Manhattan Building (Empire Building)

The 1891 Manhattan Building survives today as one of the few remaining commercial buildings from the construction boom of the 1880s and 1890s in St. Paul when the city transformed into a significant banking center in the Midwest. The Manhattan Building mainly functioned as a bank and office building, hosting a range of professions from mining companies to lawyers. The design exemplifies the Second Renaissance Revival Style, executed by renowned architect Clarence H. Johnston, Sr.

Saint Paul benefited from late-nineteenth-century railway expansion and its position as a Midwestern hub that allowed the city to develop into a regional commercial and banking center along with a concurrent boom in population. As a result, St. Paul, especially its downtown region, expanded to meet the needs of a city growing commercially. The city experienced a period of robust construction during the late 1880s and early 1890s (only a few of the buildings have survived). Like the Pioneer and Endicott buildings, the Manhattan Building arose during the 1888-1890 period when Eastern U.S. capital financed the larger commercial structures in downtown St. Paul to service the growing demand for banks, realtors, loan offices, and other professional services. 

The St. Paul National Bank was the first bank tenant in the Manhattan Building and, at the time, one of the three largest banks in St. Paul. Other tenants during the building served various high-end retailers, professionals, utilities, financial officers, lawyers, realtors, insurance agencies, utilities, and numerous mining and building companies. Senator Moses Clapp from Fergus Falls, one of the prominent state senators and a former Attorney General, headquartered his senate office from the Manhattan Building during his 1901-1917 term in office.  

Another prominent tenant included the architect of the building, Clarence H. Johnston, Sr. (1850-1936). He moved his offices to the Manhattan Building upon its completion in 1891 and practiced there until he died in 1936. In 1901, he took the position of State Architect of the State Board of Control of Minnesota. From his offices in the Manhattan Building, he designed the majority of state buildings and several college campuses including the University of Minnesota. 

The Manhattan name came from William E. Howard, the building developer, who moved from New York to St. Paul in 1887. The name change to the Capital Bank Building in 1910 and then in 1928 became the Empire National Bank. In 1951, owners altered the first story during a renovation. Despite the name changes and a few alterations, it stands today as a reminder of how early St. Paul downtown looked when it transitioned from a small town into a growing metropolis and a center of commerce and banking. 

Hess, Jeffrey A., and Paul Clifford Larson. St. Paul's Architecture: A History. University of Minnesota Press, 2006. Accessed July 22, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctttsz5r.

Millett, Larry. AIA Guide to Downtown St. Paul. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010.

Nord, Mary Ann. The National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota: A Guide. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2003. Digital copy: https://archive.org/details/nationalregister0000nord. 

Roberts, Norene. "Nomination Form: Manhattan Building (Empire Building)." National Register of Historic Buildings. nps.gov. June 22, 1988. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/d3c5051e-ef91-4ea1-82aa-a5f92dfb789a.

Schmidt, Andrew J. "Nomination Form: Railroads in Minnesota, 1862-1956." National Register of Historic Places. nps.gov. June 28, 2013. https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/64501188.pdf. A shorter version, more focused on the railways, can be found at https://www.dot.state.mn.us/culturalresources/docs/rail/sectione.pdf.