The St. James was named a top historic property by the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota in 2006, has received the Wine Spectator Award for its Port Restaurant each year since 2001, and was rated a top property in the state by the 2003 Zagat Guide, which described it as the "best kept secret in the Midwest."

Adaptive Reuse Award 2006- Built in 1866 the Red Wing Iron Works is the city's oldest industrial building. The building occupies a strategic downtown site between the historic St. James Hotel and Levee Street. While the building's interior was altered to create dramatic housing units overlooking the Mississippi River, the building's exterior was sensitively restored to its mid-19th century appearance. Historic signage was restored to its original appearance. The judge's noted, "the reuse was very creative for this historically important building." The building's owner and developer, Red Wing Hotel Corporation, a subsidiary of Red Wing Shoe Company, has been active in the city's preservation efforts for three decades.

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