All of these downtown Minneapolis buildings are big and beautiful! Some of these buildings have a cool history!
This is the Minneapolis City Hall. It occupies an entire city block and has about 680,000 gross square feet. The building is an architectural treasure listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designed by Long and Keys Architects. The building also features a 15-bell chime and is the only American made set that can play the "Star Spangled Banner" in the original key. Every hour, quarter, and half-hour you will hear the bells of the tower. The bells were manufactured in New York and weigh from 300 to 7,300 pounds each -- over 14 tons total.
This is the Public Safety building. It's a jail!! Here's some information Chloe09 told us about it! The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office operates the largest pre-trial adult detention facility (commonly called the jail) in the State of Minnesota. Jail facilities are located in two different buildings in downtown Minneapolis, but are treated as one facility:
The Public Safety Facility (PSF) has 330 beds for arrestees.
The City Hall (ADC) has 509 beds for arrestees.
On average each year, there are approximately 40,000 bookings at the jail. The jail is currently staffed for a capacity of 703 beds, and the average population in 2009 was 694. The jail has consistently earned the distinction of being accredited by the American Correctional Association for maintaining the highest standards of inmate custody and care.
This building is the Hennepin County Court House. Little bit of information about it! It was pretty cool. The Hennepin County Courthouse, located in the Hennepin County Government Center, was completed in 1974. It was designed by John Carl Warnecke and Associates of San Francisco, with Peterson, Clark and Associates of Minneapolis. The masonry is the same carnelian red granite from Ortonville, MN, that was used in building the Minneapolis City Hall, where the courthouse used to be located. The diagonal braces of the modern building are steel sprayed with a fireproofing material to which a cream-colored porcelain-type material was fused. The building's total cost was about $50 million, with $1.6 million more spent after completion on making necessary window changes, fitting an additional floor for courtrooms, and installing glass walls on atrium floors and walkways.
This is the United States District Courthouse. The history of the judicial system in Minnesota begins in 1849 when the first territorial court term was held in Stillwater, Minnesota. The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota was not established until nine years later when Minnesota became a State in 1858.
This train was cool. She called it the light rail. We couldn't go on there....we didn't have time. maybe next time!
Can't wait to see our next adventure.