Virginia Recreation Building

The Virginia Recreation Building is a former community center in Virginia, Minnesota, United States, that was later converted into a factory. It was designed by architect Frederick German[2] and built in 1923 as an ice hockey and curling rink to provide a public venue for physical development to the working class men largely employed in Iron Range mines. A generation later, as the gender balance of the city's population evened out, the building was converted into a shirt factory in 1947 to create jobs for women.[3] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its state-level significance in the themes of industry and social history.[4] It was nominated for encapsulating the social welfare of the Progressive Era and the robust public spending funded by the mining boom, and the transition to a more gender-balanced population and need to diversify the economy.[3]

Virginia Recreation Building
The Virginia Recreation Building viewed from the southeast
Virginia Recreation Building is located in Minnesota
Virginia Recreation Building
Virginia Recreation Building is located in the United States
Virginia Recreation Building
Location301–307 S. 1st Street,
Virginia, Minnesota
Coordinates47°31′21″N 92°32′8″W / 47.52250°N 92.53556°W / 47.52250; -92.53556
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1923
Architectural styleColonial Revival
NRHP reference No.82004711[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 4, 1982

The St. Louis County government acquired the building in 2003 and repurposed it as the Northland Office Center. As of 2018 they are planning to demolish the building to construct a modern government service center.[5]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "F. G. German Came Here in 1892 Pioneer Dies". Duluth Herald. October 1937. p. 14.
  3. ^ a b Skrief, Charles (1979-09-10). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Shirt Factory". National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-06-17. With two accompanying photos from 1980
  4. ^ "Virginia Recreation Building". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  5. ^ "County Buildings: Virginia Area". St. Louis County, Minnesota. Retrieved 2018-06-17.