About
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Address: 901-915 Nicollet Mall
Neighborhood: Downtown West
Construction Date: 1926
Contractor: F.H. Ackerman
Architect: F.H. Ackerman
Architectural Style: Chicago Commercial, Renaissance Revival details
Historic Use: Commercial - Retail
Current Use: Commercial - Retail
Date of Local Designation: 1988
Date of National Register Designation: N/A
Area(s) of Significance: Commerce
Period of Significance: 1900-
Historic Profile: The Young-Quinlan Department Store is significant for its association with the early concept of high-quality modern merchandising in Minneapolis. The first ready-to-wear dress shop was opened in the city by Elizabeth Quinlan and Fred Young in 1894. After Young’s death in 1911, Quinlan decided to expand and build a new facility to house her concept of what excellence in modern merchandising should reflect. With the emergence of mass-produced ready-to-wear outfits, the concept of large multi-stored buildings with specialized departments became a common 20th-century trend. Quinlan’s concept produced a building elegant in design whose exterior reflected her preference for the simplicity of Italian art. An atypical feature of the building’s design was the identical treatment of all four facades. Further, the inclusion of parking facilities in the building’s basement created a modern planning solution for the new age of transportation.
Photo Credits:
1953, Norton and Peel, courtesy of The Minnesota Historical Society
2006, Minneapolis CPED
Works Cited:
"National Register of Historic Places – Nomination Form," August 1981.
Updated: February 2007