Mall of America Breaks Ground on $325M Expansion Project
The nation’s largest retail and entertainment destination, Mall of America, recently broke ground on a $325 million expansion project. Minneapolis-based Mortenson, a construction and development services company, Hotel Development LLC, an enterprise of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the City of Bloomington and Mall of America celebrated the event.
By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor
The nation’s largest retail and entertainment destination, Mall of America, recently broke ground on a $325 million expansion. Minneapolis-based construction and development services company Mortenson; Hotel Development L.L.C., an enterprise of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community; the city of Bloomington; and the Mall of America itself celebrated the event. 
Paul Ghermezian, COO for Triple Five Worldwide, said: “This is a major milestone for Mall of America. For more than 20 years, it has been our dream to increase the size of the mall, firmly establishing it as a world-renowned attraction. Today, I couldn’t be more pleased to say that dream is becoming a reality.”
The expansion will feature a 342-room JW Marriott hotel, an office tower, high-end retailers, new dining options, a tourist welcome center and a large event space. The construction project will be the most significant at the property since its opening in 1992.
The JW Marriott will be owned by Hotel Development L.L.C. and managed by Marriott International. The hotel is a ground-up, 14-story construction featuring 342 rooms and has direct access to the mall. It features numerous amenities, including a fitness center, a pool, meeting space, underground parking and a full-service restaurant and bar. The 180,000-square-foot Class A office complex will be located on top of a new multi-level parking garage.
“Mall of America is an iconic retail and entertainment destination known around the world,” said Tom Lander, vice president at Mortenson Development. “We are pleased to be the development and construction partner for this important expansion and once again work with the mall as it continues to focus on delivering a world-class experience here in Minnesota.”
Approximately 1,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent jobs are expected to be generated by the expansion. With construction already underway, the project is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2015, with openings occurring in phases beginning with the retail in August of that year.
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