Image-Grand central Station Outside Night 2

Reed and Stem (present-day WASA Studio) is an American

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and engineering firm. The firm was founded in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

in 1891 as a partnership between Charles A. Reed (1858–1911) and Allen H. Stem (1856–1931), the successful partnership captured a wide range of commissions. The firm was reformed as Wank Adams Slavin Associates in 1961, and adopted the name WASA Studio in 2004.

History

One early work was Medical Hall on the campus of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. They were, however, most widely known for their work on

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s over the course of two decades. Through Reed's relationship, by marriage, to the president of the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

, they gained a high-profile commission for the

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

of New York's

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

with the architecture firm of

Warren and Wetmore Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm based in New York City, a partnership established about 1889 by Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles D. Wetmore (1866–1941). They had one of the most extensive practices of their time, and were e ...

, and the newly hired Alfred T. Fellheimer as lead architect. In addition, Reed and Stem undertook many significant projects for the Great Northern Railway and the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

. After Reed's death, Stem continued to practice with Fellheimer until his retirement in 1920. The firm moved from Minnesota to New York after being selected to design Grand Central Terminal.Katy Stech
Manhattan Architecture Firm WASA Studio Files for Bankruptcy
''Wall Street Journal'' (July 28, 2015). The Reed and Stem papers held by the Northwest Architectural Archives, in the Elmer L. Andersen Library, at the University of Minnesota constitute only a small portion of their output. Eight unique commissions are listed, and represent a sample of the firm's experience in non-railroad related commission work, namely residences and commercial buildings. The firm was reformed as '' Wank Adams Slavin Associates'' in 1961, and adopted the name ''WASA Studio'' in 2004.Christopher DeSantis
New York Firm WASA Studio Files for Bankruptcy
''Contract Magazine'' (July 31, 2015). The firm's office is located on Broadway. In 2015, the firm—which had millions of dollars in debt and was facing several lawsuits from previous former clients—filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

and was granted chapter 11 protection from creditors.

Major commissions

The firm "has worked on more than 100 train stations ... along with college campus buildings and corporate parks." *

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

, 1913, NRHP-listed * King Street Station,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, 1906 * Livingston Depot,

Livingston, Montana Livingston is a city and the county seat of Park County, Montana, United States. It is in southwestern Montana, on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,040. Hist ...

, 1902 * Crane Ordway Building, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1904 * The Saint Paul Hotel, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1910 * Michigan Central Station,

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 1913 * Tacoma Union Station,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, 1911 * Wulling Hall (Medical Hall),

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, 1892 *Northern Pacific Depot,

Ellensburg, Washington Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 in Washington, Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 ...

, 1910 * Grand Central Palace, New York City, 1913 with

, demolished 1964 *Saint Paul Athletic Club, St. Paul *

Cincinnati Union Terminal Cincinnati Union Terminal is an intercity train station and museum center in the Queensgate, Cincinnati, Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Commonly abbreviated as CUT, or by its Amtrak station code, CIN, the Railroad terminal, termin ...

* Jerome Robbins Theater

Work with the Northern Pacific Railway

During the tenure of President Howard Elliott (1903–1912), the Northern Pacific Railway Company engaged in the upgrading of numerous depots across its system, from Minnesota to Washington. Many of these depots bear common architectural stamps, and are likely to be Reed and Stem designs. There is also the possibility the designs for smaller stations were drawn up by the Northern Pacific's Engineering Department, based on the design elements of Reed and Stem. In addition to the major works, such as the Tacoma Union Station and the former Montana Division Headquarters at Livingston, Montana, these lesser structures like Ellensburg, Washington, probably include: NPEllensburgWAdepotview050111

* Aitkin, Minnesota, 1916 * Beach, North Dakota *

Belgrade, Montana Belgrade is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The population was 10,460 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 12,509 in 2023. Belgrade is part of the Bozeman, MT Metropolitan statistical area. It is the most populous ci ...

Billings, Montana Billings is the most populous Lists of populated places in the United States, city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, i ...

, 1909 *

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...

, 1906 *

Centralia, Washington Centralia () is a city in Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 in Washington, Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a ...

, 1912 * Chehalis, Washington, 1912 *

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Detroit Lakes is a city and the county seat of Becker County, Minnesota, Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its unofficial population during summer months is much hi ...

, 1908 *

Fergus Falls, Minnesota Fergus Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 14,258 in 2024. Hi ...

* Garrison, Montana, demolished 2000 *

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat, seat of Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold ...

, 1904 *

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five ...

, 1901, Renaissance Revival style * Ritzville, Washington, 1910 *

Sandpoint, Idaho Sandpoint is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho, Bonner County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 9,777 as of the 2022 United States census, census. Sandpoint's major economic contributors include forest pr ...

, 1916 * Staples, Minnesota, 1909 * Toppenish, Washington, 1911 The Northern Pacific's Toppenish depot is now the Northern Pacific Railway Museum * Trident, Montana, 1909, moved to

Three Forks, Montana Three Forks is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, United States and is located within the watershed valley system of both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers drainage basins — and is historically considered the birthplace or start of the M ...

, July 27, 2011, for rehabilitation into a museum) *

Wallace, Idaho Wallace, Idaho is a city in and the county seat of Shoshone County, Idaho, Shoshone County, Idaho, in the Silver Valley (Idaho), Silver Valley mining district of the Idaho Panhandle. Founded in 1884, Wallace sits alongside the South Fork of the C ...

, 1902 *

Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

, : The Northern Pacific built at least three depots in Yakima. The first when they began construction across

Stampede Pass Stampede Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, through the Cascade Range in Washington (state), Washington. Southeast of Seattle and east of Tacoma, Washington, Tacoma, its importance to transport ...

c. 1884, the second, larger wood structure in 1901 was alleged to have a clock tower, and the final depot in a style similar to that in nearby Ellensburg, Washington, c. 1912. The last was likely the Reed and Stem design. Another noted architect --

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of Early skyscrapers, skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minneso ...

, designed the 1901 depot. This structure was later relocated to another part of town, and converted into an apartment building. As of 2010, it was still standing in Yakima, minus the clock tower. Because the Northern Pacific never installed clocks in a tower, instead they used their large Monad trademark (the ying-yang), adopted by the road in 1896. In addition to the 1901 depot at Yakima, Gilbert also designed the Northern Pacific's depots at

Little Falls, Minnesota Little Falls is a city and the county seat of Morrison County, Minnesota, United States, near the geographic center of the state. The population was 9,140 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 8,343 in 2010 United States census ...

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck (; from 1872 to 1873: Edwinton) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat, seat of Burleigh County, North Dakota, Burleigh County. It is the state's List of cities i ...

, and

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

. Several of their works are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. These are (with attribution): *One or more works in

Commercial District Commercial area, commercial district or commercial zone in a city is an area, district, or neighborhoods primarily composed of commercial buildings, such as a strip mall, office parks, downtown, central business district, financial district, " ...

, Roughly bounded by Park, C, Clark, 3rd, and Callendar Sts.

(Reed & Stem), NRHP-listed * Fort Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming; Norris, Wyoming; Gardiner, Montana, near Buffalo Lake, Idaho Mammoth Hot Springs, WY (Reed and Stem, Reamer, Robert), NRHP-listed *

, 71–105 E. 42nd St.

(Reed & Stem), NRHP-listed * Grand Central Terminal (Boundary Increase: Park Avenue Viaduct), 71-105 E. 42nd St., Park Ave. between E. 40th and E. 42nd Sts.

(Reed & Stern), NRHP-listed *One or more works in Helena Railroad Depot Historic District, Roughly bounded by Railroad/Helena Aves., Gallatin St., N. Sanders St. and N. Harris St.

(Reed, Charles A.), NRHP-listed * King Street Station, 3rd St., S. and S. King St.

(Reed & Stem), NRHP-listed * Morris Park Station, under Espalanade at Bogart and Colden Ave. and Hone Ave.

Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

(Reed & Stem), NRHP-listed * Northern Pacific Railroad Depot, Railroad and Higgins Ave.

(Stem & Reed), NRHP-listed * Northern Pacific Railway Depot, 410 E. Main Ave.

(Reed & Stem), NRHP-listed * Northern Pacific Railway Passenger Depot, 606 W. Third St.

(Reed & Stem), NRHP-listed * Forest Lodge Library, 13450 Cty Hwy M Cable, Wisconsin (Stem, Allen H.), NRHP-listed * New York, Westchester and Boston Railroad Administration Building, 481 Morris Park Ave.

(Stem, Allen H.), NRHP-listed

References

Sources

* Cone, Rufus L., and Dick, James C. Electronic mail, June 14, 2011. Dr. Cone is author of several articles on the history of the Northern Pacific Railway for the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association's quarterly ''The Mainstreeter.'' James C. Dick is volunteer archivist for the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association Archives in St. Paul, Minn.
Malby, Andy. ''Moving Day.'' Belgrade, Montana ''News.''
Accessed August 15, 2011. (Covers moving of Trident, Mont., depot to Three Forks, Mont., for use as a museum.)

Accessed June 15, 2011.
''Cass Gilbert Society Northern Pacific Railway Depot - Yakima.''
Accessed June 14, 2011.

Accessed June 15, 2011.
''NP Railroad Depot Museum.''
Accessed June 14, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed And Stem * Architecture firms based in Minnesota American railway architects