Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau

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Architecture

Saint Paul has been called the last city of the East and early developers built the city to fit Eastern standards--city squares or parks, towers and turrets, lofty arches, Baroque domes and elaborate embellishments.

Today, Saint Paul is a comfortable blend of old and new; magnificent art deco and Victorian reminders of the past nestle next to sleek skyscrapers beckoning the future. Saint Paulites are proud of their past and it shows in the painstaking care they've taken to restore and refurbish yesterday's monuments to assure they're here to welcome tomorrow's generations.

The best way to appreciate the city's architectural beauty is on foot. Downtown Saint Paul is compact and accessible and several self-guided walking tours cover the area's history, art and public and private buildings.

A good place to start your tour is Lowertown, where you'll step back in time to the mid-1800s when this historic district was a prestigious residential neighborhood. Fourteen blocks, the focus of recent restoration, are included on the National Register of Historic Places. Many historic warehouses have been converted into artists' lofts, which have brought a wealth of artists and their families to the area, many of which contribute to the design process of downtown's parks, public spaces and buildings.

Saint Paul built its railroad depot in Lowertown in the late 1800s and the James J. Hill Office Building still has the iron gate through which the railroad baron passed each day on his way to work. The original depot was destroyed by fire, but the present Union Depot, a massive sandstone structure with an imposing columned entrance, welcomed visitors for many years. It now houses a variety of restaurants and offices.

Warehouses followed railroad interests and Lowertown soon became a wholesale district servicing the entire upper Midwest. Residents rediscovered Lowertown in the 1970s, and today, turn-of-the-century lamp posts, glass-walled ornamental bus shelters, trees, flowers and festive awnings provide added charm for 19th century office buildings and warehouses that serve 20th century Saint Paulites as office and retail space, residential condominiums and penthouses.

After a rest near the inviting stream in Mears Park and a hot dog from a curb-side vendor cart, it's time for a visit to the City Hall-Courthouse at the other end of downtown. Elevator door panels, like other works of art and the structure itself, exemplify the Art Deco style of the 1930s. The spectacular interior has been preserved in its original Zigzag Moderne style and is the home of one of the state's most beloved statues, the 36-foot-high, 60-ton onyx statue Vision of Peace.

Nearby is Rice Park, a square block surrounded by four of the city's most spectacular structures: the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Landmark Center, Saint Paul Public Library/James J. Hill Reference Library and The Saint Paul Hotel.

Hailed as "the most contemporary classic theater in the United States," Ordway Centerf or the Performing Arts has been praised for both its programs and beauty. It combines old and new-faceted glass walls set into a facade of blocks and copper and state-of-the-art acoustics in a traditional style Main Hall.

Landmark Center, a castle-like structure that was built as a federal court building in a neo-Romanesque style in 1902, is perhaps the most dramatic of all of Saint Paul's restored structures. Its Gothic towers and pillars, turrets, gables and 20-foot ceilings create a perfect setting for the museums, arts organizations and courtrooms it now houses.

Five American presidents and European royalty have been guests at The Saint Paul Hotel, designed in 1910 by architects Reed and Stern, who also designed New York's Grand Central Station. The Saint Paul Hotel proudly boasts its status on the Historic Hotels of America registry.

The Renaissance-style Public Library, donated to the city in 1916 by James J. Hill, has a Tennessee marble exterior and Kettle River sandstone interiors.

If you're toting a camera, it's well worth walking a few more blocks to Assumption Church, which looks like a bit of Bavaria transported into a midwestern American city. Not surprisingly, the 1873 structure was designed by Joseph Reidl, architect to the king of Bavaria.

An architectural classic that shouldn't be missed is Mickey's Diner, where you can enjoy juke box music 24 hours a day with your eggs and hash browns. Sitting in the shadow of the St. Paul Companies headquarters, Mickey's is an internationally famous example of streamline modern design in a classic 1930s diner. It has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places and in the hearts of downtown diners.

Other architectural gems include the 1905 Minnesota State Capitol designed by Saint Paul architect Cass Gilbert, the 1915 Cathedral of Saint Paul designed by Emanuel Masqueray and the Minnesota History Center designed by Hamel, Green & Abrahamson in 1992. Constructed of Minnesota granite and limestone, the History Center achieves a historic look which complements the nearby structures in the Capitol complex.

The Minnesota Children's Museum is designed as a "playful assembly of colored blocks." The exterior also includes a colorful mural and a "Moon Window" which mechanically tracks the lunar cycle. The 62,000 square foot structure, designed by The Alliance, Inc. and James/Snow Architects, Inc. is a colorful addition to Saint Paul's artchitectural pallette.

Cascading down the bluffs of the Mississippi River at 120 West Kellogg is the new Science Museum of Minnesota. Designed for architectural beauty and functionality, the facility includes open atriums, glass walls and other unique features. With a glass lobby facing downtown and unique views of the riverfront on the Southern façade, the design of the museum incorporates the City of Saint Paul and the Mississippi River.

The newest additions to Saint Paul's skyline include Lawson Commons, the headquarters for Lawson Software on Wabasha and 5th and the expansion of Minnesota Life at 6th and Robert Streets. Both buildings are designed to compliment the city's historic landscape.