IDS Building is the tallest building in Minnesota

The IDS Building is the tallest building in the state of Minnesota standing at 792 feet high. The building opened in 1974 and stood at 775 feet and six inches, a 16-foot garage for window washing equipment was added at a later date, adding to the total height of the building. The building was constructed as the headquarters of Investors Diversified Services which is now known as Ameriprise Financial, the Target Corporation also used the building for their headquarters until moving to another building in 2002.

Many high-rise buildings in Minneapolis copy the design of the IDS building, particularly their modern glass facing. The bottom of the building is known as the Crystal Court, which provides skyway connections to the rest of downtown. An observation deck is located in the building, but is closed to the public as it is rented by a Minneapolis law firm. The restaurant Windows on Minnesota is located on the 50th floor of the building and is used as banquet space and operated by the Marquette Hotel.

Due to the peculiar step-back design of the building, there are 32 corner offices on each floor. Mechanical floors are located at 50 feet above street level and at the very top of the building; these floors are identified by their darker facing. There is 1.4 million square feet of office and retail space in the building. The building has had structural issues such as water leaking through the roof of the Crystal Court after snow or rain; this was due to the effects of Minnesota's extreme freeze-thaw cycle.

The front of the IDS Center was used in the Mary Tyler Moore television show where she tossed her hat into the air in the opening sequence. The Wells Fargo Center and Foshay Tower can be seen from certain angles from the building, along with the reflection in the glass facing of the center.

The building has two secret floors between the 8th and 9th floors, known as 8A and 8B. The floors are not accessible from any of the passenger elevators and only contain HVAC equipment. Therefore the 9th floor is actually the 11th floor and the 51st floor is really the 53rd.

There are communication spires on the top of the building, which make the total height of the tower 910 feet, and the highest point in Minneapolis. Many FM radio station use the building as a backup in case their primary locations fail. Broadcasters who do use the tower include Univision, Home Shopping Network and Amateur radio repeater.

The building has been used in many movies, television shows and songs such as in Fargo by Steve Buscemi, in the music video for Remy Zero's `Save Me', in Hold Steady's song `Party Pit' and in the novel The Hiawatha by David Treuer.

Three deaths have resulted from falls from the tower, one was an accident when a worker removing snow slipped and fell three stores through the glass canopied atrium to his death. In 2001 and 30 year old man jumped from the 51st Floor and in 1996 a 32 year old man knocked out a window on the 30th floor and jumped to his death.