On this Date in Minnesota History: August 19

August 19, 1982 – Winsted City Hall was listed on the National Register of Historical Places on this date.

Dedicated on Jan. 1, 1896, Winsted’s first city hall was located in the center of town with a view of beautiful Winsted Lake.

“The hall accommodated the following:

• The Winsted fire department was located on the main floor at the north end of the building.

• The facility’s upper floor assembly room was booked solid, hosting a never-ending procession of lectures, dances, banquets, and “entertainments” sponsored by such local groups as the Literary Society and the Twilight Club, even old time medicine man shows.

• A stage was constructed on the upper floor for theatrical productions in 1898.

• The lower level was equipped with prefabricated jail cells in 1905.

• When silent movies came to town, the upper floor assembly room was transformed into Winsted’s first motion picture theater. “

“The last official day of business in the original city hall was Nov. 4, 1997. A total of 102 years as Winsted’s city hall.”

http://www.herald-journal.com/archives/2006/stories/winhall.html

Winsted City Hall on 1913 Postcard
http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm/ref/collection/mcc/id/69





Original Winsted City Hall 2013




Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain August 19, 2014,
as long as acknowledgement included.