I was in the Goodhue County government building in Red Wing yesterday attending to some business. I had not been in the building for many years. It is an absolutely beautiful example of early twentieth century public architecture. I believe it was constructed in 1931. The building reflects lots of the art deco themes prevalent in public buildings of that era.

Many of the light fixtures in the building are wall mounted sconces. They have a soft nickel hue to them, although they may very well be constructed of aluminum. The light cast by these fixtures is very warm against the wall finishes. Some areas of the building have a center mounted light fixture. These are also very detailed and cast a nice light. In the third floor courtroom there is a light fixture grid on the ceiling created from fluorescent light housed in fixtures. These fixtures cast a lot of light while adding an architectural element to the ceiling.

There is a three level rotunda in the center of the building. At the top of the rotunda is a art glass lit skylight. Below the skylight are painted panels representing activities from Goodhue County in the early area showing farming, river traffic, industry, etc.

I also found some very nice wall paintings and plaster work in some of the offices.

It is nice to see that Goodhue County has preserved this building so well. Many of the fittings and fixtures in the building are original and are in use today—and doing a fine job meeting their intended purpose.