Northwestern National Life Insurance Company Home Office facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Northwestern National Life Insurance Company Home Office
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The Northwestern National Life Insurance Company Home Office from the northwest
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 430 Oak Grove St., Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Hewitt and Brown |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 12000414 |
| Added to NRHP | July 16, 2012 |
The Northwestern National Life Insurance Company Home Office is a historic building in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was also known as the Loring Park Office Building. Today, it is a modern apartment complex called 430 Oak Grove.
This beautiful building was designed by the architecture firm Hewitt and Brown. They used the Beaux-Arts style, which is a grand and formal style. The building first served as the main office for the Northwestern National Life Insurance Company. Because of its special design and history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 2012.
Contents
What the Building Looks Like
The building faces Loring Park to the north. It is surrounded by other buildings, including homes, St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, and the Woman's Club of Minneapolis.
The building is made with a strong reinforced concrete frame. Its outside is covered with gray Bedford limestone and brick. The main entrance is very impressive. It has a Palladian loggia style, which means it has a tall archway. This archway is framed by Ionic columns, and there is a porch behind it.
A Look at Its History
This building is important for two main reasons. First, its amazing architecture stands out. Second, it played a big part in the business history of Minnesota.
Early Days of the Company
The company that built this office started in 1885. It was first called the "Northwestern Aid Association." A few years later, in 1888, its name changed to the Northwestern Life Association.
In 1901, the company's president, William Frank Bechtel, combined two companies. He merged the Northwestern Life Association with the National Mutual Life Association. This created the Northwestern National Life Insurance Company. It quickly became the second-largest life insurance company in the American Midwest. Only the Northwestern Mutual company in Milwaukee was larger.
Building the Headquarters
In 1905, the company built its first main office at 11th and Nicollet in Minneapolis. This building also had an auditorium for public use. However, as the company grew, this office became too small. It could no longer hold all the staff or work efficiently.
In December 1919, the company sold its Nicollet Avenue property. In 1920, they bought three new lots near Loring Park. This was the perfect spot for a new, larger headquarters.
In August 1922, the company's leaders decided to go ahead with building the new office. They looked for the best architect and chose the firm of Hewitt & Brown. This firm was a good choice because they had already designed two other important buildings nearby. These were St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral and the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.
Plans for the new building were approved in January 1923. The architects kept making small changes to the plans until September of that year. The building site had an unusual shape because of how the streets met. Architect Edwin Hewitt thought this was an "interesting problem." He decided to use a terrace and a loggia at the front. This design helped with the sloped ground and made the building look very grand.
Construction began on March 1, 1923. The building was finished the next year. The first employees moved in during January 1924, and the entire move was completed by March 15, 1924.
Growth and New Locations
The company grew even faster during and after World War II. By 1946, the Loring Park office was completely full. So, they built an addition onto their Oak Grove location.
However, the company continued to expand. In 1949, they bought land on the east side of Lake Calhoun. This land was between 35th and 36th Streets South. But people living in that area did not want a business in their neighborhood.
The company kept growing, and by December 1964, its employees were spread across five different locations. At the same time, other businesses in Downtown Minneapolis were moving away from the city center. This was because downtown was changing. The city even tore down 40% of the Gateway District to rebuild it.
Northwestern National Life then announced plans for a brand new headquarters. This new building would be in the Gateway District. It was designed by Minoru Yamasaki and opened in 1964. This new building is known as the Northwestern National Life Building.
The Building's New Life
After the company moved, the Loring Park building was renamed the "Loring Park Office Building" in 1966. It was divided into smaller spaces to house many different businesses.
A cool fact about the building is that in 1977, the famous artist Prince recorded some music there. He recorded what are known as The Loring Park Sessions in his manager's office, which was on the first floor. In 2017, some of the people involved in those recordings came back to the building. A special plaque was put up to remember this event.
In 2011, Kraus Anderson bought the building. They spent 20 million dollars to change it from offices into fancy apartments. These new apartments opened in 2012.
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