Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse

Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse from the southeast
Show map of Minnesota Show map of the United States
Interactive map showing the location for Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse
Location	15 Kellogg Boulevard West, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Coordinates	44°56′38.5″N 93°05′37.1″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1932[3]
Architect	Thomas Ellerbe & Company and Holabird & Root
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP reference No.	83000940[1][2]
Added to NRHP	February 11, 1983

The Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse, located at 15 Kellogg Boulevard West in Saint Paul, Ramsey County, in the U.S state of Minnesota is a twenty-story Art Deco skyscraper completed in 1932. This was built during the Great Depression, the era of high unemployment and falling prices, the four million dollar budget for the building was underspent, and the quality of materials and craftsmanship exceeded initial expectations. The exterior consists of smooth Indiana limestone in the Art Deco style known as "American Perpendicular", which was designed by Thomas Ellerbe & Company of Saint Paul and Holabird & Root of Chicago and inspired by Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen. The vertical rows of windows are linked by plain, flat, black spandrels. Above the Fourth Street entrance, and flanking the Kellogg Boulevard entrance, are relief sculptures carved by Lee Lawrie.

Vision of Peace (originally Indian God of Peace) by Carl Milles, 1936

The interior design in the "Zigzag Moderne" style drew its inspiration from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, which promoted soft ornamentation and sensuous curves. In Memorial Hall, the white marble floor contrasts with three-story black marble piers leading to a gold-leaf ceiling. At the end of the hall is the 60-ton, 38 feet (11.6 m) white onyx Indian God of Peace by Carl Milles (later renamed Vision of Peace^[4]). Other features includes woodwork fashioned out of twenty-three different species of wood, and also uses five different types of imported marble. Murals were painted by John W. Norton while the six bronze elevator doors were made by Albert Stewart.^[3][5]

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Saint Paul

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "National Register of Historic Places". ww.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. 2007-11-07.
3. "Ramsey County Courthouse". Minnesota Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
4. "St. Paul City Hall-Ramsey County Courthouse". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
5. "St. Paul City Hall & Ramsey County Courthouse, 15 West Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul, Ramsey County, MN". Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress. September 9, 1981. Retrieved 2007-11-07.

External links

• Media related to Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse at Wikimedia Commons
• "The Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse". City of Saint Paul. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
• St. Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia