A Water Tower, A Pavilion, and Three National Historic Sites: Clarence W. Wigington and the Architectural Heritage He Left to the People of St.Paul

The City of St. Paul has been fortu­nate to have several of its public build­ings placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other examples include the Harriet Island Pavilion (1941) and the  Holman  Airfield  Administration Building  (1939),  both  built  with  re­ sources provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Constructed in the Moderne style typical of the depres­sion era, the Harriet Island Pavilion is of concrete block construction with yellow Kasota stone veneer and terra cotta roof tiles. The Holman Air field Administration Building reflected significant collab­oration between city government and the WPA. Also built in the Moderne style at a cost of $269,000, the building featured a glass and stainless steel control tower attached to rectangular gray rock ­faced limestone walls trimmed with yellow Kasota stone.

Besides their listing on the National Register, these three structures share a common characteristic;  all were de­signed by Clarence Wesley Wigington, senior architectural designer for the City of St. Paul. This remarkable achieve­ment is credited to a man now recog­nized as the first African­American ar­chitect in the state of Nebraska, the first licensed African­ American  architect registered in the state of Minnesota, and possibly the first African­ American mu­nicipal architect in the United States.

Taylor, David. “A Water Tower, A Pavilion, and Three National Historic Sites: Clarence W. Wigington and the Architectural Heritage He Left to the People of St.Paul.” Ramsey County History Magazine 34, no. 4 (Winter. 2000), 4-11.