A glimpse into the past: the Ryan Hotel

A glimpse into the past: the Ryan Hotel
By Tim Spitzack | Editor | September 2023

In the summer of 1885, St. Paul welcomed the opening of what was arguably the most elegant hotel in the Twin Cities: The Ryan Hotel. Located in the heart of the city at 6th and Robert, the Ryan was an impressive Victorian Gothic structure rising seven stories, the first building in St. Paul to eclipse that mark. It had 335 stately guest rooms, the finest of which included a fireplace with marble mantel, and a private bathroom – a luxury in that era.

The hotel was designed by architect James J. Egan of Chicago. Notable features of its red brick facade included towers, pinnacles, trefoil-arched windows and about two dozen bracketed balconies. The lobby, with its stained-glass windows, carved woodwork and decorative murals, exuded elegance as well, and the second-floor dining room shone under a spectacular stained-glass ceiling.

The Ryan opened in July 1885 and enjoyed about two decades of success. By the early 1900s, the public’s tastes had changed, and the hotel was viewed as outdated, despite efforts to update its rooms and add bathrooms. By the mid-1950s, the hotel’s owners were said to be draining money as they struggled with upkeep and improving the hotel’s image. A decade later, urban renewal started gaining steam and city leaders and developers turned their attention to the bright and shiny, rather than preservation and renovation. That was the death knell for the hotel.

The Ryan Hotel was razed in 1962 and its furnishings and fixtures sold at public auction. The swing of the wrecking ball reduced what was once the pride of the city into the grounds of a parking lot. In 1982, a 21-story office building was built on the site, home to Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Co., now Securian Financial.