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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox_nrhp | name =Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
{{Infobox NRHP
| nrhp_type =nhl
| name = Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
| image =Peavey-HaglinElevator 2.JPG
| nrhp_type = nhl
| caption =The Peavey–Haglin elevator, built in 1899–1900, still stands today. The sign painted on it advertises [[Nordic Ware]], the current owner of the structure.
| image = Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator crop.jpg
| location= Jct. MN 7 and MN 100<br>[[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]]
| caption = The Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator from the southwest, now advertising [[Nordic Ware]]
| lat_degrees = 44| lat_minutes = 56| lat_seconds = 33| lat_direction = N| long_degrees = 93| long_minutes = 20| long_seconds = 43| long_direction = W| area =
| coordinates = {{coord|44|56|32.6|N|93|20|42.7|W|display=inline,title}}
| built =1899 <!-- NRHP database says 1889, though -->
| locmapin = Minnesota#USA
| designated = [[December 21]], [[1981]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/iwisapi/explorer.dll?IWS_SCHEMA=NRIS1&IWS_LOGIN=1&IWS_REPORT=100000044|title=National Historic Landmark|date=2007-11-04|work=National Historic Landmark|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| location = 5005 County Road 25, [[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]]
| added = [[December 19]], [[1978]]
| area = Less than one acre
| refnum=78001547<ref name="nris">{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-10-03|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| built = 1899–1900
| architect = [[Charles F. Haglin]]
| architecture =
| refnum = 78001547<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2010a}}</ref>
| added = December 19, 1978
| designated_nrhp_type = December 21, 1981<ref name=nhlsum>{{Cite web |title=Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator |work=National Historic Landmark Quicklinks |publisher=National Park Service |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1763&ResourceType=Structure |accessdate=2012-03-23 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606194720/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1763&ResourceType=Structure |archivedate=2012-06-06 }}</ref>
}}
}}


The '''Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator''', built in 1899&ndash;1900, was the first circular concrete [[grain elevator]] in the United States, and possibly in the world. It is notable for proving the viability of concrete in grain elevator construction. Previous grain elevators, being built of wood, were expensive to build and vulnerable to fire.<ref name="nrhpinv">{{Cite journal|title={{PDFlink|[http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/78001547.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator]|520&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 532507 bytes -->}}|author=James Shiere|date=May 23 1981 |publisher=National Park Service}} and {{PDFlink|[http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/78001547.pdf Accompanying images]|356&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 364746 bytes -->}}</ref> The elevator is located near the interchange of Highway 7 and Highway 100 in [[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]]. It was located along the [[Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway]].
The '''Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator''' is the world's first known cylindrical concrete [[grain elevator]]. It was built from 1899 to 1900 in [[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]], United States, as an experiment to prove the design was viable. It was an improvement on wooden elevators that were continually at risk of catching fire or even exploding. Its cylindrical concrete design became the industry standard in the United States, revolutionizing grain storage practices.<ref name=Shiere>{{cite report |last=Shiere |first=James H. |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form: Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator |url={{NRHP url|id=78001547}} |publisher=National Park Service |date=1981-05-23 |accessdate=2016-07-07}}</ref> After its initial experiments, the Peavey–Haglin Elevator was never again used to store grain. Since the late 1960s it has been maintained on the grounds of the [[Nordic Ware]] company and is painted with their name and logo.<ref name=Q>{{cite web |author=Mike Q |title=
History behind the iconic Nordic Ware tower |url=https://www.nordicware.com/blog/history-behind-the-iconic-nordic-ware-tower |publisher=Nordic Ware |date=2014-01-23 |accessdate=2016-07-07}}</ref>


The Peavey–Haglin Elevator was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978, proclaimed a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1981, and a [[List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks|National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]] in 1983.<ref name=SLPHS>{{cite web |title=Peavey-Haglin Grain Elevator |url=http://slphistory.org/peavyhaglinelevator/ |publisher=St. Louis Park Historical Society |year=2016 |accessdate=2016-07-07}}</ref>
The structure was commissioned by Frank Peavey, owner of a major grain company, and engineered by Charles F. Haglin, a [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]] contractor who also built the [[Minneapolis City Hall]], the Grain Exchange Building, the Pillsbury Building, and the Radisson Hotel. The elevator was built by pouring concrete into wooden forms braced by steel hoops. The engineers were initially hesitant about how much pressure the structure could withstand, so they ordered the structure capped at {{convert|68|ft|m}}. After an initial test of filling the elevator and then emptying it proved successful, the elevator was later built to its present height of {{convert|125|ft|m}}. The inside diameter is {{convert|20|ft|m}}, and the walls are {{convert|12|in|mm}} thick at the base, tapering to {{convert|8|in|mm}} thick at the top.


==Background==
After the initial experiments proved successful, the Peavey–Haglin elevator never held grain again, but its design paved the way for more concrete grain elevators across the United States.
[[Frank Peavey]] (1850–1901) was a native of [[Maine]] who moved to the Midwest as a young man and became a [[grain trade|grain merchant]].<ref name=SLPHS /> His business was buying grain from farmers and storing it in elevators before delivering it to flour mills. Basing himself in [[Minneapolis]] in 1881, he became known as the "Elevator King", owning elevators across Minnesota and Iowa and expanding into the Dakotas. However the wooden elevators of the day were quite vulnerable to fire, as they were built of flammable material, filled with volatile grain dust, and usually stood next to railroad tracks with their spark-spewing locomotives.<ref name=Shiere /> Numerous elevator fires were causing insurance rates to skyrocket.<ref name=SLPHS />


Peavey was convinced that new construction methods could produce a large, fireproof grain elevator. He hired [[Charles F. Haglin]] (1849–1921), a local [[civil engineer]], to work on the problem with him. They quickly recognized the promise of [[reinforced concrete]], a recent innovation popularized in the 1880s.<ref name=Shiere />
The elevator once served as a sign for a lumber store. It now carries the sign for [[Nordic Ware]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slphistory.org/history/nordicware.asp|title=St. Louis Park Historical Society &mdash; Nordic Ware|accessdate=2008-08-19}}</ref>

==Initial construction==
Even though other engineers argued that their design would explode when filled or crack when emptied, Peavey and Haglin proceeded with their plan for a cylindrical concrete structure. Construction began in the summer of 1899.<ref name=Heffelfinger>{{cite journal |last=Heffelfinger |first=Ruth J. |title=Experiment in Concrete: A Pioneer Venture in Grain Storage |url=http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/37/v37i01p014-018.pdf |journal=Minnesota History |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |date=March 1960 |accessdate=2016-07-07}}</ref> Skeptics dubbed it "Peavey's Folly".<ref name=SLPHS /> Haglin built a section of round [[formwork]] braced with steel hoops. Concrete was poured in and given time to harden, at which point the framework was removed and reassembled above to produce the next section. In this manner the elevator was built up to a height of {{convert|68|ft|m}}. The interior diameter was {{convert|20|ft|m}}, while the walls tapered from {{convert|12|in|cm}} thick at the base to {{convert|8|in|cm}} at the top. By fall the elevator was ready, and Peavey had it filled with grain. The form held and the grain was left to see how it would fare over the winter.<ref name=Heffelfinger />

==European tour==
While they waited, Peavey dispatched Haglin to Europe to investigate reports of reinforced concrete elevators there. Haglin was accompanied by his young son Eddie and Peavey's son-in-law Frank Heffelfinger. From January to March 1900 they toured grain facilities and met with experts in [[London]], [[Hamburg]], [[Braunschweig]], [[Copenhagen]], [[Budapest]], [[Brăila]], [[Galați]], [[Bucharest]], [[Vienna]], and [[Paris]]. They found some elevators of concrete, but all were rectangular or hexagonal, and most were atop steel or wood bins. Others were built of brick or mortared stone.<ref name=Heffelfinger />

Upon his return to Minneapolis, Haglin reported that their European counterparts were no more advanced on the issue than Americans.<ref name=Shiere />

==Success and legacy==
In spring 1900 it was time to empty the experimental elevator. A crowd gathered, but kept their distance, still expecting some kind of catastrophe. Haglin had faith in his structure, however, and stood right at its foot to pull the lever and allow the grain to pour out into an adjacent pit.<ref name=Heffelfinger /> The elevator stayed perfectly intact and the crowd began cheering.<ref name=SLPHS />

Haglin went on to increase the height of the elevator to {{convert|125|ft|m}} for a few further experiments. After those proved successful as well, the elevator prototype never held grain again. Peavey immediately commissioned Haglin to build a grain elevator complex in [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]].<ref name=Heffelfinger /> Widely publicized, Peavey and Haglin's cylindrical concrete design was quickly adopted throughout the American Midwest. While traditional wooden elevators, usually clad with metal siding, remained common for storage near farms, the new design sprang up at shipping centers, revolutionizing the grain storage industry.<ref name=Shiere /><ref name=Q /> Grain elevators, usually the tallest structure on the flat Midwestern landscape, became a symbol of productive agriculture.<ref name=Shiere />

==Later history==
Frank Peavey didn't live to see his project revolutionize the industry; he died unexpectedly of [[pneumonia]] on December 30, 1901.<ref name=Heffelfinger />

The experimental grain elevator stood unused as various industries came and went around it.<ref name=Q /> In the 1950s the property was owned by Lumber Stores, Inc. and the elevator was painted with their name.<ref name=SLPHS /> [[Nordic Ware]], a cookware company best known for introducing the [[Bundt cake]] pan, was founded nearby in 1946 and ultimately purchased the land with the elevator as they expanded their business.<ref name=Q /> In 1969 Nordic Ware discovered that the elevator was deteriorating and in danger of collapsing. Cognizant of the structure's history, the company invested $40,000 in a restoration project.<ref name=Q /> Around this time the elevator was painted with the Nordic Ware advertisement it still bears.<ref name=SLPHS />

The Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator now stands near the busy interchange of [[Minnesota State Highway 7|State Highways 7]] and [[Minnesota State Highway 100|100]].<ref name=MNHS>{{cite web |title=Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator |url=http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/70peavey.php |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |work=History Topics |accessdate=2016-07-07}}</ref> It overlooks the Nordic Ware factory complex, the [[Cedar Lake Trail]], and Lilac Park.

==See also==
*[[List of grain elevators]]
*[[List of National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Hennepin County, Minnesota]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
*{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| year =
| url = http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/70peavey.html
| title = Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
| format =
| work = Minnesota Historical Society Library: History Topics
| publisher = Minnesota Historical Society
| accessdate = 2006-04-08
| accessyear =
}}
*{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| year =
| url = http://www.asce.org/history/build_peavyhaglin.html
| title = Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
| format =
| work = ASCE History and Heritage of Civil Engineering
| publisher = American Society of Civil Engineers
| accessdate = 2006-04-08
| accessyear =
}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{HAER |survey=MN-25 |id=mn0125 |title=Peavy–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator, Southeast Corner Highways 7 & 100, Saint Louis Park, Hennepin County, MN |photos=1 |data=1 |cap=1}}
*[http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1763&ResourceType=Structure NHL summary]

[[Category:Minneapolis-St. Paul]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Grain elevators]]


{{National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota}}
{{National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota}}
{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota}}


[[de:Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator}}
[[Category:1899 establishments in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hennepin County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Agricultural buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Grain elevators in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks]]
[[Category:Minneapolis–Saint Paul]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hennepin County, Minnesota]]

Latest revision as of 01:19, 18 October 2023

Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
The Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator from the southwest, now advertising Nordic Ware
Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator is located in Minnesota
Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator is located in the United States
Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
Location5005 County Road 25, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Coordinates44°56′32.6″N 93°20′42.7″W / 44.942389°N 93.345194°W / 44.942389; -93.345194
AreaLess than one acre
Built1899–1900
ArchitectCharles F. Haglin
NRHP reference No.78001547[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 19, 1978
Designated NHLDecember 21, 1981[2]

The Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator is the world's first known cylindrical concrete grain elevator. It was built from 1899 to 1900 in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, United States, as an experiment to prove the design was viable. It was an improvement on wooden elevators that were continually at risk of catching fire or even exploding. Its cylindrical concrete design became the industry standard in the United States, revolutionizing grain storage practices.[3] After its initial experiments, the Peavey–Haglin Elevator was never again used to store grain. Since the late 1960s it has been maintained on the grounds of the Nordic Ware company and is painted with their name and logo.[4]

The Peavey–Haglin Elevator was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, proclaimed a National Historic Landmark in 1981, and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1983.[5]

Background

[edit]

Frank Peavey (1850–1901) was a native of Maine who moved to the Midwest as a young man and became a grain merchant.[5] His business was buying grain from farmers and storing it in elevators before delivering it to flour mills. Basing himself in Minneapolis in 1881, he became known as the "Elevator King", owning elevators across Minnesota and Iowa and expanding into the Dakotas. However the wooden elevators of the day were quite vulnerable to fire, as they were built of flammable material, filled with volatile grain dust, and usually stood next to railroad tracks with their spark-spewing locomotives.[3] Numerous elevator fires were causing insurance rates to skyrocket.[5]

Peavey was convinced that new construction methods could produce a large, fireproof grain elevator. He hired Charles F. Haglin (1849–1921), a local civil engineer, to work on the problem with him. They quickly recognized the promise of reinforced concrete, a recent innovation popularized in the 1880s.[3]

Initial construction

[edit]

Even though other engineers argued that their design would explode when filled or crack when emptied, Peavey and Haglin proceeded with their plan for a cylindrical concrete structure. Construction began in the summer of 1899.[6] Skeptics dubbed it "Peavey's Folly".[5] Haglin built a section of round formwork braced with steel hoops. Concrete was poured in and given time to harden, at which point the framework was removed and reassembled above to produce the next section. In this manner the elevator was built up to a height of 68 feet (21 m). The interior diameter was 20 feet (6.1 m), while the walls tapered from 12 inches (30 cm) thick at the base to 8 inches (20 cm) at the top. By fall the elevator was ready, and Peavey had it filled with grain. The form held and the grain was left to see how it would fare over the winter.[6]

European tour

[edit]

While they waited, Peavey dispatched Haglin to Europe to investigate reports of reinforced concrete elevators there. Haglin was accompanied by his young son Eddie and Peavey's son-in-law Frank Heffelfinger. From January to March 1900 they toured grain facilities and met with experts in London, Hamburg, Braunschweig, Copenhagen, Budapest, Brăila, Galați, Bucharest, Vienna, and Paris. They found some elevators of concrete, but all were rectangular or hexagonal, and most were atop steel or wood bins. Others were built of brick or mortared stone.[6]

Upon his return to Minneapolis, Haglin reported that their European counterparts were no more advanced on the issue than Americans.[3]

Success and legacy

[edit]

In spring 1900 it was time to empty the experimental elevator. A crowd gathered, but kept their distance, still expecting some kind of catastrophe. Haglin had faith in his structure, however, and stood right at its foot to pull the lever and allow the grain to pour out into an adjacent pit.[6] The elevator stayed perfectly intact and the crowd began cheering.[5]

Haglin went on to increase the height of the elevator to 125 feet (38 m) for a few further experiments. After those proved successful as well, the elevator prototype never held grain again. Peavey immediately commissioned Haglin to build a grain elevator complex in Duluth.[6] Widely publicized, Peavey and Haglin's cylindrical concrete design was quickly adopted throughout the American Midwest. While traditional wooden elevators, usually clad with metal siding, remained common for storage near farms, the new design sprang up at shipping centers, revolutionizing the grain storage industry.[3][4] Grain elevators, usually the tallest structure on the flat Midwestern landscape, became a symbol of productive agriculture.[3]

Later history

[edit]

Frank Peavey didn't live to see his project revolutionize the industry; he died unexpectedly of pneumonia on December 30, 1901.[6]

The experimental grain elevator stood unused as various industries came and went around it.[4] In the 1950s the property was owned by Lumber Stores, Inc. and the elevator was painted with their name.[5] Nordic Ware, a cookware company best known for introducing the Bundt cake pan, was founded nearby in 1946 and ultimately purchased the land with the elevator as they expanded their business.[4] In 1969 Nordic Ware discovered that the elevator was deteriorating and in danger of collapsing. Cognizant of the structure's history, the company invested $40,000 in a restoration project.[4] Around this time the elevator was painted with the Nordic Ware advertisement it still bears.[5]

The Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator now stands near the busy interchange of State Highways 7 and 100.[7] It overlooks the Nordic Ware factory complex, the Cedar Lake Trail, and Lilac Park.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator". National Historic Landmark Quicklinks. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Shiere, James H. (May 23, 1981). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form: Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator (Report). National Park Service. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e Mike Q (January 23, 2014). "History behind the iconic Nordic Ware tower". Nordic Ware. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Peavey-Haglin Grain Elevator". St. Louis Park Historical Society. 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Heffelfinger, Ruth J. (March 1960). "Experiment in Concrete: A Pioneer Venture in Grain Storage" (PDF). Minnesota History. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  7. ^ "Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator". History Topics. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
[edit]
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