Location Two Harbors, Minnesota Built 1898 Opened 1898 Added to NRHP 11 June 1992 | Area less than one acre NRHP Reference # 92000700 Architectural style Neoclassical architecture | |
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Similar Two Harbors Light, Duluth and Iron Range Railroad, Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, Museum of Lake Minnetonka, Agate Bay Beach | ||
The John Dwan Office Building, located at 201 Waterfront Drive in Two Harbors, in the U.S. state of Minnesota was the location where Dwan, a Two Harbors attorney drew up the incorporation papers for the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (now 3M) in 1902. The new company’s vision was to mine and process corundum that the founders believed was plentiful on Lake Superior's north shore. The company nearly went bankrupt, because the mineral they were mining was useless as an abrasive and the high humidity at Lake Superior wreaked havoc with their adhesive process. Nevertheless the company survived by receiving financial support from Lucius Pond Ordway, moving to Saint Paul, and changing its focus to manufacturing of abrasives with imported materials.
3M Museum
The attorney's office building remains as the 3M Museum, run by the Lake County Historical Society. Exhibits include the recreated law office, company artifacts and documents, a lab display typical of 3M research and development work, and a hands-on program of technology applications.