Full History

• The St. Louis County Depot is a Chateau French-Normandy stylized building on 6th Avenue West and Michigan Street in Duluth, Minnesota designed by Peabody & Stearns and completed in 1892 for about $600,000.  The building, purchased by Saint Louis County, was converted with the assistance of the Junior League of Duluth and many volunteer community members as a center for the arts and history.

The Depot Foundation was established in March 1979 due to the fundraising efforts of Elizabeth & John Adams as a charitable, non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Minnesota with a purpose to receive, invest and disburse funds on behalf of the arts and heritage of the Duluth community and greater surrounding area with the help of Dorothy Congdon, Karen Fillenworth, John C. Hunner, Arthur C. Josephs, Sylvester Laskin, Caroline Marshall, Julia Marshall, Donald B. Shank, and Donald Wirtanen. Elected President: Don Wirtanen, Vice President: Arthur Josephs, Secretary: Karen Fillenworth, and Treasurer: Robert Fischer.

Today, the Depot Foundation has an endowment of over $8 million to protect the Depot and assist the artistic and historical organizations housed there.

Currently, the St. Louis County Depot is home to:

• Lake Superior Railroad Museum
• The St. Louis County Historical Society
• Minnesota Ballet
• Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra
• The Depot Foundation

The Prindle/Wood Family Memorial Endowment was established by Cornelius A. Wood in 1996 to endow scientific, literary, artistic, cultural, and educational purposes of the Depot Foundation.

The Depot Foundation’s first annual Circle of Friends Arts and Culture Awards Celebration were presented in 2000. These awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in the areas of initiative, community enrichment, historic preservation, artist, lifetime artist, and lifetime achievement. Each year this event honors outstanding community members as the recipients of the Depot Foundation Circle of Friends Arts and Culture Awards.

The Depot Foundation’s Arts for All Scholarship program established in 2021 serves to strengthen fincial opportunities for youth and young adults to participate in art and culture activities through our Depot partners.