Capella Tower (formerly First Bank Place)
Minneapolis (Minnesota)
Sources checked November 2026
- Year
- 1992
- Architect
- I. M. Pei
- Type
- Office tower
- Access
- Office building, seen from outside (October 2026)
Completed in 1992 as First Bank Place, Capella Tower is the work of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, with James Ingo Freed as lead designer. Its 56-storey cylindrical tower ends in a semicircular crown; a winter garden links it to a 20-storey building.
History
The complex was built as the headquarters of First Bank, later US Bancorp, and was first named First Bank Place. Planning started in early 1988, building work in early 1989, and the complex was finished in October 1992. When US Bancorp moved its headquarters into a newer, smaller building, the complex took the name 225 South Sixth in 2002, before becoming Capella Tower.
Architecture
The complex joins a 56-storey tower and a 20-storey building, linked by a winter garden 75 feet high. James Ingo Freed of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners was its lead designer. Rising 776 feet, about 237 metres, the tower stands out on the Minneapolis skyline for its round shaft and its crown.
That crown is a semicircular steel piece about 45 feet high that screens the cooling towers and antennas. An LED lighting system changes its colour to mark occasions and holidays through the year.
Use today
The tower holds offices. Its three-storey atrium is a hub for shops, lounge areas and an art gallery, and original artworks fill the first two levels.
Visiting
It is an office building, seen from outside, at 225 South Sixth Street, downtown.
44.98° N, 93.27° W
