Historic Photos
Search
Minneapolis City Hall & Courthouse > History > Historic Photos   Print View 
Historic Photos
Construction of the City Hall and Courthouse building was a feat to say the least. Huge blocks of granite -- some weighing as much as 26 tons each -- were transported by train from Ortonville, Minnesota. The downtown Minneapolis landscape also has changed significantly since the building's inception in the late 1800s. As time has passed and events have occurred, the building has endured as a lasting icon for Minneapolis and Hennepin County. Peruse the historic photo archive for a look into the founding and life of the City Hall and Courthouse as well as some close-ups of key building features.


Image Gallery: Historic Photo Archive
Father of Waters Mississippi, or the Father of Waters as he is better known, has graced the rotunda of City Hall and Courthouse since 1904. Sculpted from the largest piece of marble taken from the famed Carrara quarries in Italy, he weighs over 14,000 pounds. Read more about the Father of Waters by clicking here.  Aerial View of City Hall and Courthouse from the East The clock tower of the City Hall and Courthouse can be seen against the background of the University of Minnesota campus in the foreground. Minneapolis Police Department Corridor Views of the interior such as this one show how much the building has evolved over a century of use. Because it was the first public building constructed with the entire support resting on the exterior walls, the interior space was and continues to be subject to great change. Grotesque Guarding Elevators 41 different grotesques are carved into the columns found around ground floor elevators in the rotunda. About four inches in height, they were mistakenly attributed to Henry Chalker, but later found to be the work of Guwond. Similar faces are found on the exterior of the Masonic Temple at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Sixth Street.
See all 24 images.


All text and images © Municipal Building Commission unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Any reuse or republishing of the text or images on this Web site without prior written consent of the copyright holder is prohibited. For information or use permissions, contact the Municipal Building Commission. For problems or questions regarding this Web site contact tracey.mclaughlin@co.hennepin.mn.us.

Last modified on 9/17/2010 11:57:39 AM