Overview

The Cream of Wheat Building reflects Minneapolis' milling history. It is also a distinctive design by Walter H. Wheeler.

• Location: 730 Stinson Boulevard Northeast
• Neighborhood: Mid-City Industrial

Guidelines

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Historic profile

The Cream of Wheat Building reflects Minneapolis' milling history. It is also a distinctive design by Walter H. Wheeler. In 1893, a miller at Diamond Milling in North Dakota had an idea for cooked breakfast cereal. It would use what was left over after the wheat was milled. The product name came from the hot cereal's creamy texture. In 1895, the company rebranded as Cream of Wheat Company and moved to Minneapolis. The city was a hub for grain milling. The company would have better access to wheat and lower shipping rates. Business grew steadily and the company needed a larger space.

In 1926, the company hired engineer Walter H. Wheeler to design plans for a new building. Wheeler had also designed the Mendota Bridge and Minneapolis Armory, among others. The building has a reinforced concrete structure and is clad in buff-colored brick. There are Mankato stone accents around the windows and along the cornice. It has a 125-foot-tall tower on the southeast corner. 

Wheeler designed this building to follow the production process. Raw materials arrived by train to the first floor. Then a bucket elevator carried it to the fifth floor. Then the grain flowed downward through different machines. The final product was shipped out via train on the first floor. Kraft Foods purchased the company and closed this location in 2002. The building was converted into condos in 2007.