Rand Tower
About this property
The Rand Tower Hotel is an aviation-inspired Art Deco building located in downtown Minneapolis’s financial district. Completed in 1929, it briefly was the city’s tallest skyscraper until the Foshay Tower opened later that year. The building was the vision of Rufus Rand, Jr., which was symbolic of the city's prominence to serve as the headquarters for his company, Minneapolis Gas and Light Company (now Xcel Energy). Rand contracted with Chicago based Holabird & Root to design the building which was constructed by C.F. Haglin & Sons. Rand, a World War I aviator with the Lafayette Flying Corps, embedded aviation motifs within the building’s design. The embodiment of Rand’s vision is depicted above the Marquette St. entrance, where two sculptures are carved into the limestone façade of Mercury with winged helmets and ankles, with each holding a biplane. As the Roman god of commerce, travelers, and communication, Mercury was chosen to symbolize progress and movement, welcoming visitors into a lobby with terrazzo floors embedded with star and moon crescent designs. Elements such as the Wings sculpture in the lobby by Oskar J. W. Hansen further emphasize this theme. The two lion-cub mascots, Whiskey and Soda, associated with his Lafayette squadron, also were featured prominently. In 1963, a permanent overhead walkway was built, followed by a 1969 extension to the NorthStar Center, linking the Rand Tower to the Minneapolis Skyway System. Renamed Dain Tower in the late 1960s when investment company Dain Rauscher occupied it, the name reverted after they moved out in 1992. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 for its architectural design and significance.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Rand Tower
This page lists Rand Tower. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Rand Tower listed on the National Register?
Rand Tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1994.
What type of historic resource is Rand Tower?
Rand Tower is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Rand Tower?
The period of significance for Rand Tower is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Rand Tower?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Rand Tower will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Hennepin County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Hennepin County.
Explore HennepinCounty ›More historic places in Minnesota
Browse all historic places in Minnesota.
View Minnesotahistoric sites ›Minnesota history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Minnesotahistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Rand Tower will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.