On This Date In Twin Cities History - December 25, 1884

On this date in 1884, the twelve year-old Temple Court building on the corner of Hennepin and Washington Avenues in Minneapolis is destroyed by fire. Flames broke out on the upper floors of the 1,400 seat Academy of Music. Temperatures were around 20 degrees below that day which made fighting the fire difficult. Water and hoses quickly froze while fighting the fire and by the time it was extinguished, the building and surrounding streets were coated in ice. The building was a total loss. Two years later, a new larger Temple Court building (later called the Gateway Building), designed by E. Townsend Mix was completed. Unfortunately, this structure was also heavily damaged by fire in 1947. The building never recovered from the fire and in 1953 it was razed.

Temple Court (Gateway) Building in Minneapolis circa 1943 (MHS)