Voya Financial Building, Original Name: Northwestern National Life Insurance Building.
Name of Building
Voya Financial Building, Original Name: Northwestern National Life Insurance Building.
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date the building was designed and/or first built
completed in 1965
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Architect: Minoru Yamasaki
Culturally Specific Time Period
Modern Era of the 1960s.
Geo-Location
Latitude: 44.98211804793023,
Longitude: -93.26730335880224
Longitude: -93.26730335880224
Materials
Marble and concrete
Size and/or Scale of Building
The building is six stories tall. The total floor area is 220,000 square feet of office space.
Architectural Type
Commercial
Formal Style
New Formalism
Building Description
The Voya Financial building (also known historically as the Northwestern National Life Insurance Building) is a six‑story office structure located at 20 Washington Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis. It was designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki and completed in 1965. The building is known for its striking white‑quartz concrete columns about 63 slender columns that support an eighty‑foot high portico at one entrance. The design mixes modern architecture with formal, classical touches. Between the columns are thin marble panels (Verde‑antique marble) and dark tinted glass, which give the facade a refined appearance. There are reflecting pools and landscaped areas around the building, plus a grand porch/entrance that frames views down Nicollet Mall.
Image source
Image 1
https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/startribunemedia/KRBYBRUW6RAGDHCNKFVOAEFNHE.jpg
Image 2
https://media.bizj.us/view/img/12005409/broadwest-office-tower-10*xx6016-3384-0-316.jpg
Image 3
https://media.bizj.us/view/img/12253071/190426agesgthemarq004v2*900xx2500-1406-0-149.jpg
Image 4
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/38/13/f0/northwestern-national.jpg
https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/startribunemedia/KRBYBRUW6RAGDHCNKFVOAEFNHE.jpg
Image 2
https://media.bizj.us/view/img/12005409/broadwest-office-tower-10*xx6016-3384-0-316.jpg
Image 3
https://media.bizj.us/view/img/12253071/190426agesgthemarq004v2*900xx2500-1406-0-149.jpg
Image 4
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/38/13/f0/northwestern-national.jpg
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Student First and Last Name
Justin Forster
In Process Notes on the building history and notable architectural details
Visual Termination / City Planning: The building is purposely placed so that its portico serves as a visual terminus for Nicollet Mall. In other words, the sightline down Nicollet Mall ends at the building’s portico towards the direction of the Mississippi River.
Interior features: Originally, the top floor housed the company president’s office, decorated richly (rosewood, teak, large doors, etc.), and the cafeteria was on that level with arched windows and bright colors. There was also a large sculpture “Sunlit Straw” by Bertoia in the lobby.
Interior features: Originally, the top floor housed the company president’s office, decorated richly (rosewood, teak, large doors, etc.), and the cafeteria was on that level with arched windows and bright colors. There was also a large sculpture “Sunlit Straw” by Bertoia in the lobby.
Collection
Citation
Architect: Minoru Yamasaki, “Voya Financial Building, Original Name: Northwestern National Life Insurance Building.,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://www.worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/57.
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