Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse

Completed in association with Holabird & Root of Chicago, this functional Art Deco building, which opened in 1932, still endures today. A 21-story civic landmark, the building is an example of an American Art Deco skyscraper with a Zigzag Moderne Art Deco interior.

Because it was completed during the Depression the price of materials and labor dropped, making this one of the few public buildings ever built below cost (there was still money in the budget 30 years later). In fact, the materials and finishes were upgraded to match the budget – the building is finished with expensive domestic and foreign woods, more than 20 types of stone from around the world, and fine artistic details executed by local artisans.

The four-story Memorial Hall at the building’s entry features a rotating 36-foot-tall, 60-ton sculpture, God of Peace, by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.