Clarence W. ("Cap") Wigington was a man of firsts—the first registered African American architect in Minnesota and the first African American municipal architect in the nation. The public buildings that he designed for the city of St. Paul are a continuing legacy, helping to define the city's character. And his achievements, both as an architect and as a leader in the state's African American community, are all the more significant given the limitations of the times in which he lived.Between 1915 and 1947, in the Office of the City Architect of St. Paul, he designed an array of schools, fire stations, park structures, and municipal buildings that continue to define the city's landscape. Three of his buildings—the Highland Park Water Tower (1928), the Holman Airfield Administration Building (1939), and the Harriet Island Pavilion (1941, renamed the Clarence W. Wigington Pavilion in 1998)—are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wigington's nearly sixty St. Paul buildings now constitute one of the most extensive collections of works by an early African American architect.Wigington's most ephemeral work, however, may have been his most creative. From 1937 to 1947, he designed six ice palaces and a number of secondary structures for St. Paul's famous Winter Carnival. These stunningly fanciful designs are Wigington's most imaginative and exuberant.Alternating chapters by Taylor and Larson examine the man, his times, his leadership in the African American community, and his architectural work. Richly illustrated with photos of Wigington's buildings and his drawings, the book also contains a list of works attributed to Wigington. His life story shows the struggles and the achievements of a talented individual facing and conquering long odds.

Cap Wigington: An Architectural Legacy in Ice and Stone

Biographies & Memoirs

Paul Clifford Larson

David V. Taylor

Arts & Literature

Minnesota Historical Society Press

Quincy's architecture from the 1803s through the 1930s is impressive. This book is a celebration of Quincy's rich architectural history, and a record that can be enjoyed today and shared for years to come.

Historic Quincy Architecture Architectural Treasures of Quincy, Illinois

Herring Press

St. Paul Academy and Summit School, 1900-2000

The School?]

A Walk Through Dellwood

City of Dellwood

Summit Avenue, grande dame of Victorian boulevards, is lined with magnificent turn-of- the-century mansions built by railroad magnates, lumber barons and captains of industry. Great Houses of Summit Avenue and the Hill District is a celebration of these homes on St. Paul's best-known and most beloved avenue. With a foreword by Garrison Keillor and fascinating stories penned by four award-winning writers including Paul Clifford Larson, Bette Hammel, Dave Kenney, and Melinda Nelson, the book opens the doors to more than two dozen legendary homes situated on America's best-preserved avenue from the era. Photographer Karen Melvin takes us along for a tour through stately mansions to view these remarkable architectural gems. Featuring the work of notable architects including Clarence Johnston, Cass Gilbert and Allen Stem, readers experience the interiors first-hand, including the home of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Richly illustrated with hundreds of photos, this book offers an irresistible invitation to step through the doors of these showcase homes to explain what we are all curious to know. Discover how the homeowners have restored the original grandeur and rich heritage of their homes while infusing them with new life and energy.

Great Houses of Summit Avenue and the Hill District

Arts & Photography

Karen Melvin

Bette Hammel

Melinda Nelson

Dave Kenney

History & Criticism

Big Picture Press

Minnesotans have carried on a romance with their lakes for more than a century. 'A Place at the Lake'; is a pictorial account of the summer houses that have proliferated along Minnesota's lakeshores--the humble and the high-style, the nest of logs and the summer palace. Beginning with Lake Minnetonka and the watery garland embracing the Twin Cities, the story culminates in the persisting wilderness of the Arrowhead region.

A Place at the Lake

History

Americas

Afton Historical Society Press

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Books by Paul Clifford Larson