The Duluth Depot is a historic train station built in 1892 in Duluth, Minnesota near the shores of Lake Superior. At its height, it served seven rail lines and saw 5,000 passengers a day coming and going on fifty trains. It no longer serves as an intercity passenger train station (this may change in the near future; people can ride trains along the North Shore Scenic Rail Road line) but is now the home of four museums: The Lake Superior Railroad Museum, the Duluth Art Institute, The St. Louis County Historical Society, and the Veterans Memorial Hall, which is housed in the historical society. Several organizations operate in the depot: the North Shore Scenic Railroad, the Duluth Playhouse, the Matinee Musicale, the Minnesota Ballet, and the Arrowhead Chorale. Over 250,000 people visit the depot each year. It was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
The Wirth Building mainly functioned as a pharmacy business and residence from its completion in 1885 to 1940. Also, Duluth's first female physician occupied the second floor from 1902 - 1910 and Michael Dukakis used the first floor as his campaign headquarters during the 1988 presidential election. The building, designed by two lauded architects -- Oliver G. Traphagen and George Wirth -- personifies the Richardsonian Romanesque style, the first of its kind in Duluth.
This Richardsonian Romanesque high school building was constructed in 1892 and served the city of Duluth until 1971. The building, which occupies an entire city block and includes a 210-foot clock tower, now serves as the administrative headquarters of the city school district. The renowned architectural firm of Palmer, Hall, & Hunt designed the imposing building along with the vast majority of Duluth Public Schools at a time when Duluth experienced expansive economic and population growth.
The Duluth Masonic Center opened in 1905 and continues to serve as the home to the Duluth Freemasons. However, its history dates back to the 1870s, having first organized a few months before Duluth officially became a city. The history of the U.S. Freemasons, meanwhile, dates back to the 1730s, having been brought over to North America from England. The group has had a profound influence on American culture, with George Washington, signers of the Declaration of Independence, and countless men of influence having existed as members. The eye on the pyramid, found on the back of the U.S. dollar bill, is a Freemason symbol, too. In Duluth, the first Mason Grand Master became the city's first mayor, and the second mayor of Duluth was also a member.
The historic Duluth Public Library building, or Carnegie Building, opened in 1902 after Andrew Carnegie donated $75,000 (nearly $2 million in terms of 2020 dollars) to the cause. The library in Duluth started as nothing more than a small reading room in 1869 before moving several times before moving into its own building in '02. The library remained in the historic structure until 1980 and since then has undergone several renovations and changed ownership; it mainly functions as a home to offices.
The Duluth YWCA organized in 1893 and then into the now-historic building in 1908, which they occupied until 2008. The massive size of the building speaks to the original purpose of the group which involved providing a space where poor (often immigrant), single woman could easily be swayed to avoid sinful activities (such as going to taverns) by getting a meal and place to say, as well as enjoying bowling, swimming, art, and theater. More significantly, the large spaces provided plenty of room to teach young girls to sew, engage in Bible Study, learn English, and gain help in finding a job. Though it began as a place where women were ostensibly "Americanized" and "Christianized," the YWCA changed as culture changed, eventually supporting anti-racism movements and advocating women's rights.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, now Sacred Heard Music Center, was built in 1896 and served as a Roman Catholic church until 1985. It is one the remaining Neo-gothic revival style churches in Minnesota. It is famous for its Felgemaker organ which was installed in 1898. The cathedral and the Cathedral School, which is across the street, were named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The Christian Brothers Home, built in 1907 and located directly adjacent to the school, was added to the same registry listing in 2005 which is now titled: Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sacred Heart School and Christian Brothers Home. The Sacred Heart Music Center hosts 12-15 concerts per year and seats 400 people. Regional and international artists perform in the venue, which also has a state-of-the-art recording studio. The center is also hosts weddings, receptions, business meetings, private parties, and is also a teaching space for members of the community, schools, and organizations.
This historic church was constructed in 1900 for a congregation that dates back to 1890, and the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 owing to its connection to Duluth's African American community and national leaders such as W.E.B. DuBois, who spoke here in 1921. DuBois's visit to Duluth came in the wake of racial violence as a white mob lynched three African Americans the year prior. Under the leadership of pastor Reverand William M. Majors, the congregation organized in support of a national anti-lynching law.
The structure and brewing operation that came to be known as Fitger's Brewing Company emerged during the 1880s during Duluth's initial economic and population boom that lasted into first decades of the twentieth century. However, Fitger's served as the fourth iteration of a brewing company that started humbly with four people after the Panic of 1857. Fitger's survived Prohibition by selling a range of bottled soda and mixers so that by the 1940s the company again flourished, producing upwards of 100,000 barrels annually. However, the brewery consolidation that decimated the U.S. brewing scene during the twentieth century coupled with costs associated with modernized pollution control forced Fitger's to close in 1972. Some of the ten buildings that made up the Fitger's brewing plant have mainly survived as a complex consisting of a hotel, museum, restaurants, retail centers, and eventually the home to a new Fitger's brewpub (1995).
Built after the Civil War as a boarding house, this historic Duluth structure was home to the Bergetta Moe Bakery for many decades. The building was constructed during the 1870s after Duluth experience its first period of sustained growth that followed the arrival of a railway connection in 1871. The wood-framed structure provides a glimpse into how rapid the city was growing which created the need for boarding houses, and it also serves as a reminder for how Duluth appeared in its early years, many decades before it grew into one of Minnesota's largest cities and one of the busiest ports on the Great Lakes. In addition to the boarding house and bakery that was once located here, the building has been home to a design shop, coffee house, hotel, and chocolate shop.
For more than a century, the Kitchi Gammi Club has served as a social club that catered to the city's power brokers and social elites. The organization first met in 1883 during Duluth's initial population and economic boom. The historic building was completed in 1913, a time when business leaders relied on organizational memberships as a way to become connected to leaders of industries. It was also a time when industries such as mining, production, milling, and coal distribution were on the rise. The club largely catered to white males for most of its existence, and women were excluded until 1985. Women now comprise two of the eleven members of the organization's board.
The Hartley Building (1914) on the shore of Lake Superior stands as a physical reminder of the wealth and influence of Guilford G. Hartley in Duluth during its boom time of the 1880s through 1910s. Hartley operated and invested in several industries including agriculture, timber, mining, newspapers, shipping, and railways. His economic success allowed him to build a twenty-one-room mansion that stood as a landmark in Duluth for several decades (now razed), and the office building near the Kitchi Gammi Club, an exclusive club for which he was a member and oversaw its construction (1912-13).
Chester Terrace survives as a historic Duluth, Minnesota rowhouse complex that has served as a rental property since its completion in 1890. The eye-catching exterior and Romanesque Revival style, designed by notable Duluth architects Oliver G. Traphagen and Francis W. Fitzpatrick, speaks to its appeal to the middle class that arrived to Duluth (along with significant numbers of poor immigrants) during a time when the city experienced tremendous industrial, construction and population growth.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short drive (or extended walk) through the heart of Duluth starts at the city's historic train depot and includes a variety of landmark buildings. The tour is a work in progress, and more entries will be added soon.
