Brick by Brick: The African Americans who Built the Capitol

Minnesota Unraveled: Pulling on the Threads of Minnesota History

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The Minnesota State Capitol is a gleaming marble building sitting on a hill — an ode to the Italian Renaissance, topped with an impeccably crafted dome. You’ve probably heard of the mind behind the design, Cass Gilbert, plenty of times. But how did Gilbert’s design influence how the building was made, and just who was it that built the capitol itself?

In this episode, historian and host Dr. Chantel Rodríguez uncovers the unsung builders of this Minnesota monument — African American stone masons. Who were they, and how did they come to the Twin Cities? To answer those questions and more, Chantel spoke with three experts, each of whom pulls from a different well of historical knowledge: Brian Pease, the Site Manager at the State Capitol, John Sielaff, a labor historian, and Marvin Anderson, the grandson of a stone mason who worked on the site.