The Wirth Building is a commercial building in downtown

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. When it was constructed in 1886 it was the city's first example of

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

style, and it stands as an early work of architect

Oliver G. Traphagen Oliver Green Traphagen (3 September 1854 – 21 October 1932) was an American architect who designed many notable buildings in Duluth, Minnesota, during the late 19th century and in the Territory of Hawaii during the early 20th century. Among h ...

. With The Wirth Building was listed 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 1991 for its local significance in the theme of architecture. It was nominated for being a leading local example of its architectural style and a key turning point in the career of an important Duluth-based architect. The building was commissioned by Max Wirth to house his pharmacy business. Wirth's brother George happened to be one of Minnesota's best-known architects at the time, and had just forged a partnership with his star employee Traphagen. Evidence is lacking to say which of the two partners might have been more responsible for the building, which was a stylistic departure for both. Shortly after the building was completed, Wirth moved back to his native

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

while Traphagen remained in Duluth and became its premier architect.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1886 establishments in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Duluth, Minnesota Commercial buildings completed in 1886 Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis County, Minnesota Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Minnesota

See also

References