Restoring Historic buildings to meet the needs of Crookston Minnesota
Welcome to Prairie Skyline Foundation
Our mission is to restore historic buildings to meet the needs of the Crookston community. After 18 years of dedication to the old Cathedral, we are now proud owners of the former Methodist Church. Together, we can transform these architectural treasures into vibrant hubs for arts and sciences.
Dedicated to Community Revitalization
About Prairie Skyline Foundation
Did you know historic renovation can be cost effective? That's because the building structure and land is already paid for. Did you know having cool places for families can bring more families to town which can help our schools, pay for our amenities, increase our workforce, and make new friends? Did you know having cool places for families makes us a destination town on the juncture on National Highways 2 and 75? This will cause more spending in our little town. Yay for real Community Development!
Our Key Projects and Initiatives
Explore our ongoing projects that aim to enrich the Crookston community through preservation and innovation.
Your support helps us breathe new life into these historic treasures.
Historic Cathedral Restoration
After nearly two decades of dedicated effort, the Cathedral is being transformed into a vibrant Community Center with Art and Heart
Methodist Church Acquisition
Acquired the former Methodist Church to expand our mission of community engagement and skill development.
Community Engagement Programs
We host events and programs that connect residents with culture, science, and the arts.
90
Tons of Pigeon Pooh removed
20k
Volunteer Hours
80
Clean Up Hours & there is more to do!
Get in touch
Telephone: 218-289-1246
E-mail: khegge@gmail.com
Address: 27048 310th ST SW Crookston MN 56716
The History of each church
First Methodist Episcopal Church
Tracing their history from a 1879 log cabin over a soldiers' barracks at the corner of First and Main Streets to the impressive solid brick building at 225 N Ash Street, (pictured) in Crookston and on to their newest building on Eickhof Blvd., the Methodists have been on the move. They sold their brick fortress like building to Rainbow Ministries in 1994. In 2018 the non-profit needed to dissolve and they donated the building for back taxes to the Prairie Skyline Foundation, a non-profit who is restoring the old Cathedral just across the street.
Built in 1921, the first scraper of dirt was taken out by the late Wilhelm Johnson. The cornerstone was laid September 11, 1921 with a box of records prepared by George Van Pelt, sealed in it. 1000 people packed the church for Dedication Ceremonies. The last work on the roof may have been 40 some years ago in 1979 for the Methodist Centennial. Now the building's roof has four main leaks and is losing shingles daily. You can find out more about the history at www.facebook.com/Former Methodist Church. Please like our page and share.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
The former Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston, Minnesota is one of two magnificent neo-Gothic churches with three steeple towers in Minnesota.* The three-spired churches were the product of one dedicated man, Bishop Timothy Corbett and his dream of a Northern Minnesota Catholic mecca for the service to Native Americans, fur traders and Catholic settlers.
The Cathedral, along with its sister church in Duluth, Sacred Heart Music Center, still is spectacular with its three towers topped with spires and gilded crosses that catch the light and sparkle the town throughout the day. Built of red pressed brick, it was awarded a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The 1912 construction has unusual antiphonal balconies built for alternating choir responses, on both the north and south sides of the Cathedral. Combined with the huge choir/organ loft balcony in the rear of the church, the Cathedral seated 700 people, making it one of the largest Cathedrals in the nation. Burt D. Keck, designed this Cathedral and its sister church in Duluth, Minnesota, not only for its gothic beauty, but also for amazing musical acoustics. . The contractor for the building was Edward Jackson of Bemidji who had also contracted the buildings of St. Joseph’s Academy, Cathedral School, St. Vincent’s Hospital all of which are torn down now.
Built to serve the new Diocese of Crookston, it served the people of the oxcart fur trading days, steamboat trade and settlers that homesteaded here when James J. Hill built the railroad in 1878. Bishop Timothy Corbett was the rising star that organized the construction of the first Cathedral of the Diocese of Crookston. After four years of study in France in the college at Meximieux, the young priest was sent to Duluth to improve conditions in that frontier town, before being sent to Crookston to replicate his efforts with his typical indefatigable zeal. He worked to counteract the belief that the Church is a political organization under the control and direction of the Pope that the very active American Protective Association members in Duluth and throughout the nation were spreading to prejudice the people against the Catholic Church. The best way to oppose their propaganda, in his opinion, was by example. Despite fire, finances, and disbelief that Crookston could support the Episcopal dignity of newly created Diocese, he encouraged and developed the French Catholic culture that built stunning orphanages, hospitals, convents, schools, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston.
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