Article: The Mayo Clinic Gonda Building Rochester Minnesota

 Mayo Clinic Gonda Building - Rochester Minnesota

Mayo Clinic Gonda - Rochester Minnesota (copyright: Creative Commons 3.0)

    Millions of people travel to Rochester, Minnesota yearly, from all over the world to visit the renowned Mayo Clinic. The heart of the Clinic is the 1.5-million-square-foot modern designed Gonda building, a facility that’s was built in 2001, that took a total of four years to build, it stands at just over 300 feet in height with twenty-one floors, and at one point it was the tallest building in Rochester.

    The Gonda building is not totally complete it has the fourth phase with plans to begin building sometime in the mid to late 2020s. In addition to the planned fourth phase, due to patient growing needs and demands, in 2018 Mayo Clinic also announced an expansion of the Gonda building that will add eleven floors which again will make it the tallest building in Rochester, Minnesota once completed and also adding a seven-story hotel which is planned to be completed sometime in late 2022 (recently there has been uncertainty surrounding the completion of the expansion, do to COVID-19, as of August 2020 Mayo Clinic has halted construction on the project until further notice).

    The Gonda building is an outpatient focused clinical center that houses doctors’ offices, exam rooms, an education center, and a primary care center. The Gonda was named after philanthropists Leslie and Susan Gonda and was designed by one of the world's largest architectural firms based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, named Ellerbe Becket. The Gonda building design was also built to incorporate the original Mayo and Charlton Buildings, each floor of the Gonda connects to the Mayo Building and there is also a seven-level skyway system that connects to the Charlton.

    Inside the Gonda building is a beautiful marvel of architecture and design. The building walls are made from the natural stones of Brazilian granite, integrated with linen-finished stainless steel, the entire building is set atop white marble floors and the incorporating design of wave-like walls of glass providing bright daylight that bathes the inside walkways of the Gonda building and also provides a beautiful overlook of Downtown Rochester.

    The Gonda also houses some of the world’s most impressive art collections and pieces, from great artists such as Auguste Rodin, Andy Warhol, and Alexander Calder. There are many art pieces and installations to view and admire distributed throughout the building, some of the more notable art favorites are, The “Man and Freedom” sculptor by Croatian artist Ivan Mestrovic, The four animal art prints entitled, “ Endangered Species” by Andy Warhol, and the thirteen multicolored glass sculptors that hang from the ceiling which are “Untitled” but are said to represent the biological aspects of medicine. The work was created by American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly (Chihuly is also known for the famous glass sculptor art pieces located at the Palm Atlantis in Dubai).

    When visiting the Mayo Gonda building, make sure to view all the many different art pieces and installations, and don’t forget to stop by the visitor’s kiosk where you will be able to find headphones and a map for free to use on a self-guided tour of the building. There is also a beautiful grand piano that anyone can play and enjoy in the common atrium area. In addition, on the Subway level of the Gonda, you will find a coffee shop, cafeteria, and gift shop.

 

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Mayo Clinic Gonda sources: 

• Address - 200 First Street SW, Rochester, Minnesota 
• Phone - 507-284-2511
• Website