Best Downtown Development, Minneapolis went to the Nicollet Mall south end development. Calling the three-block stretch of new buildings “appealingly urbane,” the magazine gave the development some of its highest praise to-date. “The (relatively) new Target, Retek, and U.S. Bancorp headquarters buildings, for all their controversy, have proven to be attractive additions. … What’s more, these new structures mix well with the older, stylish buildings … that remain.”

And, Best New Downtown Retailer went to Target, whose store was designed as part of the above development. In a time of lagging retail activity, the new store’s opening “has been a superb show of confidence.” Additionally, the magazine reminds us that the store has filled a niche of convenience “that had been empty since the old Woolworth’s in the IDS Center closed.”