By the beginning of the 20th century, Nicollet Avenue had defined itself as the city's primary shopping street, as department stores such as G.W.

When Bridge Square arose in 1906, residents bought hay, dry goods, and supplies at the city market and small stores on Hennepin and Nicollet.

[5] Until demolition began in 1959, most of Gateway District remained: a notorious skid row, two parks, large commercial buildings, and hundreds of businesses.

The district was seen as suffering from social problems due to the number of flophouses, pawnshops, burlesque theaters, and bars in addition to a high crime rate.

The 1967 design was done by Lawrence Halprin Associates, while the 1990 redesign was done by BRW, Inc.[12][13] The summer of 2015 started a two-year, $50-million renovation of the mall.

[14] The redesign was led by James Corner Field Operations who also helped design the High Line in New York City.

Local Routes 10 and 18 provide a free trips along Nicollet Mall from the Minneapolis Convention Center to the Washington Avenue.

[20] Starting in June 2023, the city of Minneapolis began exploring removing buses from Nicollet Mall and only allowing pedestrians and bicycles.

Other shops are either local boutiques, specialty stores, or fast food eateries that operate almost exclusively during the weekday lunch hour.

Over the years, Nicollet Mall has seen the closing of several national clothing brands, including Polo Ralph Lauren and Cole Haan, which was its only store in the Twin Cities.

Additional closures included Gap, Banana Republic, Men's Wearhouse, Nordstrom Rack, and Marshall's.

Since 2000, the century-old local menswear store Hubert White has operated in the IDS Center,[25][26][27] selling upscale men's clothing, mainly by Ermenegildo Zegna.

In addition to Target Corporation, Fortune 500 companies U.S. Bancorp and Xcel Energy have their headquarters on Nicollet, while WCCO-TV (CBS Channel 4) is located on the southern part of the Mall.

While Nicollet Mall is no longer the retail destination it once was, future revitalization plans continue to spark discussion amongst local lawmakers and business interest groups.

In 2013, organizers announced the parades would be discontinued in favor of a new German-style Christmas market called "Holidazzle Village".

[32] Located on Nicollet Mall at Peavey Plaza during its first two years, the village features live music, fireworks and local and international vendors.

In May 2002, a bronze sculpture of Moore's character, created by Gwen Gillen and commissioned by TV Land, was dedicated at the corner of 7th Street and Nicollet Mall.