The corner of Fourth Avenue North and
Broadway in Downtown Fargo was once
home to the Fargo Mercantile Company,
a wholesale grocer that constructed a
four-story brick building in 1909. As area
columnist Andrea Halgrimson wrote in
the July 28, 2013, issue of The Forum of
Fargo-Moorhead:
fitted with quarter-sawed oak and steel
ceilings. I give these details to emphasize
the tragedy of razing such a building.
“The Renaissance-style structure was
designed by Hancock Bros., a Fargo
architectural firm. The local contractor was
J.H. Bowers.
Today, the corner is recognizable to many
as the former Schumacher Goodyear store,
which was built in 1967 and still stands
with its trademark blue walls. Schumacher
vacated the space in January 2016.
Without immediate redevelopment plans for
the site, Kilbourne Group recognizes that a
vacant building can degrade walkability and
Except in the basement, which was used
for storage, hard maple flooring was
installed throughout. Company offices were
I remember the building looking like
a fortress on the corner, seeming like
something that would last forever. It was
razed in 1966.”