Grand Forks, North Dakota, has a rich history of growth and development along with trials and tribulations. Starting as a trading post as the country’s population began to migrate to the west, Grand Forks incorporated as a city in 1881. As the riverfront community grew and expanded, so did the number of fascinating buildings and structures recording its evolution. Here’s a list of some interesting local historical sites of Grand Forks that highlight the fascinating development of the area.
Flood Memorial Monument
While the Flood Memorial Monument may not be very old, it serves as a marker of the significant catastrophic floods in Grand Forks. The monument is a visible reminder of the destruction from the flooding of the Red River, especially the devastating flood of April 18, 1997, that decimated Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Located near the Sorlie Bridge that spans the Red River, the Flood Memorial Monument indicates the peak height of the water during the worst floods of Grand Forks’ history.
After the most destructive 1997 flood, the city redesigned the flood path by widening the river overflow area. They removed roads and buildings near the river and built protective dikes and flood walls. This created a significant open space along the river. This became the beautiful Memorial Park, which is home to the Flood Memorial Monument. Memorial Park is part of the Greater Grand Forks Greenway, which entails many miles of paved trails for walking or biking along both sides of the Red River. There is still sometimes water surrounding the Flood Memorial during the spring thaw or high waters.
The Flood Memorial Monument and Memorial Park honor the significance of the city’s historical floods and the resulting destruction and reconstruction.
Historic Downtown Grand Forks
The Historic Downtown Grand Forks area was greatly damaged by the Red River flood of 1997, when the water was 4 feet deep throughout the Downtown Historic District. The fires that followed the flood destroyed nine of the city’s major buildings.
Today, the historic downtown encompasses almost 70 surviving buildings, some built as early as the 1880s. These historic buildings include the Grand Forks City Hall, the County Courthouse, the Griffith’s Building, and the Metropolitan Opera House. If you would like more information about the buildings or history of the area, the Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission offers a brochure of the Downtown Historic District.
Metropolitan Opera House
The beautiful Romanesque architecture of the Metropolitan Opera House (the Met) makes this building stand out as one of the most impressive structures in Grand Forks. Constructed in 1890, the Met soon became one of the most popular opera houses in the region. The Opera House provided live opera and theater performances for nearly 50 years. Around 1940, it was gutted and became a bowling alley. It continued to house various businesses over the years, but the once impressive building started to fall into disrepair.
The Opera House survived the flood of 1997, albeit with significant damage. The city nearly tore the building down, but the Historic Preservation Commission stepped in to save it. It was converted into an apartment building through an extensive renovation and restoration in the early 2000s. The exterior was restored to its 1890s appearance and the inside now consisted of high-end apartments with business space on the first floor. The restoration left exposed brick walls and construction beams in the inner apartments to preserve the beauty of the building’s design.
The Met is located at 116 South Third Street and today is known as Opera House Lofts.
Thomas D. Campbell House
Thomas D. Campbell House was originally a pioneer homestead in 1879 when Grand Forks was just a small settlement. General Thomas D. Campbell Jr. was born in this house, who served in both world wars and eventually became the largest producer of wheat in the U.S.
Perhaps the most interesting fact about the house is the fact that the Gothic Revival style exterior was constructed directly over the original log cabin. Log cabins were popular during this era, and it seems that it was a common practice for homesteaders to construct a simple log cabin and eventually add on to it, replace it, or even engulf it, as the Campbells did, with a more substantial structure.
The house’s style is significant because it’s unique in the Red River Valley region. Today, the structure houses the Myra Museum and is furnished with decor from the early 20th century. The original log cabin walls are visible from inside the house. Thomas D. Campbell House is on the National Register of Historic Places and you can find it at 2405 Belmont Road in Grand Forks.
University of North Dakota Oxford House
Oxford House was built in 1902 in the Colonial Revival style to be a stately home for University of North Dakota presidents. The house had all of the modern conveniences of the time, including speaking tubes, a dumbwaiter, and a telephone. The house also featured three fireplaces, five bedrooms on the second floor, and a large ballroom in the attic. Until 1954, presidents of the university lived in the house.
After the university built the new president’s residence, Oxford House gradually fell into disrepair. Eventually, an alumni group gathered funds to rehabilitate and refurbish the house. For several years it was home for the university’s Alumni Association, and today it’s a reception venue for campus functions. Oxford House is found at the University of North Dakota, Campus Drive, in Grand Forks.
We hope this list inspires you to get more in touch with the history of Grand Forks. There are many local historical attractions, each revealing interesting information about the development of the city. If you visit any of the sites we’ve listed, let us know about your experience. Stop in and share your stories, or let us know what other significant historical attractions we can share with the community. If we can be of assistance to you around any of your automotive needs, we invite you to come in and see us at Rydell Cadillac of Grand Forks.
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