Guest Best: Mayor Chris Coleman

There are many reasons to say that the 21-story St. Paul City Hall/Ramsey County Courthouse is the best. It is one of the greatest examples nationally of art deco architecture, designed in part by St. Paul's own Ellerbe Becket. Inside, the three-story Memorial Hall greets people with black marble laced with quartz, a gold mirror ceiling, and the 36-foot Vision of Peace, the largest carved-onyx statue in the world. More than 20 woods from 18 countries and 20 marbles and stones were used, as well as bronze for elevator doors, fixtures, railings, and door handles. But the real reason it ranks as the best is that it is a testament to the people and times when it was constructed—from 1929 to 1932. City Hall represents the civic pride, craftsmanship, and work ethic of more than 1,000 people employed during the Great Depression. The structure they built stands today as a reminder of the values that have defined St. Paul from the beginning.