Railroad and Bank Building
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(First Trust Center)
- 176 East Fifth Street -
(enter on Fourth between Jackson and Sibley)
- 1914-16, Charles S. Frost -
James J. Hill crowned his extraordinary career with a plan to build one office building for his Great Northern and Northern Pacific railways and First National Bank. This sixteen-story Classical Revival structure was the largest office building in the Twin Cities until construction of the fifty-one story IDS Center in Minneapolis (1968-73). The simple, functional exterior masks innovative internal systems that fascinated Hill, who experimented with natural air conditioning in his Summit Ave home before introducing it here. A six-mile network of pneumatic tubes enhanced internal communication. The elegant banking floor in the central atrium has been restored for use an an indoor plaza.
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James J. Hill
James J. Hill crowned his extraordinary career with a plan to build one office building for his Great Northern Pacific railways and First National Bank. From: "Saint Paul's Historic Lowertown: A Walking Tour," created by the City of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission, 1988. Historical Graphics: James J. Hill Papers, James Jerome Hill Reference Library
Railroad and Bank Building
Source: Image courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society | Date: 1915-17
Railroad and Bank Building
Tinted postcard circa 1920 | Source: Image courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society