Clarence "Cap" Wigington: An Architectural Legacy in Ice and Stone
November 12, 2000-February 25, 2001

Minnesota's first African-American registered architect, Clarence "Cap" Wigington (1883Ð1967), left a significant architectural legacy to St. Paul and to the people of our state. He designed public schools where generations of St. Paul young people were educated, civic structures for the City of St. Paul, and ice palaces through which Minnesotans celebrated the beauty and magic of winter. His life and work are celebrated in Clarence "Cap" Wigington: An Architectural Legacy in Ice and Stone, a collaboration between the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum and the Cap Wigington Legacy Project, a special project of The Saint Paul Foundation. The exhibition, curated by architectural historian Jane King Hession, features his original ice palace sketches, as well as his designs for many well-known civic projects; it is on view at the Weisman from November 12, 2000 through February 25, 2001.

Wigingto's architectural accomplishments represent just part of his life's work. He was active in the African-American community, both locally and statewide. Notably, in 1918, amid World War I, he worked to establish the 16th Battalion, a new unit of the state militia in which black citizens could serve. He was made a captain in St. Paul's Company A. "Cap," the nickname he was affectionately given at that time, stuck with him for the rest of his life.

Clarence Wesley Wigington was born in Lawrence, Kansas in 1883. He was a good student and showed artistic talent at an early age. He graduated from high school in 1902, six months ahead of his peers. Shortly after high school, he secured employment in the prestigious Omaha architectural firm of Thomas R. Kimball. Within three years, Wigington had worked his way up to senior draftsman and designer in the Kimball office. He stayed there another three years, leaving in 1908 to establish his own practice.

When he opened his office, Wigington was a rarity. According to the 1900 U.S. census, only 52 African Americans nationwide were then employed as architects, designers, or draftsmen. Within a few years, the young architect had a wife and two young daughters. Late in 1914 he moved his family to St. Paul, where his older brother Frank lived.

Soon after arriving in Minnesota, Wigington took a civil service examination in hopes of landing a job as an architectural draftsman for the City of St. Paul. Attaining the highest score among all test-takers, he was hired as senior draftsman by the Office of Parks, Playgrounds and Public BuildingsÑahead of more than 40 other applicants. During his three decades with the city he rose to the influential position of senior architectural designer. Three of the structures he designedÑthe Highland Park Water Tower (1928), the Holman Field Administration Building (1939), and the Harriet Island Pavilion (1941, today the Clarence W. Wigington Pavilion)Ñhave merited listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

In general, Wigington's municipal style was simple, strong, and clean. Most of his city buildings were constructed of stone and brick, highly durable materials. Wigington's use of restrained, geometric stone-relief ornamentation added an element of visual interest and distinction to his buildings, without suggesting ostentation or the frivolous expenditure of taxpayersÕ dollars.

The very opposite was true of his work in another medium. Shortly before Christmas 1936, Wigington's supervisors assigned him to design the ice palace for the 1937 St. Paul Winter Carnival. He quickly mastered the many uncharted challenges of building massive, evanescent ice edifices and went on to design five more in subsequent years. At the 1941 Winter Carnival, Boreas Rex dubbed Wigington "Archduke of Architects" in honor of his string of successful designs, all of which had captured the publicÕs imagination.

Wigington's legacy is exceptional in that he designed both structures for the ages and fantasies for the moment. His schools, fire stations, park shelters, and clubhouses remain essential elements of the civic fabric of St. Paul to this day. His ephemeral ice palaces will always remain magical, frozen impressions in the memories of the people of Minnesota.

Clarence "Cap" Wigington: An Architectural Legacy in Ice and Stone has been made possible through the generous support of The St. Paul Foundation, the Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The St. Paul Foundation, the Pan-African Endowment Fund (PACE), and the Clarence W. Wigington Legacy Committee. Additional funding has been provided by 3M Company, Coca-Cola Midwest Bottling Company, Western Bank, Assembly of Architects, Monitors, T.S.T.C. Social Club, Earl North, and four units of the University of Minnesota: the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, the General College, the University Bookstores, and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum.