Landmark Center in St. Paul, Minnesota is a sterling example of the Romanesque Revival style of architecture.

One of the iconic anchors of Rice Park in St. Paul is the historic Landmark Center. The building, completed in 1902, originally served as the U.S. Post Office, Courthouse, and Custom House for the state of Minnesota. To area residents, it’s a familiar friend. To visitors, it’s a delight with pink granite ashlar stones, a Ludowici clay tile roof adorned by turrets, gables, and dormers, like a fairy tale castle plopped down in the center of St. Paul.

Landmark Center is now host to a new exhibit in the building’s North Gallery, From Bicentennial to 250: The Renaissance of Landmark Center. The exhibit celebrates Landmark Center’s legacy during the semiquincentennial, and features rarely seen pictures, records, and historical documents that explore how the 1976 Bicentennial helped restore the building.

In St. Paul, the Old Federal Courts Building has become one of Minnesota’s most significant Bicentennial preservation efforts. In the 1970s, with demolitions and urban renewal in vogue, the building was saved through years of determined advocacy by citizens, preservationists, and civic leaders. Their work helped secure the building’s place on the National Register of Historic Places, with its ownership transferred from the federal government, and launching an ambitious restoration project supported by Bicentennial initiatives.

The restoration of what is now Landmark Center proved that historic buildings could have vibrant new lives. Now fifty years later, the new exhibit explores the living legacy of the Bicentennial and the building–a place where history continues to be made, shared, and celebrated.
The exhibit is on view July 10th-September 13th, 2026, in Landmark Center’s North Gallery (75 W. 5th St., St. Paul, MN 55102). The North Gallery is open during building hours.

More information at: landmarkcenter.org.

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Twin Cities Arts Reader

The Twin Cities Arts Reader is an arts and lifestyles magazine whose coverage examines arts and selected activities in the state of Minnesota and across the country. It provides in-depth, critical arts coverage and reaches more than 600,000 readers per year.

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