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.