05/27/2026
Tulips & Ship at Sunset at South Pier Inn
Photos by Rick Rice | IG duluthrice.com
The John G Munson departs at dusk, amidst the beauty of tulips
The large stone seen was from Denfeld High School, likely carved by George Thrana. He was one of Duluth’s most important architectural stone sculptors during the city’s boom era from the late 1800s into the early 1900s.
Thrana immigrated from Norway to Duluth in 1889 after being trained in traditional European stone carving and sculpture. He worked for roughly 40 years carving sandstone, limestone, granite, and marble across many of Duluth’s landmark buildings.
The current Denfeld High School building, opened in 1926, contains medieval-style carved stone ornamentation credited to Thrana. The school’s English Gothic architecture features carved figures, decorative motifs, and detailed stonework that helped give Denfeld its castle-like appearance.
Some of Thrana’s best-known Duluth work includes Glensheen Mansion, Old Central High School, St Louise County Courthouse, Board of Trade Building, and Lyceum Theater.
Thrana’s work helped define the visual identity of Duluth during the city’s explosive wealth era, when architects and industrialists wanted buildings that projected permanence, prosperity, and European sophistication. His carvings were especially important because Duluth’s local brownstone and sandstone lent themselves beautifully to deep ornamental carving.
Unlike modern prefabricated ornamentation, Thrana’s work was hand-carved piece by piece. Many of the grotesques, floral carvings, shields, arches, capitals, and Gothic details people walk past downtown today were created with chisels and mallets by craftsmen like him.
