ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic asked the city Building Commission for permission to raze the Days Inn on the main drag downtown and replace it with “an atypical looking loading dock.” The dock would be a one-story, 28,000-square foot structure, possibly expandable in the future with three upstairs floors. documents filed with the Building Commission show fashionable exterior finishes and textures, park-like landscaping, and pedestrian lighting on all sides. There would be a pedestrian and utility tunnel under First Avenue Northwest to connect with Methodist Hospital.
Out with the old. In with the new.
Mayo’s domino thinking
The proposed loading dock would replace an existing loading dock on the north side of Methodist Hospital. The plan is to demolish the Methodist loading dock to make room for Mayo’s new proton beam therapy center. The new loading dock, on the Days Inn site, eventually would be expanded with three upper floors for medical administrative offices.