Architecture | Page 31

Aerial view of Minnesota State Capitol

Aerial view of the Minnesota State Capitol, 1941. Photograph by Kenneth Melvin Wright.

Minnesota State Capitol ca. 1913

The Minnesota State Capitol ca. 1913. Photograph by Earl Conrad.

Cass Gilbert and staff

Architect Cass Gilbert and his staff during construction of the third Minnesota State Capitol, ca. 1900.

Former Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey sets in place the cornerstone of the third Minnesota State Capitol at a ceremony held at the construction site on July 27, 1898. Photograph by Haas Brothers.

Second-floor plan

Cass Gilbert’s original plan of the second floor of the Minnesota State capitol, ca. 1896. Public domain.

Minnesota State Capitol

Minnesota State Capitol, July 22, 2017. Photograph by Wayne Hsieh. CC BY-NC 2.0

Minnesota’s Third State Capitol

On Wabasha Hill, just north of downtown St. Paul, stands Minnesota’s third state capitol building. This active center of state government was built between 1896 and 1905, and was designed by architect Cass Gilbert. Its magnificent architecture, decorative art, and innovative technologies set it apart from every other public building in the state.