# Metropolitan Building (Minneapolis) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Metropolitan_Building_(Minneapolis) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Metropolitan_Building_(Minneapolis).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Building_(Minneapolis) > Source revision: 1344707884 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Structure in Minneapolis, MN, USA For other uses, see [Metropolitan Building](/source/Metropolitan_Building_(disambiguation)). Metropolitan Building The Metropolitan Building in November 1960 Interactive map of the Metropolitan Building area Alternative names Northwestern Guaranty Loan Building General information Status Demolished Location 308 2nd Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota Coordinates 44°58′46.3″N 93°16′0″W / 44.979528°N 93.26667°W / 44.979528; -93.26667 Completed 1890 Destroyed 1961 Cost $1,000,000 Height Roof 258 ft (79 m) Technical details Floor count 12 The **Metropolitan Building**, originally known as the **Northwestern Guaranty Loan Building**, is considered to be one of the most [architecturally](/source/Architecture) significant structures in the history of [Minneapolis, Minnesota](/source/Minneapolis%2C_Minnesota). It stood from 1890 until it was torn down starting in 1961 as part of major [urban renewal](/source/Urban_renewal) efforts in the city that saw about 40% of the downtown district razed and replaced with new structures. At the time, the pending destruction of the [Richardsonian Romanesque](/source/Richardsonian_Romanesque) building provided a catalyst for historic preservation movements in the city and across the state.[1] ## Early skyscraper The building is considered the city's first [skyscraper](/source/Skyscraper), with 12 stories and standing 218 feet (66 m) tall. Small observation towers poked up above the corners, and the rooftop had a popular garden. It was built of green [New Hampshire](/source/New_Hampshire) [granite](/source/Granite) and red [Lake Superior](/source/Lake_Superior) [sandstone](/source/Sandstone), with the interiors dressed in antique [oak](/source/Oak) and beautiful ornamental iron and brass work by Crown Iron Works Company of Minneapolis. A large [skylight](/source/Skylight_(window)) allowed the interior to be safely lit in a time when [electric lighting](/source/Electric_light) was rare (though the building was eventually wired), and the floors of walkways circling the center court were [translucent](/source/Translucent) to allow more light to filter through.[1] Architect [E. Townsend Mix](/source/E._Townsend_Mix) designed the building, and it is considered to be his most notable achievement. Many of the city's most prestigious companies had offices in the Metropolitan.[2] When it went up, the building was owned by the Northwestern Guaranty Loan Company. [Louis F. Menage](/source/Louis_F._Menage), founder, had gained a fortune while speculating on [real estate](/source/Real_estate) in the Minneapolis area in the 1880s.[2] He spent [$](/source/United_States_dollar)1 million on the project. Many hailed the building when it was first completed, although some such as [Cass Gilbert](/source/Cass_Gilbert) did not like the style.[1] ## Downfall The [Panic of 1893](/source/Panic_of_1893) caused Menage's company to collapse, and he fled the country. [Thomas Lowry](/source/Thomas_Lowry), another major real estate speculator and the owner of the area's [streetcar](/source/Streetcar) network, purchased the building but only held onto it for a little more than a decade before selling it to the [Metropolitan Life Insurance Company](/source/Metropolitan_Life_Insurance_Company) in 1905. This is where the building gained its "Metropolitan" name, even though it changed hands a few more times before succumbing to the wrecking ball.[3] A view up to the skylight There was little practical reason to tear down the building. Records from the day indicate that it was safe and almost fully occupied at the time it was [condemned](/source/Eminent_domain). The structure came down because it was in the wrong neighborhood—on the edge of the so-called [Gateway District](/source/Gateway_District_(Minneapolis)), sitting on the southwest corner of Third Street South and Second Avenue South.[4] ## Present day Some giant marble stones from the building were found in an old warehouse in [Delano, Minnesota](/source/Delano%2C_Minnesota) in May 2010, and the owner of the building set off a frenzy when he emailed a small group of architects and historical preservationists in Minnesota who now are trying to find money and a way to save the stones.[5] The Ice House Plaza, which opened in May 2012, includes several blocks of stone salvaged from the Metropolitan Building. The plaza was designed and sculpted by sculptor Zoran Mojsilov, whose piece white angel is the focal point of the plaza. Located at 26th Street and [Nicollet Avenue](/source/Nicollet_Avenue) in South [Minneapolis](/source/Minneapolis), the public square has a fountain and benches made from remnants of the historic structure.[6] ## See also - [Gateway District (Minneapolis)](/source/Gateway_District_(Minneapolis)) - [Hennepin Center for the Arts](/source/Hennepin_Center_for_the_Arts) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Lost_Twin_Cities_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Lost_Twin_Cities_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Lost_Twin_Cities_1-2) *Lost Twin Cities* by Larry Millett, (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1992) pp. 222–225. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Mix_and_Menage_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Mix_and_Menage_2-1) [The men behind the Metropolitan Building](http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/stageandarts/135285418.html?refer=y) *www.startribune.com*. Retrieved: March 5, 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [They paved paradise](http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/stageandarts/135285333.html?refer=y) *www.startribune.com*. Retrieved: March 5, 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Ghost of the Gateway](http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/53/v53i03p112-115.pdf) *Minnesota History Magazine.* Retrieved: February 9, 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [New owners purchase granite remnant yard](http://www.herald-journal.com/archives/2010/stories/granite-delano.html) *herald-journal.com*. Retrieved: March 5, 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Ice House Plaza opening](http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/05/24/ice-house-plaza-opening-marks-new-era-eat-street) *www.tcdailyplanet.net*. Retrieved: September 19, 2012. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Metropolitan Building (Minneapolis)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Metropolitan_Building_(Minneapolis)). - [Roof garden of the Metropolitan Building](http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/1INT0814.jpg) in a painting by [William Allen Rogers](/source/William_Allen_Rogers) **Minnesota Historical Society** - [The Metropolitan Building](http://search.mnhs.org/index.php?q=%22Metropolitan+Life%22+&brand=cms&imagesonly=yes) **Hennepin County Library** - [The Metropolitan Building](http://digitalcollections.hclib.org/cdm/search/searchterm/%20Northwestern%20Guaranty%20Loan%20Building/field/all/mode/all/conn/and/order/title/ad/asc) **Article** - [Erased from memory](http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2006/06/07/erased-memory) at the [Twin Cities Daily Planet](/source/Twin_Cities_Daily_Planet). **Videos** - [The Metropolitan Building 1961](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEo1atQoJHc) - [Ice House Plaza documentary 2012](https://vimeo.com/49186990) v t e Timeline of tallest buildings in Minneapolis Globe Building (48 m) (1882) Lumber Exchange Building (50 m) (1886) Industrial Exposition Building (73 m) (1887) Metropolitan Building (79 m) (1890) Minneapolis City Hall (104 m) (1895) Foshay Tower (137 m) (1929) IDS Tower (241 m) (1973) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Metropolitan Building (Minneapolis)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Building_(Minneapolis)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Building_(Minneapolis)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.