Canadian Pacific Plaza is a 383-ft (117 m) tall skyscraper in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was completed in 1960 and has 28 floors. It is the 21st-tallest building in the city. It is the first major post-World War II skyscraper built in Minneapolis. It is also the city's tallest building completed in the 1960s. A skyway connects the building to the Rand Tower, Soo Line Building, and US Bank Plaza.
The building's history began in 1955 when First Bank System of Minneapolis hired Holabird, Root & Burgee of Chicago to design a new headquarters.[1] The project, assisted by Minneapolis firm Thorshov & Cerny, drew inspiration from the design principles of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and the recently completed Lever House in New York City. Construction commenced with demolition of the New York Life Insurance Building in 1957, followed by a January groundbreaking in 1958, and final occupancy in May of 1960.
The building was known for its first 20 years as First National Bank Building. It served as the headquarters for First Bank System (now U.S. Bancorp) and its subsidiary First National Bank of Minneapolis (now U.S. Bank). In 1980, after the bank developed Pillsbury Center, whose shorter tower was styled First Bank Place East, the First National Bank Building was renamed First Bank Place West.