Available for use in the Manuscripts Division reading room. Advance notice is requested.
There are no restrictions on the use of materials in this collection. Copies can be requested if the condition of the originals warrants it.
Hermann Kretz collection (N 22), Northwest Architectural Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries, Minneapolis.
Hermann Kretz was born in Essen, Germany on May 20, 1860. At the age of 19, Kretz went to work for his uncle as an architect, after completing his education at the University of Essen and the Technical School at Holzminden. In about 1880 he immigrated to the United States and worked in New York City, Chicago, Winnipeg, and various other western cities before settling in St. Paul in 1886. Kretz became wealthy not only from his successful architectural practice but from investments in real estate, including the Commerce Building in downtown St. Paul, which he designed and built in 1912. Hermann Kretz died in St. Paul on May 10, 1931.
The papers include one reel of 35 mm microfilm of blueprint plans for two apartment houses in St. Paul, both dated around 1890, designed for Charles Otis. Both sets of plans contain 7 sheets, or frames. There are also two photographs of the Kasota Block and adjacent Northwestern Building in Minneapolis (ca. 1920), five photos forming a panorama of the St. Paul Athletic Club, City Hall & Court House, Globe Building, Commerce Building, and Hotel Lowry (ca. 1953), all in St. Paul, plus a photo of Kretz (n.d.) and specifications for the Commerce Building, St. Paul (ca. 1911).
An unpublished finding aid with detailed contents is available in the Manuscripts Division.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed list of the original materials in the collection.
8"x10" black and white photograph (framed) of Hermann Kretz
Three post cards, Commerce Building
Two 8"x10" black and white photographs showing facades of the Kasota Building and the Northwestern Building (Hennepin Avenue and 4th St., Minneapolis)
Five 8"x10" black and white photographs showing the St. Paul (MN) Athletic Club, the St. Paul (MN) City Hall and Courthouse, the Globe Building, Commerce Building, and the Hotel Lowry
"Specifications for construction of a twelve story fireproof office building" [Commerce Building], Southeast corner of Wabasha and 4th Street, St. Paul, MN; designed by and built for Hermann Kretz