The Incredible Tale of Nina Clifford and Her Brothel
By: Matt Reicher
Tags: Minnesota, History, True Crime, Gangster Haven, Brothels

147 South Washington Street

In 1888 Clifford commissioned local architect Walter Ife to build the structure. Located at 147 Washington St., the completed complex cost $12,000. That price more than three times the cost of similar sized buildings. Constructed in the Washington Street Residential District, the large structure stood out among the other structures and shacks.

Initial building permits listed the intended use of the structure as a ‘dwelling house’ and ‘seminary.’ But with Clifford’s professional background since arriving in the city and several girls in the building shortly after its 1889 opening, the brothel’s intentions were crystal clear from the outset.

Despite its location so close to the police station, Clifford’s brothel became a ‘hot spot.’ At one point, her business was going so well that she had to keep two phones in the house. Interestingly, Clifford’s establishment’s public and private perceptions played out much like the other houses of ‘ill fame’ throughout the country.

Public perception

Patrons who walked up the steps to the brothel’s front door were treated to a high-class experience lacking at the other local establishments. The multi-level structure made of carved brownstone blocks delivered an air of respectability that likely brought out politicians and members of high-society as clientele.

All that entered were welcomed inside by a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from one of the many high ceilings. Plush carpeting covered the floors, and music was played continuously in a dance hall. Well dressed servants served drinks to waiting customers. It was a place with marble fireplaces and hand-painted porcelain plates — the best of the best.

Private reality

Artifacts discovered in a 1997 archaeological dig showed a less than opulent life for those that lived the back of the house. The hand-painted plates in the front of the building were replaced with simple-looking dishes and flatware. Also, many medicine vials were found, leaving the impression that the life of a sex worker at Clifford’s brothel was vastly different from that of her clientele.

A girl could make more money in a night at Clifford’s than she could in a week or longer at a regular job. However, the physical and mental risks associated with working at the brothel likely made the life of the sex worker a difficult one.

The work was quietly accepted in the city, so much so that the brothel’s neighborhood became a ‘red light district’ of ‘boarding houses’ (at one point, an average of 6.2 people lived in each of the homes in the residential area). However, it was privately scorned, and the women involved — save for the proprietors, were often belittled in public.

Local police presence (or presents)

State law made prostitution illegal in Minnesota, but St. Paul authorities understood the benefit of allowing them to exist. The city’s brothel owners were forced to come to the police station every other month and pay a one hundred dollar fine to continue their business. Everyone from the newspapers on down recognized the fine as little more than a license fee.

St. Paul authorities had always tended to look the other way when it came to minor vices like alcohol and prostitution. While the growing Temperance Movement made it more difficult to look away from the ills of alcohol, prostitution remained a victimless crime in the eyes of the police. Also, some of the city’s leaders were customers.