John W. Ross (North Dakota architect) explained

John W. Ross (1848–1914) was the first licensed architect in Grand Forks, North Dakota.^[1]

Biography

He was born in Germany in 1848, was brought to America by his parents as a young child, and grew up in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He studied architecture under Charles Ross, a leading architect in La Crosse. Ross moved to Grand Forks in the late 1800s. John W. Ross died in Grand Forks in 1914.^{[2] [3]}

Ross designed many buildings in eastern North Dakota, including the 1901 Gothic revival St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Warsaw^[4] and the Larimore City Hall, which was built in 1890.^[5]

Works

Ross designed numerous buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are preserved. His works include:

• Larimore City Hall, Block 64, bounded by Towner, 3rd, Terry and Main, Larimore, ND (Ross, J.W.)
• Goose River Bank, 45 Main St. E, Mayville, ND (Ross, John W.)
• St. Stanislaus Church (dedicated 1901),^[4] in the NRHP-listed St. Stanislaus Church Historic District, off I-29, Warsaw, ND (Ross, John W.)
• Wells County Courthouse, Railway St. N, Fessenden, ND (Ross, John W.)
• Grand Forks City Hall, 404 N. 2nd Ave., Grand Forks, ND (Ross, John W.) This building "is pure Beaux Arts. Rather small in scale and only two storys over a raised basement, the City Hall is faced with ashlar and was similar in mass, style, and materials to the recently razed Carnegie Library which was located nearby."^[6]
• Grand Forks Woolen Mills, 301 N. 3rd St., Grand Forks, ND (Ross, John W.)
• Amos and Lillie Plummer House, 306 W. Caledonia Ave., Hillsboro, ND (Ross, John W.)
• Rudolf Hotel, Central Ave. and 2nd St., Valley City, ND (Ross, John W.)
• Pisek School, E end of Main St. at Lovick Ave., Pisek, ND (Ross, John)
• Renovation of second floor of Finks and Gokey Block, Grand Forks, ND^[7]
• Attributed as probable architect of Grand Forks Mercantile Building, Grand Forks, ND, 1898, Early Commercial^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: John W. Ross, architect from Grand Forks, N.D. . North Dakota Newspaper Association . February 1, 2020.
2. Web site: A significant architectural history . North Dakota Newspaper Association. September 9, 2014 . Scott Wagar . February 1, 2020.
3. Book: North Dakota history and people; outlines of American history (Volume 3). 2011-05-04 . Clement A Lounsberry . 106.
4. Marilyn J. Chiat, America's Religious Architecture: Sacred Places for Every Community (John Wiley and Sons, 1997),, pp.201ff. Excerpt available at Google Books.
5. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=90000600}} NRHP Inventory-Nomination: Larimore City Hall / Larimore Opera House ]. Lauren McCroskey . February 6, 1990 . National Park Service. and
6. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=64000472}} National Register of Historic Places: Downtown Grand Forks MRA ]. Norene Roberts . Joe Roberts . November 30, 1981 . National Park Service.
7. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=83001935}} North Dakota Cultural Resources Survey: Finks and Gokey Block ]. C. Kudzia, Norene and Joe Roberts, and Gary Henricksen . September 1981 . National Park Service. and
8. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=04000700}} NRHP Inventory-Nomination: Grand Forks Mercantile Building 1898]. Peg O'Leary . January 14, 2004 . National Park Service. and