June 23, 2021
 

North Dakota Property Listed in National Register of Historic Places

BISMARCK, N.D. – A federal building in Fargo has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government’s list of properties it considers worthy of preservation and recognition. North Dakota nominations are coordinated by the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

The Federal Building and Post Office in Fargo was designed by Foss, Engelstad & Foss, Inc. of Fargo and built in 1969. Its New Formalism influences are expressed clearly by its proportion and scale, and the use of colonnades, engaged arches, and smooth, black marble and white quartz aggregate cast-stone. The design embraces the modern tenet of "form follows function" using differentiation in massing, materials, and ornament to express the different functions housed within its walls. It also explores developments in concrete technology and uses high-quality local materials, such as Mankota stone and terrazzo, for public spaces in combination with economical materials for the non-public government employee spaces. The building remains the only known representation of late-1960s modernism of this scale, style, and quality in the city of Fargo.

Contrary to some misconceptions about the National Register program, listing in it does not prevent owners from altering their property, restrict the use or sale of the property, or require establishing times that the property must be open to the public. Entry into the National Register of Historic Places does give a property prestige, provides protection from adverse effects in federally assisted projects, and provides eligibility for certain preservation financial incentives.

For more information about the National Register program in North Dakota, contact
Architectural Historian Lorna Meidinger, State Historical Society of North Dakota, at 701.328.2089 or find information online at history.nd.gov.
 

-30-

CONTACT
Lorna Meidinger, 701.328.2089 

See More News Releases