June 7, 1922: Architects unveil new plans for St. Louis County Jail

On this day in Duluth in 1923, the architectural firm of Holstead & Sullivan unveiled revised plans for a new St. Louis County Jail. The changes were intended to reduce costs of the three-story building, which were initially estimated at $300,000. Estimates jumped to $400,000, then $500,000. When they hit $600,000, the Duluth Commercial Club cried foul and asked the county to halt the project. The price went down to $400,000, then to to $375,000, yet the best contractor bid to build the project was $15,000 over budget. The county literally sent Holstead and Sullivan back to the drawing board. Despite  nearly $100,000 worth of cost cuts in the new plans, taxpayers ended up paying $465,235 for the jail—worth over $7 million today. The building now sits empty, patiently awaiting renovation. Read the entire history of the 1923 St. Louis County Jail here.

Duluth’s St. Louis County Jail, photographed by Hugh McKenzie shortly after it was complete in 1924. (Image: St. Louis County)