Three St. Paul Icons
By Mark Swenson, FAIA | January 16, 2025
The Minnesota State Capitol. Drawing by Mark Swenson, FAIA.
POSTCARD
In the summer of 2023, I photographed three landmark buildings in St. Paul: the Minnesota State Capitol, the Cathedral of St. Paul, and Landmark Center. I used the photos to create drawings of these buildings during the winter of 2024. (Read more about Swenson’s process for creating detailed drawings of architectural scenes here.)
I took several photos of the capitol from different locations. I selected a shot from the southwest to do my drawing because it features both the west and south facades and was taken from a location below the grade level of the capitol. At the end of the movie The Fabelmans, the famed director John Ford advises the young Sammy to shoot movie scenes with either a very low or very high horizon to create more drama. The same principle applies to my shot of the capitol.
Images 1 and 2: The Cathedral of St. Paul and Landmark Center. Drawings by Mark Swenson, FAIA.
The shot of the cathedral was taken from the center median of John Ireland Boulevard. It again captures two facades. The interesting feature is the changing roadway topography and how the median leads right to the center of the cathedral. What a powerful visual terminus.
The Landmark Center photo is a straight-on elevation that frames Rice Park in the foreground. Also, the historic building is itself framed by two modern buildings on each side. Unlike the capitol and the cathedral, Landmark Center is part of a dense urban fabric of buildings. It’s not an object building standing out on its own.
Our Postcard department presents artworks and photographs that capture indelible architectural scenes from across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
Related Articles
