About
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Address: 423-25 Hennepin Avenue
Neighborhood: Downtown West
Construction Date: 1885-90
Contractor: Unknown
Architect: Long and Kees
Architectural Style: Richardsonian Romanesque
Historic Use: Commercial - Offices
Current Use: Commercial - Offices
Date of Local Designation: 1983
Date of National Register Designation: 1983
Area(s) of Significance: Architecture, Master Builders
Period of Significance: 1800-1899, 1900-
Historic Profile: Situated at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and 5 th Street the Lumber Exchange Building was one of the largest, most expensive buildings in Minneapolis. Completed in two phases, first in 1887 and then in 1890, the building cost an estimated $1,200,000. The architectural firm of Long and Kees executed the design in a Richardsonian Romanesque style. The firm also designed two other prominent Romanesque examples in the city: Minneapolis City Hall and the Masonic Temple. The building’s design attracted national attention from architects and engineers for its use of terra cotta sheathing over the wood and iron structural skeleton which was applied only after an 1891 fire. The Lumber Exchange was constructed to function as the nucleus for the lumber trade and housed the operations of both local and out-of-state trading distributors. The lumbering industry is ranked as one of the most significant forces in the economic development in Minnesota. After the decline of the lumber industry the building continued to function as a trade center for wholesale garment distributors in the Upper Midwest.
Photo Credits:
1900, courtesy of The Minnesota Historical Society
2006, Minneapolis CPED
Works Cited:
"National Register of Historic Places – Nomination Form," September 1981.
Updated: February 2007