Built in 1904-05 by the U.S. Army, Buildings 17 and 18 were constructed as double barracks to house cavalry troops. By 1911 the cavalry had left Fort Snelling, but the buildings continued to house troops through the early 1940s as the post grew in size. By the mid-1940s, Military Intelligence Service Language School students, most of whom were second-generation Japanese Americans studying to become interpreters and translators, were quartered in the buildings.

After the post was deactivated in 1946, the Veterans Administration (VA) converted Buildings 17 and 18 into an outpatient clinic. The two-story porches were removed and a connecting link between the buildings was added. The facility handled more than 60,000 patients each year. The buildings have been vacant since the VA moved out in the mid-1980s.

Recent work on the structures, using State of Minnesota funds, has included asbestos abatement, exterior brick tuck-pointing, repair of the infill roofs, and total slate roof replacement. The Minnesota Historical Society is currently studying the buildings to determine their best use.

Historic Fort Snelling
Minnesota Historical Society

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Show me all markers in:  Minneapolis, MN  |  Hennepin County  |  55417  |  Minnesota  |  United States of America

The Prairie
Colonel Josiah Snelling
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Elizabeth R. Snelling
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De Dakod Makoce Unkitawapi E E
Three Islands in the Mississippi
Fort Snelling 1861-1946
St. Peter's Church

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