Mayo Clinic Plummer Building

The Mayo Clinic Plummer Building, designed by Ellerbe in collaboration with Dr. Henry Plummer, was completed in 1928. The building, which was extremely innovative for its day, is one of the earliest examples of a major multi-specialty medical building designed entirely for outpatient care.

The project was based on upon the planning and use patterns of the Mayo Clinic 1914 Building, with increased emphasis on aesthetic impact through the use of heavy ornamental detail in public areas and on the building exterior. The belfry at the top of the building, holding eighteen tons of carillon bells, was added after construction began; its weight is accommodated through slight modifications to the original structural system.

At the time of completion, it was the tallest building in Minnesota and remained so until the Foshay Tower was built in Minneapolis. The Plummer Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. The much-loved building endures as a landmark on the Rochester skyline and continues to be used by the Mayo Clinic to this day.