How Architecture Has Shaped the State

Three Thousand Years of Building in Minnesota

Expert Essay: Architectural historian Larry Millett, author of Lost Twin Cities and numerous other books, offers a colorful tour of notable Minnesota buildings and building styles, from American Indian burial mounds to Beaux Arts monuments and suburban big boxes.

Day room at Boswell Hall

Day room at Boswell Hall

The empty day room at Cambridge State Hospital’s Boswell Hall, 1970s. From a collection of photographs used as evidence in Welsch v. Likins, 1973.

Building at Cambridge State Hospital

Building at Cambridge State Hospital

The back of a building at Cambridge State Hospital, 1970s. From a collection of photographs used as evidence in Welsch v. Likins, 1973.

Rochester State Hospital

Rochester State Hospital

Rochester State Hospital (Rochester, Minnesota), 1890s.

MN90: All That Glitters Is Gold

What's magnificent, has a big dome, and is worth its weight in gold? No, not a CEO with a golden parachute. Britt Aamodt finds the answer at Lakewood Memorial Chapel in Minneapolis.

Lakewood Cemetery Memorial Chapel, Minneapolis

The Memorial Chapel at Lakewood Cemetery (3600 Hennepin Avenue) in Minneapolis is one of the few buildings that can claim to be modeled after two World Heritage Sites. Its exterior, designed by architect Harry Wild Jones, was inspired by the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Its interior was designed by J&R Lamb Studios of New York and drew inspiration from St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

Columbarium in Lakewood Chapel

Columbarium in Lakewood Chapel

Columbarium (urn storage room) in the basement of Lakewood Chapel. Photo by Brian McMahon, 2023. Used with the permission of Brian McMahon.

Chair inside Lakewood Chapel

Chair inside Lakewood Chapel

Chair inside Lakewood Chapel. Photograph by Brian McMahon, 2023. Used with the permission of Brian McMahon.

Lakewood Chapel dome interior, 2014

Lakewood Chapel dome interior, 2014

Lakewood Chapel interior, 2014. Photograph by Wayne Moran; used with the permission of Wayne Moran.

Lakewood Chapel dome interior, 2012

Lakewood Chapel dome interior, 2012

Lakewood Chapel dome interior, April 4, 2012. Photograph by Jonathan Ellgen; used with the permission of Jonathan Ellgen.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Architecture