Wadena Fire and City Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Wadena Fire and City Hall
|
|
Wadena Fire and City Hall from the southwest
|
|
 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 10 Southeast Bryant Avenue, Wadena, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1912–13 |
| Built by | Harrison Bros. |
| Architect | Kirby T. Snyder |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 88003228 |
| Designated | January 19, 1989 |
The Wadena Fire and City Hall is an old government building in Wadena, Minnesota. It was built in 1912. This building is important because it shows how cities grew in the early 1900s. It was a place where city leaders worked and where firefighters kept their trucks.
In 1989, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a special list of places in the United States that are important to history. Today, the building is no longer used by the city. Instead, it is home to a chiropractic clinic.
Contents
What the Building Looks Like
The old Wadena Fire and City Hall is a two-story building. It is made of red bricks with cool concrete designs.
Front of the Building
Right in the middle of the front, there is a big, round arch. It has a raised concrete "keystone" at the top, which looks like a wedge. On each side of this arch, there are doors. These doors have concrete tops called "lintels" with special brick patterns. Above these doors are smaller, arched windows.
Top of the Building
The second floor has fancy decorations. There's a false "cornice" at the very top, which is a decorative ledge. Below that, you can see bricks laid in a zig-zag "herringbone pattern." The very top edge of the building is shaped like castle walls, called a "crenelated parapet." Many of these designs come from a style called Renaissance Revival architecture. This style uses ideas from old Roman and Greek buildings.
Bell Tower
On the southwest side of the building, there's an open bell tower, also called a "belfry." It has a pointed roof. Around the top of the bell tower, there's a concrete band called a "frieze." This band is decorated with carvings that look like hanging loops of flowers or fabric, called "festoons."
History of the Building
Wadena's first city hall and fire station was built way back in 1885. But after about 25 years, the building was too small. The city needed a bigger and better place.
Planning and Building
In late 1911, city leaders started planning a new building. They hired an architect from Minneapolis named Kirby T. Snyder. He designed a compact building that could be used for both city offices and the fire department.
Construction started in the summer of 1912 on a new piece of land. The building was finished in early 1913. This time was busy for Wadena! From 1910 to 1915, many new buildings were built. These included new public buildings, shops, homes, and even two large churches. The new Wadena Fire and City Hall was an important part of this growth.
