HISTORY
The historic International Market Square has long been home to innovative
and creative pioneers in design. Built in 1905, the structure served as the
manufacturing facility for Northwestern Knitting. It later housed the
headquarters for Munsingwear Inc., a business that transformed the garment
industry with its union suit.
The building also contains a unique double helix stairway (pictured above),
believed to be one of the first of its kind in the United States. Two
stairways spiral around each other, creating a smooth transition where
arriving workers went up one set of stairs and departing workers exited
down the other.
The opening of the Harmon Court Design Center in 1980 gave Twin Cities
interior designers and their customers the ability to have a one-stop
shop for products. But due to limited space for both products and showrooms,
the local design community began looking for other bigger and better options.
Attention was brought to the now mostly vacant Munsingwear factory.
The six buildings were combined between 1983-1984 and reopened in
January of 1985 as International Market Square, the new cornerstone
of the creative corridor.
To learn more about the history of the IMS
click here