Pioneer Building

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Usage

Facts

• The Pioneer Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
• At the completion of construction in 1889, the Pioneer Building had 12 stories and was the tallest building west of Chicago, surpassing St. Paul's previous tallest, the Globe Building.
• The Pioneer Building was the tallest in St. Paul from 1889 until 1915, when the Merchant's Bank Building, directly across Robert Street, was completed.
• Solon S. Beman, the original architect, designed four additional floors which were added in 1909, 20 years after the completion of construction.
• The offices and elevators are arranged around an interior light court, the only surviving example in the Twin Cities from the 19th century.
• The Pioneer Building was an early home of Minnesota's first newspaper, now known as the Pioneer Press. The newspaper is now located in the aptly-named Pioneer Press Building, a few blocks to the west.
• The Pioneer Building still employed elevator operators as of June 2004.
• Four elevators rise along the west side of the light court. They are grouped into two sets of two, separated by a stairwell.
• A plaque inside the building indicates it was the home of the world's first telephone answering service, implemented in 1927.
• The building is adjoined on the east and north by the Endicott Building. The buildings are connected at the ground and skyway levels.
• The foundation consists of more than 600 wooden piles.