VIRGINIA — A time capsule that is over a century old will be opened for the first time by St. Louis County later this month.
The capsule was removed from the Northland Office Building in Virginia several years ago and has been kept in storage. A new Government Services Center to replace the building opened in 2019, followed by the demolition of the Northland Office Building. Because of the pandemic, the county never hosted an event to mark the new project’s opening.
The county will share the contents of two time capsules and offer public tours of the Government Services Center on Feb. 25. The second capsule was found in the Odd Fellows Hall, which was also removed for the new building. That capsule has been opened privately, but this will be the first time the contents are displayed publicly.
The capsule openings will start at 1:30 p.m., followed by tours from 2-4. Both events are open to the public.
County departments that offer services in this building include Public Health and Human Services, the Auditor's Office, Assessors, Recorders, Planning and Zoning, Economic and Community Development, Environmental Service, Veterans Service and Extension.
The two-story, 63,000-square-foot building was designed to be extremely energy efficient, according to a news release. At the time it was built, it included the largest solar installation on any office building in Minnesota. It also includes geothermal heating and cooling, LED lighting and other features to reduce operational costs.
The building also features numerous artistic elements inspired by the Iron Range, including landscaping, local materials and art throughout the building.
The layout of the building was designed for improved service efficiencies between county departments that often work together. Currently, more than 275 employees work out of the Government Services Center-Virginia on a full- or part-time basis.
