Woodrow Wilson School (Fargo, North Dakota) Explained

Woodrow Wilson School
Coordinates:46.88°N -96.7975°W
Built:1917
Added:October 24, 2012
Refnum:12000881[1]

The Woodrow Wilson School in Fargo, North Dakota is a historic building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was added to the Registry on October 24, 2012, as entry #12000881. It was deemed notable for its Collegiate Gothic design by local architects Haxby and Braseth. The school "is also a good example of how design changed to meet Progressive-era education ideas."[2]

It is Fargo's 2nd oldest surviving school building, was the city's only high school until 1921, and it served the community as a school for 95 years.[3] Originally the school served elementary grades and also provided adult education in the evenings; it later was used as an alternative high school, complementing three other high schools in the Fargo Public Schools district, until 2012.[2]

The actual school moved to the Agassiz Building at 1305 S. Ninth Avenue in March, 2012.[4] In 2021, it was renamed to "Dakota High School" due to concerns about racist policies of the former president.[5]

Conversion to Apartment

In the 2010s Doug Burgum's Kilbourn Group purchased the historical site and refurbished the building into an apartment complex. The apartment keeps the historical side of the former school preserved while constructing a new wing where the parking lot used to be.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New listings week of November 2, 2012 . National Park Service.
  2. Web site: What properties in North Dakota are listed in the National Register of Historic Places? . State Historical Society of North Dakota . 2013-04-15. (includes photo of the building)
  3. Web site: Woodrow Wilson hosts farewell open house . February 16, 2012 . WDAY TV.
  4. Web site: Building profile.
  5. Web site: Woodrow Wilson High School renamed Dakota High School. Aupperle. Katherine. 2020-12-08. Valley News Live. 2021-12-21.
  6. Web site: 'Unlike what they've seen': $13.2M project to turn former Fargo school into apartment complex nears completion.