Fargo House Hotel

The original Fargo House was built sometime before 1878 at 322 Front Street by John McDonough. He sold the hotel to William Egbert in about 1881, and Mr. Egbert in turn sold it to James Kennedy between 1885 and 1887. For a short time the hotel building was the Sherman House, owned by Isaac Blair. In the August 17, 1893 edition of the Fargo Forum & Daily Repubilcan it is reported that James Kennedy had completed a major renovation of the hotel, and he changed the name to the New Fargo House.

In 1897, James Kennedy sold the hotel to John P. Dahlquist. A 1902 article in the Northwestern Journal of Progress describes the hotel as it was under Mr. Dahlquist’s ownership.

All of its fifty rooms are supplied with every modern convenience, such as steam heat, electric light, public and private baths, etc., the rates being $1.00 and $1.25 per day. Their office, lobby and dining room are located on the first floor, the latter having a seating capacity for forty-eight people, and the parlors and guest chambers are located on the second floor. The house is furnished newly throughout, and they cater especially to commercial trade. Good stabling is in connection, and a free bus to and from all trains.

Sometime around 1904 the hotel underwent another major reconstruction in which it was replaced by a brick structure. About this time ownership was turned over to Michael Bolene. Sometime between 1907 and 1909 the hotel dropped the “New” from its name and simply became the Fargo House. By 1927, the ownership of the Fargo House went to Louis J. Herland, who owned it until the early 1930s. He then sold it to Claude P. Stone who was also the owner of the Hotel Fort. Mr. Stone had the hotel until about 1947 when it was sold to Caleb R. and Betty Larson, and they owned the hotel until it was bought out by the City of Fargo for urban renewal. The last few decades of the hotels life, it had become the home of mostly transients and the indigent. The hotel met the wrecking ball on February 13, 1966.