The Dayton’s Project is getting a temporary pop-up exhibit celebrating Minnesota sports during the holidays.
Starting Nov. 29, the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame Experience will be open to the public alongside the Dayton’s Holiday Market, which runs almost daily through Dec. 28.
The Minnesota Star Tribune, Minneapolis Foundation, and Meet Minneapolis are teaming up on the exhibit, in partnership with professional sports teams, including the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, Minnesota Twins, and Minnesota Wild.
“Sports bring people together, especially when we combine iconic athletes and an iconic building,” said Minneapolis Foundation President and CEO R.T. Rybak said in a statement. “Our hope is that we can start a new tradition and expand from a pop-up to a larger and more permanent Minneapolis exhibit in future years.”
The Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame Experience offers a pictorial history of the athletes, teams, and key moments that have contributed to our state’s sports legacy from Minnesota Star Tribune photographers. The exhibit also features images and artifacts from legendary Star Tribune sports columnist Sid Hartman’s office, an artistic presentation of Minnesota sports jerseys, and a display honoring members of the Star Tribune Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.
The Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame Experience is organized into six distinct eras of Minnesota’s athletic past and present:
- Early Milestones: Native Americans and the "Creator's Game," along with a collection of “firsts”
- The Biggest Game in Town: University of Minnesota football takes center stage
- Gold Medal State: Minnesota athletes’ Olympic success through the years
- The Metrodome: The multi-purpose stadium that hosted the United States’ biggest sporting events
- The Rise of Women’s Sports: Minnesota’s outsized influence on girls’ and women’s athletics
- A Major League Era: The state’s shift to a pro sports mecca
The Dayton’s Project is located at 700 Nicollet Mall. The Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame Experience will be open there Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. During Holidazzle on Dec. 18-21, the exhibit will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.