on the front of the building safe for anyone walking by and provide space for them to install the new entrance.
• A dumpster will be installed on 12th Street for this first phase of the project and will likely be in that spot through December.
• McGough will install a temporary office in the fitness area.

Impacts to families and staff

• The entrance on Nicollet Mall will no longer be available from now through December. This is the area where the new entrance and several new classrooms are being built. Please plan to use the parking lot entrance. And for those riding a bike, we do have a bike rack near the parking lot door.
• You can continue to use the parking lot for drop-off and pick-up as normal. Most subcontractor parking will be in the parking spots along 12th Street, so they shouldn’t often impact parking. 

Questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to email St. David’s at construction@stdavidsmn.org.

Update – June 19, 2026

The Phase II construction project is one week away! There’s not much to report, but soon enough we’ll have lots to talk about. Read this update weekly for photos and information about work done the previous week and what to expect in the week to come.

This Week

• The big news this week was the Groundbreaking Event Wednesday morning, followed by the Open House in the afternoon. To see a quick snapshot of the event on Kare11, click here: St. David's begins renovations in downtown Minneapolis | kare11.com

What’s Next

• Construction begins on Monday, June 29

Questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to email St. David’s at construction@stdavidsmn.org.

April 9, 2026

We are excited to announce Phase 2 of the construction and renovation of 1130 Nicollet Mall, beginning Monday, June 1. This will be the second of three phases of construction and will include many significant updates to this unique and important building. 

Phase 2 Construction Timeline: Construction will begin Monday, June 1, 2026, and will last for nine months, ending around April 2027. Construction will first be done to the Nicollet Mall entrance and that side of the building, from June-December. During that time, the typical parking lot entrance will be fully available. When complete, construction will move to the parking lot entrance and lobby, and that part of the project will take approximately three months.

Construction hours will be from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and some items may need to be in the evenings or early mornings due to safety or significant noise concerns. This phase takes place in several areas of the building. 

Result: Phase 2 construction will include a new entrance to the building along Nicollet Mall that reaches out to the city sidewalk, six new St. David’s treatment rooms in the current fitness area, a reworked carpeted lobby with new lobby furniture, three new security desks in the lobby so the security team can sit at the parking lot entrance during highest traffic times of the day and sit in the middle of the building throughout normal operating hours, new furniture for St. David’s and YWCA staff in the lower level community area, and new secured entrances with updated cameras around the building. Phase 2 will also provide a new drop-off entry along 12th Street offering direct access to four new Day Treatment Rooms.

You can direct queries or concerns to construction@stdavidscenter.org.

We look forward to welcoming you into these newly renovated spaces as they are completed.

May 30, 2025

We have several spaces opening next week

Both OT Gyms will be finalized today and will be opening next week

Also, the new ADT room on the Lower Level will also be opening next Monday. Thank you to everyone who worked hard to get these spaces ready, it’s super exciting to be opening these up!

The ramp safety panels are half installed and should be 90% finished by the end of next week.

After this, we will be adding a “finishing” piece to each panel so they line up and keep from pinching fingers, but that part will be added several weeks from now.

Given these projects will all be largely done next week, this will be the final update of our Phase 1 projects. Thank you again everyone for your support, patience, questions, and for interacting with us actively during these last five months. We appreciate it greatly!

But this is just Phase 1.

We will be continuing to transform the building into an early childhood center in the coming years, and we’ll be sure to be in communication with you as the next two major projects approach. We anticipate a major project (“Phase 2”) in 2026, and then another major project (“Phase 3”) in 2027, but we are actively working on planning for these projects in the coming months. So, as we have information, we’ll be sure to share with you all.

Big news this week—the OT Gyms are officially open today!  The current equipment storage space in the large studio will be transformed into a dedicated space for Therapeutic Rec, with programming set to begin in early June.

Beyond that, major construction milestones have been reached! The OT Gyms, gymnasium partition, and classroom restroom projects are all finished. The final piece of Phase 1 is the installation of the ramp acrylic panels. We’ll keep you posted on when the ramp railing acrylic safety panels will be installed—this process will take several weeks and require temporary closures of sections of the ramp.

Exciting changes are happening—stay tuned for more updates!

The big news this week is that the Autism Day Treatment teams moved into their new rooms! Their new spaces are the two rooms directly inside the first floor from the parking lot. Not a lot of noticeable construction work was done this week, with electrical inspections taking place and steel work in the ceilings in the lower-level Occupational Therapy Gyms being the main work. But more significant work will start up again next week. Work continues on the Gymnasium and our Occupational Therapy gyms.

With the classroom and restroom renovation complete, the YWCA rooms were moved to the upper level this week. Construction on the gym wall partition is in full swing this week. If you haven’t seen the giant beam that was installed in the gyms, swing by the large window near the front desk to take a look! The beam is 16,000 pounds and was installed over the weekend

Construction on the OT Gyms will continue in the next 10 days, depending on when the steel supports are fabricated and ready.

With the classroom project finished, the YWCA will be moving into the new rooms and will officially begin in those rooms next Monday, March 17. Then we will take one week to clean, paint, and prepare those rooms for our ADT classrooms, moving into them with our clients on Monday, March 24. The gym partition wall construction has started and will continue to mid-April.

This Week

• YWCA is moving into the upstairs classrooms
• The gym partition wall project began

What’s Next

• We’ll prepare the first floor classrooms for our ADT program
• The gym partition wall project will continue, with steel beams being installed this weekend

We’re excited to announce the beginning of construction and renovation of 1130 Nicollet Mall on January 13, 2025. We are looking forward to beginning the next phase of our work with our long-time construction partner McGough. Construction will take place in three phases over the next several years.

The building will remain open during our transformation, and typical construction hours will be from 6 a.m. – 2 p.m. most days.

Phase 1 begins this month and lasts through early summer. Projects include: 

• Added safety measures to the central circulation ramp.
• Adding two new Occupational Therapy Gyms.
• Adding a full two-story divider in the Gymnasium to allow for more children to use the space at the same time.
• A restroom will be added to the two upper level classrooms, turning these into ECE classroom spaces

UPDATE: as of Feb. 21 the classroom project is nearing completion! Take a look behind the scenes in the images above.