Winona State seeks honor for 2 buildings
WINONA, Minn. (AP) -- Winona State University is hoping to get two of its oldest campus buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places.
A Winona Daily News report says Phelps Hall dates back to 1914 and Somsen Hall opened in 1924.
Phelps was named after the university's second principal. It was originally used as an elementary school for 200 children.
Somsen was initally called College Hall. It was later renamed after Stephen H. Somsen, the college's resident director from 1909 to 1933.
Somsen Hall is also the home to a historic Depression-era mural painted in the second-floor entrance by John Martin Socha. It depicts pioneer life with scenes of loggers, railroad workers, a riverboat captain and Native Americans.
The National Register lists more than 80,000 historic sites across the country.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.