MANDAN Historical Society

Working to Preserve & Promote Mandan's Heritage since 2004

Welcome

Membership

Activities

Ag Stn Centennial

History Harvest

TR-Coe Exhibit

WWII Exhibit

Museum & Office

Area History

Book: "Mantani"

The 1880s

Mandan Rodeo / Fair

School System History

The 1890s

The 1900s

1901 Pan Am Expo

1903 TR Visit to NDak

The 1910s

1910 Spring Flood

1911 Fair & Airplane Demo

1912 TR Whistle-Stop

The 1920s

Prohibition in Mandan

Mail Order Kit Homes

The 1930s

FDR Visit August 1936

The 1940s

The 1950s

1958 Lincoln Stamp FDC

Custer Drama / Trail West

The 1960s

The 1970s

The 1980s

The 1990s

1st of the 21st

2010-Present

Area Landmarks

Cary Bldg - Mandan Drug

CCC Camp Chimney

Christ the King Church

Collins Av Civic Bldg

First Lutheran Church

First National Bank Bldg

First Presbyterian Church

Great Plains Academy

Great Plains Expermt Stn

Lewis & Clark Hotel

Mandan Hill

Mandan Theatre

MV Produce Warehouse

Methodist Church

NP Beanery

NP "Colonial" RR Depot

NPRR Freighthouse

NP Rail High Bridge

Roughrider Statue

St Joseph Church

WWar Memorial Bldg

Youth Correctional Center

Gone Forever

Central School

Collins Ave Courthouse

Cummins Building

Deaconess Hospital

Eielson Field

Emerson Inst/Opera House

First St Federal Building

Havana Club

Hotel Nigey

InterOcean Hotel

Liberty Memorial Bridge

Mandan Creamery & Produce

Mandan Flour Mill

Merchants Hotel

NP "Queen Anne" Depot

Original Passenger Depot

Palace Theatre

Peoples' Hotel

Rock Haven

Topic Theatre

Young's Tavern

Heritage Homes

Altnow-Smith Home

Dunlap-Harris Home

Ellis-Uden Home

Freeburg-Esser Home

Lyon-Weigel Home

McGillic Home

Olson-Brick Home

Parkins-Cooley Home

Stutsman-Wyatt Home

Swanson-Reichman Home

Welch-Ness Home

Endowment Fund

Genealogy Links

Biographies A-C

J D Allen

Franklin Anders

Richard Baron

James Bellows

George Bingenheimer

Margaret Bingenheimer

Philip Blumenthal

Elijah Boley

Frank Briggs

Leo Broderick

William Broderick

Frank Bunting

Lyman Cary

James Clark

Henry Coe

Viola Boley Coe

Daniel Collins

Elizabeth Custer

George Custer

Biographies D-L

Alice Dahners

Henry Dahners

C E V (Charles) Draper

Esther Davis

Tony Dean

Joseph Devine

Ronald Erhardt

John Forbes

Palma Fristad

Gilbert Furness

Aloysius Galowitsch

Frederic Gerard

Zalmon Gilbert

Charles Grantier

James Hanley Jr

James Hanley Sr

Mary Harris

C Edgar Haupt

Michael Lang

William Langer

Albert Lanterman

William Lanterman

Richard Longfellow

Rolland Lutz

Hiram Lyon

Biographies M-R

George Marback

Gary Miller

Lee Mohr

Margaret Naylor

John Newton

Anton Ness

John Osterhouse

George Peoples

Arthur Peterson

Nels Romer

Hoy Russell

Walton Russell

Antonie Rybnicek

Ervin Rybnicek

Hynek Rybnicek

Biographies S-Z

Margaret Schaaf

George Shafer

Benjamin Shaw

William Simpson

Anna Knox Stark

Mary Stark

Benjamin Stephenson

J O Sullivan

John Sullivan

Era Bell Thompson

Andrew E Thorberg

Ida Thorberg

C L Timmerman

George Toman

Earle Tostevin

Edwin A Tostevin Sr

Edwin D Tostevin Jr

Walter Tostevin

Felix Vinatieri

A B Welch

Levon West

Frank Wetzstein

Harry Wheeler

Philomena Yunck

View Collections

Artifacts - Miscellanous

Newspapers

Pottery and Glass

Photos - Buildings

Photos - Downtown

Photos - Floods

Photos - People

Photos - Rail and Trains

What's New

First St Federal Building - 108 1st St NW
Mandan Federal Building c. 1915
In 2007
The First Street Federal Building was listed in 1985 on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure within the Mandan Commercial Historic District. The structure was built in 1915 as a U.S. Post Office and was occupied as such until the new post office was constructed and opened in 1962. Ownership of the building was later transferred to the City of Mandan and housed the city's library from 1964 until 2003.

The First Street Federal Building was designed by James Knox Taylor, FAIA, Supervising Architect (1897-1912) of the US Treasury Department and was designed and constructed concurrently with a similar but slightly smaller building in Wahpeton, ND. Taylor became known as the "National Architect" due to the improved character of designs and construction of buildings during his 15-year tenure. By the end of his Federal career, the US Treasury commissioned an average of 10 buildings a month nationwide. James Knox Taylor was involved in the construction of more than 800 federal buildings, thus creating a clearly recognizable, strong federal image across the country. His successor Oscar Wenderoth supervised its construction and commissioning.

Taylor worked to harmonize his architecture with local history, climate and environment. He specified native North Dakotan brick for the building manufactured locally. Although smaller and less ornate than other examples of period Federal buildings, the main floor elevation was carefully proportioned to create a dignified and solid character incorporating features such as iron lamps, recessed windows, and elegant archways. Its formal composition relies on the unity of parts, scale, symmetry, rhythm and classical ornamentation for its architectural effect.

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) selected this "massive structure" to hold an elevation benchmark in 1931.  The survey marker was described as being "installed near the southwest corner of the building on the south wall approximately five feet above the surface."  A 1982 NGS survey team was unable to locate it.  A bush hid it and the building's cornerstone from view.  However a more likely explanation is the team was at the current post office two blocks away. The NGS database was updated in 2007 to report the marker in "good" condition.


It's outer ring contains the text "US COAST & GEODETIC SURVEY BENCHMARK" The second ring states "ELEV 1651.368 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL" and its inner ring states "$250 FINE OR IMPRISIONMENT FOR DISTURBING THIS MARKER."

In 1962, the US Postal Service constructed a new post office, and the building was turned over to the city's library district. To that point in time, the city's library was housed since 1939 in the basement of the World War Memorial Building (today's City Hall).  After remodeling, the building served in this new role until 2004 when the library was moved to the NP Freight House on West Main Street.

The city did accept proposals to purchase for the building in 2003. However since remediation of the ground oil plume beneath the downtown area had not started, interested was limited.  The city left the building vacant and unheated, angering activists attempting to save the building to claim the city was purposely assuring its "demolition by neglect."   It was demolished in January 2008 to make way for additional senior housing.

The MHSoc's museum and office is located at 3827 30th Avenue NW; PO Box 1001; Mandan, ND 58554
Contact us at info@mandanhistory.org


Last Updated 03/28
/23    ©  2007-2023  Mandan Historical Society   All rights reserved