Father of Waters, Mississippi: Art & Travel – Mpls. City Hall, MN, USA

The Setting

Framing the sculpture are massive bronze lamp stands at the sides and colorful stained glass windows at the top of the stair landing. The three figures represent Peace (holding dove), Justice (holding sword and law book) and Community (holding bee hive).

Info from Historic Minneapolis City Hall & Hennepin County Courthouse self-guided tour

The Size!

If Old Man River were to stand up, he would be more than 15 feet tall! To support his weight of over 14,000 pounds, there is a column underneath the base that continues all the way to the building foundation. (The original block of marble weighed 44 tons!)

Greek Inspiration

“Father of Waters” is patterned after the famous “Father Nile” carved by an unknown Greek sculptor in Egypt more than 2,000 years ago as a tribute to the mighty African River. It now resides in Vatican City, Italy (below). I think our Minneapolis version is much, much nicer!

The Story

From New Orleans to Minnesota

Symbols of the countryside through which the Mississippi River flows on its journey from the headwaters in northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico are featured.

The figure reclines on a native American blanket and leans against the paddle wheel of a riverboat. He holds a cornstalk, while surrounded by a fish net, alligator, and aquatic turtle. His head is adorned with a pine cone and leaf wreath.

It was originally commissioned for the city of New Orleans and named “Mississippi.” When New Orleans was unable to afford the statue, twelve leading Minneapolis citizens and the Minneapolis Journal purchased and presented the “Father of Waters” to the City of Lakes in 1904. Though never disclosed, the cost was estimated at $40,000.

The Rotunda serves as a perfect setting for Old Man River. He is surrounded by a magnificent skylight above – I wish one could get a closer look at its intricacies – colorful stained glass windows behind it and the decorative stone floors beneath.

The Rotunda hosts public gatherings and is a great space for events such as concerts, weddings and receptions. (municipalbuildingcommission.org)

The Clock Tower

The Clock Tower is the most prominent feature of the exterior of City Hall. Rising to a height of 345 feet (400 at the tip of the flagstaff), it was the tallest structure in the city until the Foshay Tower was completed in 1929.

Each minute hand is over 14 feet long. It was once calculated that the tip of the minute hand travels 110 miles each year. When the original backlit glass faces began to crack in 1949, a new set of metal clock faces with neon lighting was installed. (Note the perspective given by size of worker in the 12:00 position!

Info from municipalbuildingcommission.org/visitors/history

Bigger than Big Ben!

The distinctive green roof is not original; the original roof was slate tiles. They started leaking and occasionally fell to the street below causing a safety hazard! In 1950, the copper roof was installed over the original roof, which has since acquired its glamorous green patina.

Info from Historic Minneapolis City Hall & Hennepin County Courthouse self-guided tour and towerbellfoundation.org

The Tower Bells

Atop the tower and the clock are 15 bells. Every hour, quarter and half-hour you will hear the bells play the Westminster Chime. The bells carry such power that, upon complaints from distant communities, a measure was passed against ringing the bells between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am!

Manufactured in New York, each weigh from 300 to 7,300 pounds – over 14 tons total! Originally played by pressing large wooden levers, they are now electronic. Interesting note is that it is the only American-made set that can plan the “Star Spangled Banner” in the original key!

The legacy of the bell ringers is fascinating! Between 1912 and 1969, Joseph Henry “Hank” Auld would climb 447 steps to the unheated bell tower to play the bells by candlelight on holidays and special occasions. His son, Edward, accompanied him into the tower for bell concerts. When Hank retired at age 84, his son continued his legacy until he retired in 2001 at age 88. Since 1972, the bells have been played from a keyboard located in the rotunda by members of the Tower Bell Foundation. Their concert schedule can be found on their website (towerbellfoundation.org)

Public access to the top of the tower is not permitted. However, the passage to get there is fascinating and worth a mention! As noted in the bell tower website, to get to the bells at the top of the Minneapolis City Hall “you pass through an old vault before inching up a tiny elevator to the 13th floor of the clock tower. Step out, and you’ll find sweeping views and a set of 15 weathered bells, but you won’t find anyone ringing them. The room where someone used to play sits empty. A sheet draped over the old controls collects dust, but this tradition is not lost. For an hour every week volunteers proudly play this contraption. These 25 keys were wired to the tower bells in the 70’s making it much easier to play the bells, no longer needing to climb the 300 stairs as their predecessors did.”