Minneapolis City Hall

The Minneapolis City Hall and Hennepin County Courthouse is a 1888 built building in Minneapolis, designed by Long and Kees and is used by both the city council and by the Hennepin County as a Court House. The building was used for various purposes since its inception. However, since the Countyverwaltung has now related with the Hennepin County Government Center on the south side of the Government Plaza a modern new building, it is now used mainly for urban issues. It is also known under the name of Municipal Building. Even further, it belongs to the city and the county jointly. It was registered on 4 December 1974 in the National Register of Historic Places.

Architecture

The building replaced an earlier building, which stood at the previous intersection between Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet Avenue 1873-1912 and was replaced by the Gateway Park until that even the wrecking ball fell victim.

The present Town Hall in 350 South Fifth Street is an example of the architectural style known as Richardsonian Romanesque. The design is based on Henry Hobson Richardson's execution of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh. Construction began in 1888 and officially ended in 1909. The construction costs amounted to 3.554 million U.S. dollars, equivalent to about 10 U.S. dollars per cubic meters of space.

Presented at the time of its construction, the building claim to have the biggest watch - dial of the world, whose diameter is about 100 mm greater than that of Big Ben in London. The clock tower reaches a height of 345 feet, about 105 m and was the tallest structure in the city, was built up in the 1920s, the Foshay Tower. A 15 -voice chime will sound at noon during the summer months and on public holidays.

The building consists of granite, which was broken in Ortonville, and many of the stones used weigh more than 20 tons. Originally, the granite should only be used for the base, and in the upper floors of bricks should be used. However, the public liked the look of the base so well that the execution of the entire building was required in this way. This change is probably one of the reasons why the originally estimated at 1.15 million U.S. dollars building costs were so clearly exceeded. Originally the building had a roof made ​​of terracotta, but this was leaking over time. Therefore, a roof of copper in 1950 was about installed, its weight is 81,600 kg and has now taken on the characteristic green patina.

In contrast to most other buildings in the center of Minneapolis City Hall and the surrounding buildings is not connected by skywalks because such an attempt would have led to an architectural disaster, but there were built pedestrian underpasses. There is a stop of the Hiawathalinie of light rail on the south side.

Interior

Inside the building is a large rotunda with a sculpture by American sculptor Larkin Goldsmith Mead, who lived in Florence at the time. The sculpture is called " Father of Waters " after the river Mississippi River, which flows through Minneapolis. The local legend says it brings good luck, if you touch one of the toes. The sculpture was completed in 1906 and housed in the building. Inside partly limestone from Bedford, Indiana is used.

Over the years, many of the larger rooms of the building were divided in order to gain more office space, and an extension was built in the yard at all. In the 1980s, however, was begun to place the latter back in its original state.

Swell

• (2001). A History of Minneapolis: Municipal Building. Minneapolis Public Library. Accessed on 17 February 2008.
• Steve Ristuben and William Scott ( 1981). HABS / HAER MN -30 documentation. National Park Service / Library of Congress. Accessed on 17 February 2008.