The Basilica of St. Mary on Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis

Basilica of St. Mary - Click to see full size

This is the latest in a series of formal portraits I am doing of wonderful old buildings around the cities. I am working on film with a large format camera, and developing the black and white images myself.

The light was perfect for this portrait.  I actually took it at rush hour across the broad intersection, and was able to get the shot between waves of traffic.

Here is some interesting information from Wikipedia*:

"The Basilica of Saint Mary was the first basilica established in the United States of America, honored by Pope Pius XI in 1926. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Basilica of Saint Mary is the Co-Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Recognized as one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in the country, the Basilica of Saint Mary was constructed between 1907 and 1915 to the design of celebrated Franco-American architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray. It dominates its own city block on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis."

*Quoted under the fair use provision of Section 107 of the United States Copyright Law, (title 17, U. S. Code).