Minneapolis City Hall, Minneapolis

The City Hall and Courthouse, completed over the years 1887 to 1906, occupy a historic site where the first public schoolhouse west of the Mississippi once stood. This isn’t just your average municipal building-thanks to its Richardsonian Romanesque style and a medley of interior design influences, it boasts a charm and majesty that’s hard to come by in today’s glass-and-steel world.

If you’re curious to peek inside, tours are held every third Wednesday at noon. Just meet in the rotunda at the base of the colossal “Father of Waters” statue. This seven-ton marble marvel comes from the famed Carrara quarries, the same stony birthplace of masterpieces by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

The building itself is clad in Ortonville granite, with some stones tipping the scales at more than twenty tons. Originally capped by a red terra cotta roof (which didn’t last long before springing leaks), it now flaunts a copper crown-the heaviest of its kind when installed, weighing in at 180,000 pounds. Add a towering clock to the mix-a timepiece that rivals London’s Big Ben-and you’ve got a structure that commands attention from every angle.

Surrounded by stained glass windows and carved Italian marble, the venue includes a stunning vestibule, a majestic five-story rotunda, and even some million-year-old fossils. The City Council Chambers exude stately gravitas, and the first-floor balcony provides a prime perch for taking it all in.

Today, the building’s stately halls and offices are split between city and county tenants. Roughly 60 percent houses City departments, while the County and District Courts call the remaining 40 percent their home.