How the Minnesota State Fair's Agriculture Horticulture building has evolved over 80 years

It is one of the most uniquely shaped buildings at the Minnesota State Fair, and it holds nearly 80 years of history.

Days before the State Fair even begins, Ron Kelsey's vast and vintage seed sack collection is put on display inside the Agriculture Horticulture building.

"They consider it to be the world's largest collection of sacks," said Kelsey.

This is a place the 86-year-old retired teacher knows well.

"I came here first in 1947, and the building was brand new," he said. "There are a lot of changes, I'll tell ya."

Before this was built, there was another Ag-Hort building on site that was shaped like a cross with a large dome. Constructed in 1885, it stood tall for nearly 60 years before a fire and explosion took it down.

"It took about 30 minutes for the main building to just burn to the ground. They even found tin from the roof over a mile away," said Keri Huber a Minnesota State Fair archivist.

Huber said the rebuild took a couple years because of limited resources during World War II. And because the new building was a much different design.

"It kind of has a cog wheel shape like a wagon that you would have on the farm," said Huber.

The wagon spokes are the eight hallways that go in different directions.

The shape of the building is unique, but so is the 110-foot tower that's coming out of the center of it.

The crop designs at the top of the tower help bring air to the bottom. And that's where you'll find the rotunda.

"This main rotunda, especially in earlier years, you would have an orchestra playing," said Huber.

But not anymore. Now, you'll see more amateur growers than traditional farmers. And in addition to crops, you'll find crop art, craft beer and even Christmas trees, which have their own wing.

"A lot of things that are home grown that you can ooohh and aaahh over," said Huber.

"Great memories, yes. Somebody said why don't you get a life. I said I do have one, it's the Minnesota State Fair," said Kelsey with a chuckle.

One more bit of history: agriculture and horticulture used to be in different parts of the Fair but were consolidated into one building in the early 1940's.