On this date in 1888, Minneapolis architect LeRoy S. Buffington, widely considered to be the “Father of the Skyscraper,” patents a construction method involving a steel skeleton with masonry veneer carried on shelves fastened to the frame at each floor. This construction method allowed for structures to be built to any desired height. Some of […]
Architecture
1936-05-28
On this date in 1936, the Indian God of Peace sculpture is unveiled at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul. The statue, created by Swedish sculptor, Carl Milles, stands 38 feet tall and weighs approximately 60 tons. It was carved from creamy white Mexican onyx and is the largest carved onyx figure in the […]
1896-05-28
On this date in 1896, schoolchildren pull the the John H. Stevens house to its current location in Minneahaha Park in Minneapolis. Stevens house was the first built on the west side of the Mississippi River in 1849. Exactly four years later to the day, Stevens passed away. The house today is a museum, offering […]
1883-02-27
On this date in 1883, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the City of Minneapolis to establish a parks district. The initial vision called for a number of parks interconnected by boulevards and was based on the design concepts of Frederick Law Olmsted, widely considered to be the father of American landscape architecture. Horace Cleveland, a noted […]
1853-02-26
On this date in 1853, the Rev. Edward Duffield Neill obtains a charter for the Baldwin School. This college preparatory school which opened in June 1853 was the forerunner of St. Paul’s Macalester College. Neill served as a chaplain in the Civil War and held positions in three U.S. presidential administrations. In 1849, he traveled […]
