St. Paul's historic Landmark Center, completed in 1902, originally served as the United States Post Office, Courthouse, and Custom House for the state of Minnesota. It was designed by

Willoughby J. Edbrooke Willoughby James Edbrooke (1843–1896) was an American architect and a bureaucrat who remained faithful to a Richardsonian Romanesque style into the era of Beaux-Arts architecture in the United States, supported by commissions from conservative f ...

, who served as

Supervising Architect Supervision is an act or instance of directing, managing, or oversight. Etymology The English noun "supervision" derives from the two Latin words "super" (above) and "videre" (see, observe). Spelling The spelling is "Supervision" in Standard ...

of the U.S. Treasury Department in 1891–92. Edbrooke designed a body of public architecture, much of which, like this structure, was completed after his 1896 death. Landmark Center stands at 75 West Fifth Street in

Rice Park Rice Park is a public park in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Features of the park include a fountain, a bandstand, sculptures of characters from the ''Peanuts'' cartoons and an ice-rink during the winter months. Rice Park is on ...

and is now an arts and culture center. The exterior is pink granite

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

with a

Ludowici Ludowici may refer to: * Ludowici, Georgia, a town * Ludowici Well Pavilion, a historic site * Ludowici Roof Tile Ludowici Roof Tile, LLC., based in New Lexington, Ohio, is an American manufacturer of clay roof tiles, floor tiles, and wall clad ...

clay tile roof, steeply pitched to shed snow and adorned by numerous

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s and

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...

s. Cylindrical corner towers with conical turrets occupy almost every change of projection. There are two massive towers, one of which houses a clock. The exterior is almost devoid of carved detail. The interior features a five-story courtyard with skylight and rooms with 20-foot ceilings, appointed with marble and carved mahogany and oak finishes. Its

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

architecture is similar to Edbrooke's Old Post Office Building in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (; June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He commanded the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprison ...

's girlfriend Evelyn Frechette, Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, "Doc" Barker and other members of the Barker-Karpis gang were tried in the building when it served as a federal courthouse. Judges Walter Henry Sanborn and John B. Sanborn Jr. kept their chambers here while serving on the

Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western Dist ...

. U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Harry Blackmun Harold Andrew Blackmun (November 12, 1908 – March 4, 1999) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 to 1994. Appointed by President Richard Nixon, Blackmun ultima ...

worked in the building as a law clerk to the younger Sanborn in 1932–33. In the 1970s, a citizens' group saved the building from demolition and, guided by supervising architec
Donald (Don) J. Leier
an expert in restoration architecture, restored it to its previous grandeur. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and reopened to the public as Landmark Center in 1978. LandmarkCenterCortile

After its comprehensive 1972–78 renovation, the center became home to many prominent Twin Cities arts organizations, now including: *

American Association of Woodturners The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) is the principal organization in the United States supporting the art and craft of woodturning. It is sometimes stylized as American Association of Wood Turners (AAW). Established in 1986 and headqua ...

and the AAW Gallery of Wood Art * Ramsey County Historical Society Gallery and Research Center – changing exhibits and research area for local history topics * The Schubert Club Museum of musical instruments * Landmark Gallery – permanent and temporary exhibits from its local history collection * "Uncle Sam Worked Here", a permanent interactive exhibit opened in 2007 about activities in Landmark Center over its history * Exhibition space for music, dance, theater, and public forums. For a time the high school St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists also held classes on the fifth floor. It has since moved to 16 West 5th Street. The fifth floor now houses the offices of the American Composers Forum. Owned by Ramsey County, Landmark Center is managed by Minnesota Landmarks, a not-for-profit organization. Landmark Center also houses Anita's Cafe, Landmarket Gift Shop, and five galleries.

In popular culture

The building served as the location of Frank Bass (

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor. He is most notable for portraying Lou Grant on the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977) and drama '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), making him one of the few ...

)'s office in the 1974 film '' The Wrestler''.

References

External links

*
Photos of Federal Courts Building
at the MNHS
Photos of U. S. Post Office
at the MNHS
Ramsey County Historical Society

Press article from the St. Paul Pioneer Press about the "Uncle Sam Worked Here" exhibit
{{Authority control Clock towers in Minnesota Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Government buildings completed in 1901 History museums in Minnesota Museums in Saint Paul, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Saint Paul, Minnesota Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Minnesota Tourist attractions in Saint Paul, Minnesota