On This Date In Twin Cities History - November 6, 1887

On this date in 1887, the Virginia Street Swedenborgain Church is dedicated in St. Paul. The Queen Anne styled church located in the historic Cathedral Hill District was designed by Cass Gilbert, the renowned St. Paul architect known for designing the Minnesota State Capitol, the Woolworth Building in New York, and the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. The design was intended to reflect the tenets of the Swedenborgian faith. William R. Marshall, governor of Minnesota from 1866 to 1870, founded the Virginia Street congregation, first in 1860 and again in 1873, making this one of the longest-established congregations in the city. In 1922, an addition designed by another famous St. Paul architect, Clarence H. Johnston, was added on the east side. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Virginia Street Church