Historic and current views of Main
St.
Courtesy of Lorraine Draper and Pipestone County Museum |
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The Pipestone Commercial Historic District is comprised of approximately
30 commercial buildings located in a two-block area of downtown
Pipestone. The town was first platted from 1873 to 1874. Pipestone
experienced a boom from 1883 to 1884--the result of the establishment
of railroad service to the area and successful land promotional
efforts by the South Minnesota Land Company. The character of the
district is derived from the exclusive use of Sioux quartzite as
a building material in 17 of the buildings, making it the largest
concentration of Sioux quartzite buildings in the state. The majority
of these buildings were built in the 1890s and visually relate to
each other in height, scale and vernacular style, sharing a common
texture and color of building materials. Although most of the pivotal
buildings are vernacular, there are examples of the Richardsonian
Romanesque, Neoclassical and Italianate styles as well.
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View of City Hall taken from Courthouse,
1910.
Courtesy of Pipestone County Museum |
The most visually prominent building is the Calumet
Hotel, a four-story Richardsonian Romanesque structure which occupies
the main intersection in the downtown. Pipestone
City Hall also illustrates the Richardsonian Romanesque style;
the Neoclassical style is represented in the two buildings constructed
for the First National Bank at 101 W. Main Street
and 113 W. Main Street; the Italianate style
can be seen at the Syndicate Block . Three of
the buildings in the district are embellished with relief sculpture
carved by local skilled craftsmen. The key to the beauty of Pipestone's
buildings is how the stone is cut, dressed and arranged in the building
walls. The masons used rough-faced stone, clearly marked joints, and
arranged blocks in a variety of patterns and colors. The color variety
of the historic district was produced by a blending lighter Sioux
quartzite from the Jasper quarries with darker Sioux quartzite from
the Pipestone quarries. Many of the early business establishments
constructed during the 1880s and 1890s were built of Sioux quartzite.
These are the buildings which comprise the district today and continue
to serve commercial purposes.
The Pipestone Commercial Historic District is located in downtown
Pipestone, including Main St. between Second Ave. SW/NW and Second
Ave. NE/SE, and generally one block south along N. Hiawatha Ave.
and Second Ave. SW. Many of the buildings within the district are
open to the public during normal business hours. Visit the Chamber
of Commerce's website
for more information. |