Minnesota Landmark Has Now Swelled to 6 Times Its Original Size
This Minnesota landmark just celebrated its 61st anniversary this winter and it is now six times bigger than when it first opened.
When you think of classic Minnesota landmarks, what comes to mind? Maybe Target Field or the IDS Tower in Minneapolis... the state capitol building in St. Paul... or even the Mayo Clinic Plummer Building here in Rochester. They're all classic Minnesota landmarks, right?
But THIS landmark in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is one that turned 61 years old this January-- and is now a whopping seven times bigger than when it first opened its doors back in 1962. Do you know what it is?
It's the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Or, more specifically, Terminal 1 at MSP, which originally opened on January 13th, 1962. MSP noted the anniversary on its website when it turned 60 last year:
In 1962, the opening of Terminal 1 – with its signature folded-plate roof -- was heralded as a landmark event that would modernize the travel experience for the 1.8 million passengers who were being served annually. A key design component included placing passenger services on the upper level, and baggage claim and transportation services on the lower level.
Part of that original Terminal 1 is STILL in operation at MSP today. If you've been through Concourses E or F at MSP, you've been through them. Of course, they've been remodeled several times over the past 60 years.
READ MORE: For the 2nd Year in a Row, the Best Airport in North America Is Here in Minnesota
In fact, MSP's entire footprint is quite a bit bigger than it was 60 years ago. MSP noted the increase, saying that "2.4 million square feet of interior space has been added since 1962, more than six times the size of the original structure."
This makes sense, seeing as over 31.2 million total passengers went through MSP's checkpoints in 2022, a 24% increase in passenger activity compared to 2021. That's just a tad bit more than the 1.8 million passengers the original MSP served back in 1962.
So, shout-out to MSP-- a Minnesota landmark that's been named one of the Best Airports in the World recently, too. It's no secret that we pride ourselves on great facilities like MSP here in the North Star State, right? And speaking of secrets, keep scrolling to check out five 'ghost kitchens' that aren't a secret in Rochester anymore, either.
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