Corn Palace

	Corn Palace

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earlier years

present day

The Corn Palace is located in Mitchell, SD which is known as "the Corn Capital of the World". The first Palace was built in 1892, two blocks south of its present location. It was designed as a meeting hall. In 1905, the second Corn Palace was created. It was about twice the size of the original and had onion domes and minarets. It was expanded again in 1919 and this third and present building was completed in 1921.
In 1979, there was a fire that caused $1 million in damage to the Palace. But it was rebuilt completely by 1981, with new sprinkler systems, fiberglass minarets, a basketball court, better security systems and other improvements.
The Corn Palace is built of reinforced concrete and covered with thousands of bushels of corn. Oats, sorghum, barley, and sudan grass are mixed with different varieties of corn to create the various colors of the murals. The panels on the front and side of the building are redone every year with a South Dakota theme.
Inside the building, there is an auditorium/basketball court. There is also a museum with photos, permanent corn murals, and info about the Palace. For more, see these websites: 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.