Landmark Building 1902

Landmark Building 1902

The Landmark building in downtown Saint Paul was completed in 1902 and served as the Federal Court House, Custom House, and U.S. Post Office for the Upper Midwest. It took ten years to build at a cost of $2.5 million.

The building was designed by Willoughby J Edbrook who was the Supervising Architect of the US Treasury in 1891-1892. The Landmark Center was described as “a work of art in architecture.” The exterior construction is pink granite ashlar from St. Cloud, Minnesota, with a hipped red tile roof, and is enlivened by numerous turrets, gables, and dormers with steeply peaked roofs.

The interior features a five-story courtyard rising to a skylight and rooms with 20-foot ceilings, appointed with marble and carved mahogany finishes. Its Richardsonian Romanesque style is similar to the Old Post Office Building in Washington D.C.

Today, Landmark Center serves as a cultural center for music, dance, theater, exhibitions, and public forums, and hosts countless special events. Owned by Ramsey County, Landmark Center continues to be managed and programmed for the community by Minnesota Landmarks, a non-profit charitable organization

-Information taken from in-person tour and landmarkcenter.org