Virginia Recreation Building

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Virginia Recreation Building
Virginia Recreation Building.jpg
The Virginia Recreation Building viewed from the southeast
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Location301–307 S. 1st Street,
Virginia, Minnesota
Coordinates 47°31′21″N92°32′8″W / 47.52250°N 92.53556°W / 47.52250; -92.53556
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1923
Architectural style Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No. 82004711 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 4, 1982

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]

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

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References

  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. 1 2 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.