“Pairing state-of-the-art amenities with timeless design, the Wells Fargo Center is well-positioned to attract tenants seeking a premier building in a dynamic urban environment,” the release said.

The overall office vacancy rate for downtown Minneapolis at the end of the third quarter was 23.4%, up a percentage point from the same quarter a year ago, according to brokerage firm Colliers.

These vacancies, far higher than before the pandemic, are forcing some building owners to sell at significantly discounted prices. In September, a pair of office towers known as the Forum sold for $6.5 million, a more than 90% discount from to 2019, when they sold for nearly $74 million.

After returning to the church from the march, attendees took turns placing their signs with the names of people who died at the altar with hundreds of candles. They listened while speakers including Rev. DeWayne Davis, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Simpson program manager Mary Gallini and others. Gov. Tim Walz did not attend, but Flanagan attended on his behalf to present an official proclamation of Dec. 12 being known as “Minnesota Homeless Memorial Day.”

Some speakers such as Cathy ten Broeke, assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, said they hope the memorial won’t be necessary in the future if there is work done to end homelessness.

“They are all of our relatives, and I hope that we recommit ourselves tonight to the work to ensure that we no longer have to have a memorial service remembering any one of our relatives experiencing homelessness when they die,” she said.