Nicollet Avenue / Lake Street Development      1973

As part of a limited, urban design competition, Bentz/Thompson/Rietow was one of 3-4 firms hired by the Powderhorn Development Corp. to conceive an urban design resolution to the proposed changes at the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis.  Key to the design (and unlike the unfortunate, eventual development) was maintaining  Nicollet Avenue as a continuous thoroughfare.  This fundamental decision served as the framework for the development of a large,  4 block, 4 quadrant pedestrian mall system with centralized, structured parking, and multi-leveled, sky-lit commercial and residential developments.  This project is indicative of the firm's long history of addressing urban design issues.