The Dayton’s Eighth Floor Experience Lives On in Minnesota

From 1963 until 2016, generations of families visited the eighth floor of a Downtown Minneapolis building to be transported into a holiday wonderland.

The tradition actually started long before that. In 1903, Dayton’s Department Store opened, and even in those early days, the store windows were decorated for the holiday shopping season. Those displays eventually grew to include live animals, a short-lived idea that ended after two bears got loose in the store.

The Birth of the Iconic Eighth Floor Display in Minnesota

By 1963, Dayton’s needed something bigger to draw people into the downtown store, which was struggling as families moved to the growing suburbs. The company transformed the eighth floor into an all-new immersive experience. This wasn’t just festive window dressing. It was a fully themed walk-through attraction featuring custom-made sets, theatrical lighting, holiday music, and dozens of animatronic figures that became the stars of the show.

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Each year, the display took on a different theme. Some years leaned into classic winter and fairytale stories. Others became elaborate collaborations with popular franchises like Harry Potter, The Polar Express, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. For many Minnesotans, a trip to the eighth floor became as essential as seeing Santa Claus.

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The End of an Era and the Start of a New Tradition

By 2016 the show had come to an end. Dayton’s was long gone, and the building’s then-owner, Macy’s, was preparing to close the store for good. The beloved sets and animatronic figures were sold, but they didn’t disappear. Before long, pieces started reappearing around Minnesota during the holiday season, including at one home in St. Paul, where the tradition has found a new life.

The Family Keeping Minnesota's Holiday Spirit Alive

The Pihaly family has collected more than 30 of the original animated Dayton’s characters. They have restored many of them with new paint, new mechanical components, and even hand-sewn costumes. Each year they put them on display for the public, sharing a piece of Minnesota holiday history with anyone who stops by.

The family continues to grow the collection, acquiring additional figures from other collectors. This year they are adding a new side-yard scene described as a “all-new magical world, created exclusively for this year’s show” along with a new storefront display filled with classic Dayton’s history and charm. It brings the nostalgic magic of the eighth floor back to life on a quiet St. Paul street.

The display is open to the public from December 6 through Christmas from 5 to 9 PM nightly at 1887 Saunders Avenue in St. Paul.