The Duluth Civic Center Historic District is a historic government complex in
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
, United States. It includes the St. Louis County Courthouse, Duluth City Hall, and the
Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building. The complex was designed by
urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
pioneer
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...
in 1909 and constructed over the next twenty years.
[ With ] It was listed as a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1986 for its state-level significance in the themes of architecture and community planning and development. It was nominated for its associations with Burnham and the
City Beautiful movement
The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...
.
The Duluth Civic Center Historic District comprises five
contributing properties
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
. The
Saint Louis County Courthouse, completed in 1909, was designed by Daniel Burnham & Co. as the focal point of the complex. In front of it stands a monument to Duluth veterans who died in service overseas. It was designed by
Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and We ...
and installed around 1921. The St. Louis County Jail, designed by Holstead & Sullivan, was added in 1923. Duluth City Hall was designed by the local architectural firm of Shefchik & Olsen and built in 1928. The Federal Building was constructed in 1929.
A fountain was installed in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in the late 1960s.
An act of Congress officially named the Federal Building for former District Court judge
Gerald Heaney
Gerald William Heaney (January 29, 1918 – June 22, 2010) served for nearly forty years as a United States Circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, from his appointment by President Lyndon B. Johnson in Novemb ...
in 2007.
S.521 -- To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse and customhouse located at 515 West First Street in Duluth, Minnesota, as the 'Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building and United States Courthouse and Custom House'
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
1909 establishments in Minnesota
Buildings and structures in Duluth, Minnesota
County courthouses in Minnesota
Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis County, Minnesota
Neoclassical architecture in Minnesota
Renaissance Revival architecture in Minnesota