In the coming months, Mayo Clinic will remodel the entrances on the east side of the Gonda and Mayo buildings to provide a temporary front door to Mayo Clinic's downtown campus during the construction of new facilities.

The east entrance remodeling project, which is set to kick off this fall, will enhance the patient arrival experience and introduce an expanded set of entry options that will continue after the new facilities are built.

At daily peaks, the Gonda Building's west entrance welcomes more than 200 vehicles and 25 shuttles per hour carrying patients and their loved ones making their way to and from appointments. It is the main drop-off, pickup and valet location for Mayo Clinic patients. As construction begins on new clinical buildings, which will be connected to the Gonda Building's west side, this entrance will be closed for patient and staff safety.

The remodeled east entrance for the Mayo and Gonda buildings will offer improved shelter from the elements and an elevated experience. It will also be the primary valet and shuttle drop-off and pickup point for the Mayo and Gonda buildings. Patients and visitors arriving in their own vehicles will be encouraged to use the main patient parking ramps for their arrival and departure points to reduce congestion at the east entrances.

Teams are also exploring options to enhance patient flow across the downtown campus as part of this comprehensive effort to improve experiences for all. One option is to guide patients to different entrances across campus for their convenience, depending on where their itinerary begins.

Construction of the remodeled east entrance is expected to kick off this fall and be completed in late 2025, setting the stage for the enhanced patient arrival experience.

Temporary changes to enable long-term transformation

To ensure that patients have a positive arrival experience throughout new facility construction, Mayo Clinic worked with the city of Rochester to conduct a series of traffic studies, each informing the temporary arrival solutions. This collaboration will ensure that patients feel supported from the moment they arrive on campus — all while meeting the traffic capacity required to maintain a functional downtown for the Rochester community, as well as staff and patients.

One planned solution is to temporarily use Annenberg Plaza as a traffic pathway for shuttle drop-off during construction. Beloved art and community spaces, such as the Boy with Dolphin fountain and the Gonda atrium, will not be affected by construction work and will remain open to the public.

Because traffic on the south end of the street will be limited to hotel and local shuttles, south-flowing traffic impact to Second Street Southwest will be limited, and the plaza will retain a pedestrian-centric design. Seating, landscaping and walkways will provide beautiful green spaces and opportunities for respite for patients, staff and the public.

After construction on the new clinical facilities is complete and the new buildings' main entrances are open, the plaza will return to pedestrian-only and will be further integrated into the fabric of the downtown campus. Although the main entry points will shift closer to the new facilities, the enhancements to the east entrances of Gonda and Mayo will remain, providing additional options for arrival long-term.

Construction on the east side of the Mayo and Gonda buildings will not begin until this fall, meaning staff, patients and community members will be able to enjoy popular summer events like Thursdays Downtown without disruption.