John Dwan Office Building

Infobox_nrhp | name =John Dwan Office Building
nrhp_type =nrhp

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caption =
location= Two Harbors, Minnesota
lat_degrees = 47
lat_minutes = 1
lat_seconds = 15.3
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 91
long_minutes = 40
long_seconds = 16.5
long_direction = W
locmapin = Minnesota
area =
built =
architect=
architecture=
added = June 11, 1992
governing_body = [http://www.northshorehistory.com/sites/3M.html Lake County Historical Society]
refnum=92000700cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-10-16|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service] [cite web|url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/MN/Lake/state.html|title=National Register of Historic Places|date=2007-10-16|publisher=National Park Service] The John Dwan Office Building, located at 201 Waterfront Drive in Two Harbors, in the U.S. state of Minnesota was the location where Dwan, a Two Harbors attorney drew up the incorporation papers for the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (now 3M) in 1902. The new company’s vision was to mine and process corundum that the founders believed was plentiful on Lake Superior's north shore. The company nearly went bankrupt, because the mineral they were mining was useless as an abrasive and the high humidity at Lake Superior wreaked havoc with their adhesive process. Nevertheless, the company survived by receiving financial support from Lucius P. Ordway, moving to Saint Paul, and changing its focus to manufacturing of abrasives with imported materials. The attorney's office building remains as a museum for 3M, run by the Lake County Historical Society. [cite web| last=Bishop| first=Hugh| title =The First 100 Yearsof a Lake Superior-born Business| publisher =3M| url=http://www.lakesuperior.com/online/242/2423m.html| accessdate =2007-10-17]

References