Minneapolis City Hall, 400 Fourth Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Hennepin County Courthouse
The courthouse, circa 1932
The courthouse in the early 1900s
Address:	400 Fourth Avenue S
Neighborhood/s:	Downtown, Minneapolis, Minnesota
City/locality- State/province	Minneapolis, Minnesota
County- State/province:	Hennepin County, Minnesota
State/province:	Minnesota
Country:	United States
Year built:	1889-1905
Primary Style:	Richardsonian Romanesque
Historic Function:	City hall/town hall/
Historic Function:	Courthouse, Jail
Other Historic Function:	Courthouse, Jail
Current Function:	City hall/town hall/
Current Function:	Jail
Other Current Function:	Jail
Architect or source of design:	Long and Kees
Material of Exterior Wall Covering:	Granite
Material of Roof:	Copper

Downtown Minneapolis Hennepin County

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Minneapolis City Hall, 400 Fourth Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota
(44.977472° N, 93.264359° W)

National Register of Historic Places Information
Reference Number:	74001022
Certification date:	December 4, 1974
Level of significance:	Local
Primary Style:	Richardsonian Romanesque

The facade we see today on the courthouse that covers an entire city block was made of Ortonville Pink granite and took twenty years to complete. During that time, the population of Minneapolis doubled. The clock on the tower is four inches in diameter larger than the clock on the British Parliamentary building, also known as Big Ben. The old Hennepin County Courthouse covers an entire city block. The tower itself is 345 feet tall and houses 15 bells (from 300 to 7,300 lbs each), which are still used on special occasions. The tower was the tallest structure in Minneapolis until the Foshay tower was built. Inside the building you can find a statue called "Father of Waters", patterned off of "Fathers of the Nile" which sits in Rome, pays tribute to the Mississippi which brought pioneers to the area.

Notes

The Minnesota Historical Society holds many of the historical records, such as naturalization and civil ad criminal case files, of Minnesota courthouse. State laws restrict some access to records. The Minnesota State BAR Association published "The First 100 Years--", which holds a more complete history of the judicial branch on both local and the states levels.