Harriet Island , initially known as Wakan Island , is a former island and urban park located near downtown Saint Paul , Minnesota, United States. It was named after Harriet Bishop , an American educator who helped found the First Baptist Church of Saint Paul .
7-522: The Harriet Island Pavilion , also known as the Clarence W. Wigington Pavilion , is a park pavilion on Harriet Island just across the Mississippi River from downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota , United States. It was designed by Clarence W. Wigington , the nation's first black municipal architect, and renamed for Wigington after a 2000 restoration. Harriet island was named for Harriet Bishop ,
14-467: A Baptist school teacher from Vermont . She arrived in Saint Paul in 1847, was involved in the temperance movement , and opened the first school in the frontier city, teaching children of diverse ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. The park at Harriet Island was built by Dr. Justus Ohage, Saint Paul's health officer, who donated the land to the city in 1900. His idea for the park was to build
21-484: A German doctor who had acquired the island, sold it to the city of Saint Paul for use as a park. At first the park was successful, drawing in tourists, but by the 1920s, sewage from the Mississippi River had caused tourism to die down. Before he died in 1935, Ohage threatened to take back the island. However, this did not occur. In 1950, the neglected island's back channel filled up, merging Harriet Island with
28-405: A place for healthy living in the center of the city. The park originally had a public bathhouse and beach, along with amenities like playgrounds, picnic grounds, handball and tennis courts, and a bandstand. The park was initially very popular, but pollution from the Mississippi River forced the bathhouse to close in 1919. The city made several attempts to revitalize the park, but none of the attempts
35-513: The mainland. In 1969, a proposal to expand the island was rejected due to the Mississippi River still suffering from pollution. However, as the river's water quality improved, the island has had renewed interest. The climate of Harriet Island is hemiboreal . The temperature varies yearly, peaking at 24 °C (75 °F) in July and dropping to −10 °C (14 °F) in January. Additionally,
42-482: Was particularly successful until the Works Progress Administration built the pavilion in 1941-1942. The architecture combines Moderne design with classical influences. The Kasota limestone used in the construction was salvaged from the former Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse , which was built in 1889 and demolished in 1933. Harriet Island In 1900, the island
49-402: Was sold to Saint Paul to be converted into a park. Initially successful as a tourist attraction, over the years, the island fell into disuse. In 1950, the channel separating Harriet Island from the mainland was filled, merging the island with the mainland. Harriet Island was initially an enlarged sandbar located in the Mississippi River , but was later populated by trees. In 1900, Justus Ohage,
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