FORT SNELLING UPPER POST |
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Operators at the telephone exchange
From the Minnesota Historical Society |
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Buildings & Their Condition |
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Building 53: Gymnasium/Service Club Built: 1903 Mothballed in fall of 2006 |
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Building 54: Medical Detachment Barracks Built: 1939 |
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Building 55: Hospital Built: 1898 Roof is in bad shape and sections have collapsed Used into the 1970s |
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Building 56: Hospital Steward's Quarters Built: 1900 Home of the head non-commissioned officer in charge of the hospital |
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Building 57: Band Barracks Built: 1903 The fact that there was a barracks just for the band highlights the importance of the post. It housed 28 musicians. |
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Building 62: Dead House Built: 1905 Later converted to non-commissioned officer's quarters. Wouldn't you love to live there? |
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Building 63: Quartermaster Shops Built: 1879-80 Building has collapsed and is beyond repair |
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Building 64: Fire Station Built: 1903 Housed two fire engines |
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Building 65: Guard House Built: 1891 Could house up to 40 prisoners. In use into the 1980s. |
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Building 66: Telephone Exchange Built: 1927 Photo at the top of this page is from the Telephone Exchange building |
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Building 67: Administration Building Built: 1879-80 The clock mechanism is still in working order even though the faces are missing or damaged. Does anyone know the person or organization that maintains it? |
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Building 76: Civilian Employees' Quarters Built: 1879-80 Converted to house non-commissioned officers and their families |
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Buildings 101 - 103: Barracks Built: 1885 There used to be one more barrack of this type and two square shaped barracks farther down the street where the airport now lies. Each building housed 236 men or a little more than a company. At 43,800 square feet, the buildings represent some of the biggest redevelopment challenges on the site. They were the first barracks on the post that had indoor plumbing and central heating. |
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Building 112: Bakery Built: 1891 Converted to house non-commissioned officers and their families |
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Buildings 151: Bachelor Officer's Quarters Built: 1904 Originally outfitted with a wooden porch, a concrete porch was added in the 1930s by WPA workers |
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Buildings 152 - 161: Officer's Quarters Built: 1879 - 1905 Some are single family homes and some duplexes. Originally there were 12 more buildings along Taylor Avenue; They were torn down in 1969 to make way for airport expansion. |
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Building 175: Golf Course Clubhouse Built: 1940 Still in use as the golf course's clubhouse |
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Building 201: Cavalry Drill House Built: 1907 This massive building is currently for sale by the Minneapolis Park Board and is one of the most visible structures in its spot along Highway 55. Originally built so the cavalry could drill during our "balmy" Minnesota winters, it housed 850 soldiers at a time during WWII. |
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Building 205 & 206: Artillery Workshops Built: 1903 |
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Building 210: Shops Built: 1907 |
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Buildings 211 & 214: Quartermaster Stables Built: 1909 & 1910 Several stables burned in a fire in 1939, killing many of the horses and prompting the reassignment of the artillery |
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Building 215: Quartermaster Gas Station Built: 1932 |
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Building 217: Quartermaster Warehouse Built: 1880 At one time it had a loading dock and wagon scale. Possibly the oldest building left on the upper post. |
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Building 218: Forage House Built: 1894 The building held 40 tons of hay and 50 tons of oats for the Post's horses |
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Building 219: Wheelwright Shop Built: 1895 Used to repair cannon wheels. Currently in use as storage. |
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Building 220: Post Exchange Oil & Gas Station Built: 1932 Still in service |
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Building 222: Quartermaster Warehouse Built: 1904 Two train tracks ran to the back of the building to ease unloading |
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Building 223: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Commissary Warehouse Built: 1935 |
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Building 224: Forage House/Utility Shops & Warehouse Built: 1902 |
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Building 225: Paint House Built: unknown Used to store paint and other flamables away from other buildings |
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Building 227: Non-commissioned Officer's Quarters Built: 1904 Duplex |
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Building 229: Non-commissioned Officer's Quarters Built: 1907 Housed four families |
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Building 237: Powder Magazine/Grain Shed Built: 1904 Built of corrugated iron, the walls are designed to blow without bringing the roof down should there be an explosion |
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Building 239: Mineral Oil House Built: 1892 Held 10,000 gallons of oil to light the post's lamps in the days before electric lighting |
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Building 395: Officers' Club Built: 1934 |
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Then & Now Photographs |
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Unit Photos and Other Miscellaneous Items |