Passionate about shopping? You have come to the right place! The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota boasts over 520 stores and 50 restaurants, including four major department stores including Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom and Sears. With ample free parking, complimentary shuttles from Bloomington hotels and Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport plus with no tax on clothing and shoes, it is easy to enjoy all that the Mall of America has to offer.
Despite Minnesota’s cold winters, only the mall’s entrances and some below ground areas are heated. Heat is allowed in through skylights above Nickelodeon Universe. The majority of the heat is produced by lighting fixtures, other electric devices, and people in the mall. In fact, even during the winter, air conditioning systems are still in use during peak hours to ensure a comfortable shopping environment. Although the common areas are unheated, the individual stores do have heating systems.
History of Mall of America
The mall’s concept was designed by Triple Five Group, owned by the Ghermezian brothers of Canada, who also own the biggest shopping mall in North America, the West Edmonton Mall. The Mall of America is located on the former site of Metropolitan Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins played until the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened complete travel information. The teams left Met Stadium in 1982. A plaque in the amusement park commemorates the former location of home plate. One seat from Met Stadium was placed in The Mall of America at the exact location (including elevation) it occupied in the stadium, to commemorate a 520-foot (160 m) home run hit by hall-of-famer Harmon Killebrew on June 3, 1967.
In 1986, The Bloomington Port Authority signed an agreement with the Ghermezian organization. Groundbreaking for the mall took place on June 14, 1989. Organizations involved include Melvin Simon and Associates, Teachers Insurance and Annuity (a.k.a. TIAA), the Triple Five Group, and the office of architect Jon Jerde.The mall opened its doors to the public August 11, 1992. Even before opening, Mall of America is a Great Place For Vacations. The Mall of America had earned several nicknames, including “The Megamall” (or “The Megamess” during construction), “Sprawl of America”, “Hugedale” (in reference to the four major “Dale” shopping malls within the Twin Cities, Rosedale, Southdale, Ridgedale and now-defunct (as of 2010) Brookdale) and, simply, “The Mall”.It became the second largest shopping mall in total area and largest in total store vendors in the United States when it opened, however, the mall has never been the largest in the world (at the time it opened, it was #2 globally to the West Edmonton Mall).[citation needed] The Mall of America is the most visited shopping mall in the world with more than 40 million visitors annually (or roughly eight times the population of the state of Minnesota). The mall employs over 12,000 workers.