Minnesota History Center
Encyclopedia
The Minnesota History Center is a museum and library which serves as the headquarters for the Minnesota Historical Society
. It is located near downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota
and is considered one of the finest public buildings of Minnesota.
The Center is located on Kellogg Boulevard and sits between the Mississippi River
and the Minnesota State Capitol
. Before this building was built in 1992, the Minnesota Historical Society occupied what is now the Minnesota Judicial Center. Prior to that, it had been housed in the basement of the State Capitol
, which is also nearby.
The Center hosts concerts, dance performances, lectures, conferences, meetings, dinners, political campaign events, memorial services, receptions, parties, and weddings; as many as 75,000 school children visit the History Center every year.
for inspiration. Said one member of the History Center Planning Committee, "We have envisioned a place that draws the public in, fires the imagination, and responds to its hunger for an understanding of the past. We have envisioned a building alive with people from morning until far into the evening...a vital cultural and educational center."
After ten years of planning and nearly three years of construction, The History Center opened its doors in October 1992. The building features a central dome which has two bordering wings, creating a L-shaped design. The north facade faces the Capitol, and the southeast facade looks over a large lawn and terrace area. Bronze doors welcome visitors into the Center's main entrance, located on the west wall.
Charm Bracelet lies on the floor of the first-story rotunda. This project, sculpted by James Casebere, depicts a broken piece of jewelry in which each of the ten "charms" represents an important aspect of Minnesota: tractor (agriculture); printer's ink roller (civic society and free speech); tepee (the Dakota tribe); mill building (lumbering and flour-milling); house (family); power plant (technology and industry); turtle, bear and fish (nature, outdoor recreation, and Ojibwe totems of healing, defense and learning); whooping crane (lost wilderness and a metaphor for history).
The Minnesota History Center is one of the 26 Minnesota Historical Society
sites and is home to the Minnesota Historical Society headquarters, the Society's collections, an expansive library, and 44000 square feet (4,087.7 m²) of museum gallery space. The museum showcases interactive in house-developed and traveling exhibits, as well as historical programming and lectures. The Center also contains conference rooms, the 3M Auditorium, Cafe' Minnesota, two museum gift shops and 12800 square feet (1,189.2 m²) of classroom space.
More than half of the 427000 square feet (39,669.6 m²) building is located underground, much of which is used for storage. The Minnesota History Center possesses over 1,000,000 artifacts, including archaeological objects, books, photographs, maps, paintings, prints, drawings, manuscripts, government records, newspapers and periodicals. Such artifacts are stored in the 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) of storage space available in the Center. In this storage space, the shelves reach heights over twenty-five feet high. The Center also has a conservation laboratory, where conservators repair stabilize, and maintain the thousands of valuable objects owned by the Minnesota Historical Society,
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
. It is located near downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
and is considered one of the finest public buildings of Minnesota.
The Center is located on Kellogg Boulevard and sits between the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and the Minnesota State Capitol
Minnesota State Capitol
The Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor...
. Before this building was built in 1992, the Minnesota Historical Society occupied what is now the Minnesota Judicial Center. Prior to that, it had been housed in the basement of the State Capitol
Minnesota State Capitol
The Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor...
, which is also nearby.
The Center hosts concerts, dance performances, lectures, conferences, meetings, dinners, political campaign events, memorial services, receptions, parties, and weddings; as many as 75,000 school children visit the History Center every year.
Architecture
The architectural firm of Hammel Green and Abrahamson (HGA) of Minneapolis designed the History Center's floor plan and exterior. Hammel Green and Abrahamson looked to Fort Snelling, the St. Paul's Cathedral and the Minnesota State CapitolMinnesota State Capitol
The Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor...
for inspiration. Said one member of the History Center Planning Committee, "We have envisioned a place that draws the public in, fires the imagination, and responds to its hunger for an understanding of the past. We have envisioned a building alive with people from morning until far into the evening...a vital cultural and educational center."
After ten years of planning and nearly three years of construction, The History Center opened its doors in October 1992. The building features a central dome which has two bordering wings, creating a L-shaped design. The north facade faces the Capitol, and the southeast facade looks over a large lawn and terrace area. Bronze doors welcome visitors into the Center's main entrance, located on the west wall.
Charm Bracelet lies on the floor of the first-story rotunda. This project, sculpted by James Casebere, depicts a broken piece of jewelry in which each of the ten "charms" represents an important aspect of Minnesota: tractor (agriculture); printer's ink roller (civic society and free speech); tepee (the Dakota tribe); mill building (lumbering and flour-milling); house (family); power plant (technology and industry); turtle, bear and fish (nature, outdoor recreation, and Ojibwe totems of healing, defense and learning); whooping crane (lost wilderness and a metaphor for history).
The Minnesota History Center is one of the 26 Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
sites and is home to the Minnesota Historical Society headquarters, the Society's collections, an expansive library, and 44000 square feet (4,087.7 m²) of museum gallery space. The museum showcases interactive in house-developed and traveling exhibits, as well as historical programming and lectures. The Center also contains conference rooms, the 3M Auditorium, Cafe' Minnesota, two museum gift shops and 12800 square feet (1,189.2 m²) of classroom space.
More than half of the 427000 square feet (39,669.6 m²) building is located underground, much of which is used for storage. The Minnesota History Center possesses over 1,000,000 artifacts, including archaeological objects, books, photographs, maps, paintings, prints, drawings, manuscripts, government records, newspapers and periodicals. Such artifacts are stored in the 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) of storage space available in the Center. In this storage space, the shelves reach heights over twenty-five feet high. The Center also has a conservation laboratory, where conservators repair stabilize, and maintain the thousands of valuable objects owned by the Minnesota Historical Society,
Minnesota Historical Society Library
The Society's library, located on the second floor of the History Center, offers resources for MHS members and guests. Two rooms, the Weyerhaeuser Reference Room and the Ronald M. Hubbs Microfilm Reading Room, make up the library area.External links
- Minnesota History Center - official site