7/31/2011:
If you tuned in yesterday, you know we left off when much of Fargo’s historic downtown was well hidden behind what were called “modernizations.” The only problem with these “modernizations” of the 1960s and ’70s was that they made downtown a whole lot uglier.
But then recently, Fargoans realized their mistake. And now, millions of dollars later, they have their historic downtown back. It meant getting rid of the awnings so cleverly hiding the nineteenth century architecture, and it meant a focus on renovating historical buildings instead of rebuilding. And it may not be a coincidence that around the same time, Fargo’s downtown was deemed “hip” by the LA Times.
Dakota Datebook written by Leewana Thomas
Sources:
http://articles.latimes.com/2004/mar/10/nation/na-fargo10
Conversation with Dave Anderson, former president and CEO of the Downtown Fargo Community Partnership