The John Dwan Office Building, located at 201 Waterfront Drive in
Two Harbors, Minnesota, in the United States, is a historical building and now a museum for
3M.
History
The building was the location where John Dwan, a Two Harbors attorney drew up the incorporation papers for the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (now
3M) in 1902. The new company's vision was to mine and process
corundum
Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide () typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colors depending on the pres ...
that the founders believed was plentiful on
Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
's north shore. The company nearly went bankrupt, because the mineral they were mining was useless as an abrasive and the high humidity at Lake Superior wreaked havoc with their adhesive process. Nevertheless, the company survived by receiving financial support from
Lucius Pond Ordway, moving to
Saint Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
, and changing its focus to manufacturing of abrasives with imported materials.
3M Museum
The attorney's office building remains as the 3M Museum, run by the Lake County Historical Society.
Exhibits include the recreated law office, company artifacts and documents, a lab display typical of 3M research and development work, and a hands-on program of technology applications.
References
External links
3M Museum- Lake County Historical Society
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
3M
Industry museums in Minnesota
Museums in Lake County, Minnesota
National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Minnesota
Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
Office buildings completed in 1898