St. James Hotel (Red Wing, Minnesota)

St. James Hotel in Red Wing, Minnesota is an Italianate building built in 1874-1875. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The NRHP-listed area was increased to become St. James Hotel and Buildings in 1982.[1] St. James Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.[2]

An interior view

St. James Hotel
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Bush and Main Sts., Red Wing, Minnesota
Coordinates	44°33′55″N 92°32′3″W
Built	1874 and 1912
Architect	Brink, Williams & Co.
Architectural style	Italianate
NRHP reference No.	77000733 and 82002956[1]
Added to NRHP	September 15, 1977 (original) January 8, 1982 (increase)

Red Wing was the world's largest primary market for wheat in the early 1870s, with a warehouse capacity of over 1,000,000 US bushels (35,000,000 l; 8,000,000 US dry gal; 7,800,000 imp gal) in 1873. As a result of the city's wealth, and with a need to house businesspeople and tourists visiting the city, eleven prominent businessmen invested in the construction of the hotel. It opened with a grand ball on Thanksgiving Day, 1875. It was one of the most elaborate hotels along the Mississippi River and served the city during its heyday as a commercial center and a steamboat stop.[3]

The Red Wing Iron Works Building

The hotel was purchased in 1977 by the Red Wing Shoe Company and renovated. It was also given two additions, a shopping courtyard and a new section for offices and hotel rooms.[3] Until recently, the hotel had 61 guest rooms, each with its own unique decoration and bearing the name of a riverboat that used to travel up and down the Mississippi River. In early 2010, a new suite housed in the old Red Wing Iron Works Building was added to the hotel, bringing the number of rooms to 62.