![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Virginia_Recreation_Building.jpg/640px-Virginia_Recreation_Building.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Virginia Recreation Building
United States historic place / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Virginia Recreation Building is a former community center in Virginia, Minnesota, United States, that was later converted into a factory. It was designed by architect Frederick German[2] and built in 1923 as an ice hockey and curling rink to provide a public venue for physical development to the working class men largely employed in Iron Range mines. A generation later, as the gender balance of the city's population evened out, the building was converted into a shirt factory in 1947 to create jobs for women.[3] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its state-level significance in the themes of industry and social history.[4] It was nominated for encapsulating the social welfare of the Progressive Era and the robust public spending funded by the mining boom, and the transition to a more gender-balanced population and need to diversify the economy.[3]
Virginia Recreation Building | |
![]() The Virginia Recreation Building viewed from the southeast | |
Location | 301–307 S. 1st Street, Virginia, Minnesota |
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Coordinates | 47°31′21″N 92°32′8″W |
Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
Built | 1923 |
Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 82004711[1] |
Added to NRHP | February 4, 1982 |
The St. Louis County government acquired the building in 2003 and repurposed it as the Northland Office Center. As of 2018 they are planning to demolish the building to construct a modern government service center.[5]