City History

Three towns, first known as Upper, Middle, and Lower Towns, comprised the early settlement of St. Cloud. The trio were united as a City in 1856. St. Cloud soon became a trade and processing center and the arrival of the railroad and founding of the first granite quarry in 1868 attracted new settlers and brought more economic progress.

By 1900, transportation and natural resources helped maintain St. Cloud’s prominence as one of the state's largest cities. Neighborhoods developed with many styles and sizes of houses, from picturesque late Victorian mansions to simple yellow brick cottages.

Today, St. Cloud is home to almost 6,000 historic structures built before 1955.

Why Preserve?

Preserving historic buildings is vital to understanding our nation's history. It preserves the historic, architectural, and aesthetic character and heritage of a community and helps to provide a sense of place and continuity.

In addition, it is environmentally responsible practice. By reusing existing buildings historic preservation is essentially a recycling program of 'historic' proportions. Existing buildings can often be energy efficient through their use of good ventilation, durable materials, and spatial relationships.