On This Date In Twin Cities History - May 31, 1908

On this date in 1908, the cornerstone of the Basilica, or co-cathedral, of St. Mary is laid in Minneapolis.  The ceremony was witnessed by some 30,000 Catholics including twenty bishops, 300 priests and seminarians from the Saint Paul Seminary, and 500 cadets from the College of Saint Thomas.  The Basilica was designed by architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, the designer of the Cathedral of Saint Paul. The Beaux-Arts style structure was dedicated by the Church on November 4, 1913, and informally opened on May 31, 1914