Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota, USA (1892, 1921)
Each year, about 500,000 tourists traveling along Interstate Highway 90 through South Dakota hop off the highway in Mitchell, South Dakota. They seek out a treasure, the only building of its kind in the world. They seek the Mitchell Corn Palace, fascinating visitors since 1892 as a tribute to agricultural prosperity. The Corn Palace was first built in 1892 as a community fall festival space. By 1921, the community built its third Corn Palace, having outgrown its previous two buildings, and stands today as the community’s most famous landmark. Its onion domes cap the real attraction of the Corn Palace, the stunning murals that cover its exterior. The murals are made of corn naturally colored yellow, orange, blue, red, brown, white, black, and other hues naturally found in different corn varieties. The corn murals are changed each year, designed by students at Dakota Wesleyan University’s Digital Media and Design program.
