On March 1, 1881, Minnesota’s first state capitol was destroyed by fire, setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to the creation of the current capitol building.

The fire, which took place during an intensely snowy winter, destroyed the building and the law library inside it. Fortunately, 300 people escaped safely from the fire and most of the artifacts belonging to the Minnesota Historical Society were recovered from the basement. A second capitol was built on the same site, a square block bordered by Wabasha, Cedar, Exchange and 10th Street. It proved too small and poorly ventilated, and a contract to build the current capitol was awarded in 1895 to local architect Cass Gilbert.

Gilbert designed the Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. and the U.S. Customs House in New York City. Gilbert modeled the new building in St. Paul after the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. His unique designed included a white marble dome and the gilded statue of the four-horse and chariot on the roof, known as the Quadriga. The building opened on January 2, 1905.

Minnesota Historical Society staff. This article first appeared in the March 2014 issue of Minnesota Good Age.