This article lists the oldest extant buildings in Minnesota, including extant buildings and structures constructed before and during American rule over Minnesota. Only buildings built before 1860 are suitable for inclusion on this list, or the building must be the oldest of its type.
To qualify for the list, a structure must:
- be a recognizable building (defined as any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy);
- incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and/or be a listed building.
This consciously excludes ruins of limited height, roads and statues. Bridges may be included if they otherwise fulfill the above criteria. Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating or dendrochronology and should be considered approximate. If the exact year of initial construction is estimated, it will be shown as a range of dates.
List of oldest buildings
 | This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2022) |
| Building | Image | Location | First built | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Tower at Fort Snelling | 
|
Fort Snelling (unorganized territory), Minnesota | 1820 | Military | Oldest building in Minnesota |
| Sibley House | 
|
Mendota, Minnesota | 1835 | Residence | Oldest stone house in Minnesota; Home of Henry Hastings Sibley. |
| Faribault House | 
|
Mendota, Minnesota | 1839 | Residence | Residence for fur trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault; made of stone. |
| Norway Lutheran Church | 
|
St. Paul, Minnesota | 1843 | Church | Oldest Protestant church building in Minnesota; moved to St. Paul from Wind Lake, Wisconsin in 1904 |
| John and Martin Mower House | 
|
Arcola, Minnesota | 1847 | Residence | An early Greek Revival house in the St. Croix Valley |
| Banfill Tavern | 
|
Fridley, Minnesota | 1847 | Residence | Residence of John Banfill, an early state legislator |
| Ard Godfrey House | 
|
Minneapolis, Minnesota | c. 1848 | Residence | Oldest house in Minneapolis. |
| Capt. John Oliver House | 
|
Lakeland, Minnesota | 1849 | Residence | Residence of Captain John Oliver, one of the early founders of Lakeland |
| 1852 Town House School | 
|
Taylor Falls, Minnesota | 1852 | School/Town House | Oldest public school in Minnesota |
| Saint Peter's Church (Mendota, Minnesota) | 
|
Mendota Heights, Minnesota | 1853 | Church | Oldest church building built in Minnesota |
| Dupuis House | 
|
Mendota, Minnesota | 1854 | Residence | residence for Hypolite Dupuis. |
| Pierre Bottineau House | 
|
Maple Grove, Minnesota | 1854 | Residence | residence of frontiersman Pierre Bottineau |
| Justus Ramsey Stone House | 
|
Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1855–57 | Residence | One of oldest houses in St. Paul |
| Woodbury House | 
|
Anoka, Minnesota | 1857 | Residence | Residence of Dwight Woodbury, an early settler of Anoka |
| Sheldon Hall aka The Beehive | 
|
Excelsior, MN | 1857 | Current: Residence | Previously: University of St. Thomas dormitory (Relocated from Minneapolis MN) |
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Minnesota
- History of Minnesota
- Oldest buildings in the United States
References
- ^ Rathburn, Betsy (January 14, 2019). "The Sibley House Is The Oldest Home In Minnesota And You'll Want To Visit". OnlyInYourState. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
