N Broadway

N Broadway forms the central axis of the older part of Fargo and has served as the main street for commerce, transportation and the densest urban development since the late 1800s. The street was structured from the railroad, which meant that the first bank branches, hotels and department stores were located directly next to the line, where the influx of travelers ensured constant activity. The original development consisted of low wooden houses, but after the great fires at the end of the century, the facades were built in brick and stone to create greater fire safety. Many of these buildings still stand and give the street its historic profile.

In the 1920s and 1930s, N Broadway was expanded with a number of buildings in the Art Deco and Streamline styles. Several local banks, insurance companies and shops established themselves in characteristic buildings with strict geometric lines during this period, and the sidewalks were widened. The lighting was also changed to reflect the urban principles that city planners of the time wanted to emulate.

In the postwar period, the street changed its function as some of the retail trade moved out towards larger traffic hubs. Still, many of the buildings on N Broadway were preserved, and in the 1970s, the city government began planning for the renovation of the historic downtown. This led to restoration projects, in which both individual properties and continuous streets were restored to their original windows, cornices, storefronts, and ornamentation. Today, N Broadway functions as a concentrated historic district, where cafes, small shops, and cultural institutions are located in buildings that reflect several periods of development in Fargo’s history.

Fargo Theatre

The Fargo Theatre was built in 1926 as a combined movie theater and variety show house. The building was designed with a large auditorium, balcony, and advanced projection room, so that it could show both silent and later talkies without architectural changes. A distinctive element was the large neon advertising sign installed at the opening, giving the theater a prominent location on the main street N Broadway. The original plan followed the classic American cinema models, with the foyer serving as a transition between the urban space and the auditorium with a box office, kiosk and stairs to the balcony.

Inside, the theater was designed in a combination of vaudeville stage technology and a cinema. The stage had both an orchestra pit and stage guides, which made it possible to hold concerts, theater performances and dance numbers. In the 1970s, the building faced demolition as part of the modernization of downtown, but a local civic group worked to preserve the theater. The restoration included the restoration of the facade, replacement of the decayed structure of the auditorium floor and the installation of new technical equipment, which made it possible to use the house for both films and performing arts.

Today, the Fargo Theater is used as a cultural center with film festivals, concert programs and various stage events. The historic hall has been preserved in its original form, and the facade continues to serve as a distinctive landmark on N Broadway. The theater represents a continuous use of a period 1920s building, where both function and architecture have been maintained through several renovations.

Black Building

The Black Building was built in 1934 as Fargo’s first real high-rise. The building was designed as a modern office building in the Art Deco style with a protruding middle section and vertical lines to emphasize the height.

The building originally housed several of the city’s largest companies, such as the newspaper WDAY, which had a radio studio on the upper floors. This led to a special acoustic design of the upper office spaces, where the walls and ceilings were insulated with the best sound materials of the time.

Today, the Black Building stands as one of the most distinctive historic commercial buildings in downtown Fargo. It is still used for offices, cultural events and small shops. The building represents a period when Fargo was growing with modern business facilities and architecture inspired by larger American cities.

Northern Pacific Railway Depot

The Northern Pacific Railway Depot was built in 1906 as a central station for rail traffic through Fargo. The building was designed with solid walls and a distinctive central pavilion, where ticket sales were located. For decades, the station was the city’s main transportation hub and the place where many visitors came to the city.

The station building had separate waiting rooms for different passenger groups, baggage halls, and offices for railroad personnel. In the mid-20th century, passenger traffic declined and the station was converted to other uses. Several of the original functions were removed, but restoration projects in recent years have recreated part of the station’s character and preserved the central hall as a public space.

Today, the depot serves as a historical landmark and is used for cultural purposes and events. The building stands as a reminder of the importance of the railroad in Fargo’s development and illustrates the type of architecture that characterized the major railroad stations in the Midwest in the early 20th century.

Plains Art Museum

The Plains Art Museum was established in a converted industrial building from the early 20th century, which previously served as a warehouse and storage building. Its sturdy construction made it possible to convert the house into a museum without extensive changes to the supporting structure. The Plains Art Museum houses a collection that focuses primarily on art from the northern Midwest and on works by contemporary artists associated with the region.

The museum’s permanent collection includes paintings, prints, sculptures, and installations, with a significant portion originating from artists in North Dakota and Minnesota from the late 1800s to the present. A central part of the collection consists of Native American art, especially works from Plains cultures. Among other things, there are historical objects, modern crafts, and contemporary art that thematize identity, land rights, and cultural continuity. In addition, the museum houses a large graphic collection with lithographs, etchings, and serigraphs by American artists.

Cathedral of St. Mary

The Cathedral of St. Mary is a church that was built from 1891 to 1899 as the main church of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo. The building was made of red brick with details in light sandstone, which emphasize, for example, the shape of the portal and window frames. The church was built at a time when the area experienced great population growth, and the need for a larger church was significant.

The architecture provides a bright and elegant interior. Inside, the space is organized into three naves, where the central nave stands higher than the side aisles and with slender columns between the naves. Today, the Cathedral of St. Mary functions as an active cathedral and as one of the most striking examples of classical church architecture in Fargo.

Hjemkomst Center

The Hjemkomst Center was built to house the reconstructed Viking ship replica, Homecoming, which Robert Asp built in the 1970s and 1980s. The ship was constructed in a former gymnasium in Moorhead and, after Asp’s death, was sailed by his family and crew from Duluth to Bergen in 1982. The building surrounding the ship is designed as a large, climate-controlled hall, where the entire length and height of the ship can be seen in profile. The construction is primarily made of steel and glass, so that daylight falls directly on the ship’s gangways and mast, which makes it possible to study the craftsmanship in detail. The exhibition also contains documentation of the construction process and the transatlantic voyage, presented in fixed panels and archival materials.

In the same area is the detailed replica of a Norwegian stave church, Hopperstad Stave Church Replica, which was inaugurated in 1998. It was built in traditional Norwegian technique with carved dragon heads, supporting stave construction and an inner space with high posts and an open roof structure. The replica is based on the Hopperstad Stave Church in Vestland, Norway and shows the architectural principles behind medieval wooden churches. Around it is a small landscape with walkways and information boards, which make it possible to understand both the technical structure of the church and its function in Norwegian cultural history.

Today, the center serves as Moorhead’s cultural and historical gathering point, where you can see changing exhibitions about the region’s ethnic groups, immigrant communities and local craft traditions. At the same time, the buildings are used for events, lectures and local ceremonies, making it an active cultural center, not just a museum. The Hjemkomst Center is located, like several other attractions in the area, in the city of Moorhead, which is located across from Fargo on the opposite bank of the Red River and therefore in the state of Minnesota.

Rourke Art Museum

The Rourke Art Museum is housed in a former post office building in Moorhead from the early 1900s, which was built in an imposing classicist style with a symmetrical facade and a massive stone staircase leading to the entrance. The original interior mail rooms have been converted into exhibition galleries, where the height of the ceilings and the wide wall surfaces provide space for both modern art installations and traditional hangings. The museum houses a permanent collection of 20th- and 21st-century regional art, prints, sculptures, and photography, as well as a selection of international works collected by the museum’s founder.

The building has been carefully restored to retain many of its historic features. The coffered ceiling, stone columns, and heavy wooden doors that were part of the original post office create an architectural setting that stands out from many modern art museums in the Midwest. In the back sections, smaller exhibition spaces house works by local artists and art students, giving the museum an important role as a showcase for the Fargo and Moorhead art scene.

Comstock House

Comstock House is one of Moorhead’s oldest surviving mansions. It was built in the 1880s as the home of Solomon and Sarah Comstock, early prominent citizens of the Red River region. The house was built in the Victorian style with an asymmetrical floor plan, turret-like bay windows, tall windows, and detailed woodwork on the cornices and porch. The exterior of the building displays the typical features of the American Queen Anne style.

Inside, much of the original interior has been preserved, with wood paneling, stucco, staircases, and furniture that represent the upper-class residential culture of the late 19th century. Tours allow visitors to see the office, parlors, dining room, and bedrooms, many of which are from the Comstock family. The museum serves as a cultural-historical example of how wealthy families in the Red River area decorated their homes during a period of strong growth in agriculture, railroads, and commerce.