MINNEAPOLIS — After hinting at expansion plans for Mayo Clinic Square in late 2015, Mayo finally made it official this week with an announcement that its Minneapolis footprint will nearly double.
Construction is expected to begin later this month on a 16,000-square-foot expansion of Mayo's sports medicine facility across the street from Target Center. The former Block E building's proximity to Target Center makes it the preferred medical provider for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx, who share space in the building.
Mayo has been operating out of a 20,000-square-foot space that opened in 2014 after a $97 million renovation of the long-beleaguered downtown building, which is now thriving with a 96 percent occupancy rate. Mayo soon will occupy about 16 percent of Mayo Clinic Square.
"This project builds on our commitment to patients in the Twin Cities area by providing more convenient and accessible sports medicine services," said Edward Laskowski, M.D., co-director of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine. "This expansion allows us to serve our patients better by tapping Mayo Clinic's expertise, cutting-edge technology, research and educational capabilities."
In 2015, Mayo Clinic Square was lauded as "the gold standard" by Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor in a ceremony attended by hundreds of dignitaries, including NBA commissioner Adam Silver, WNBA commissioner Laurel Richie and Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges.
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The planned expansion will take up space on the third floor of Mayo Clinic Square, while also moving to occupy square footage on the second floor. Some of the pending additions include: added capacity for orthopedic, primary care, and physical medicine and rehabilitation sports specialists; more physician staff; advanced x-ray system that uses cone beam CT, fluoroscopy and fully robotic digital x-ray; dual energy x-ray absorptiometry system to measure bone density and body composition; second suite for musculoskeletal ultrasound and regenerative medicine procedures; a biomechanics and movement analysis lab for research; and 15 new patient exam rooms.
Mayo declined to provide a cost estimate for the upcoming expansion, though its initial 2014 investment has been described as between $5 million and $7 million. The current space will remain open during construction.
The expanded space allows Mayo to add a physical medicine and rehabilitation sports medicine fellowship in Minneapolis, while also adding four physical therapists during the next two years.
"This expansion will ensure that patients continue to get world-class, whole-person care that is the hallmark of Mayo Clinic," said Michael Stuart, M.D., co-director of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine.
Mayo's sports-centric facility has hosted a variety of elite professional athletes, while also serving local amateur athletes. An on-site partnership with Exos — a premier training organization that focuses on mindset, nutrition and recovery — has helped raise the profile of Mayo Clinic Square.
"This expansion reflects our continuing commitment to the health and wellness of the community, and the ongoing redevelopment and revitalization of this area," said John Wald, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs and Marketing.
Mayo Clinic Square was in the news earlier this week after it was purchased for $98 million by LaSalle Investment Management. That represents a significant profit for Camelot LLC, which purchased Block E for $14 million in 2010 before investing another $50 million for renovation.
Mayo Clinic spokeswoman Kelly Reller says that purchase had no effect on expansion plans.
