DeLendrecie's

Onesine Joassin deLendrecie (born 1845) arrived in Fargo in the summer of 1879. By the end of his first day here he had selected the store's site and drawn up building plans. His store, the Chicago Dry Goods House, was up and running in August of that year in a small building at 618 Front Street. Within two months, his brother Eugene J. deLendrecie had joined him in the business.

Mr. deLendrecie was a smart businessman and promoter. On the day that the Fargo Forum printed its first issue, he arrived at the newspaper office and gave the publisher a check for $500 ordering a full page advertisement for the store. This was the first advertisement to run in the newspaper on November 17, 1891.

The business grew quickly and it became necessary to build larger quarters. He purchased the lots just to the west of his first store, and constructed a new two story brick building in 1894. It was advertised as the “Mammoth Department Store”, due to the fact that it was considerably larger than the little Chicago Dry Goods store. The deLendrecie's building was located on the southeast corner of Front Street and 7th Street South. This was a valuable commercial location; across Front Street from the Northern Pacific Depot.

In 1909 three additional floors were added to the building. In 1905, the business was incorporated and Eugene deLendrecie became vice president. O. J. deLendrecie retired in 1914 and moved to California, and at that time his brother E.J. took over management of the store. He would become president of the company when O.J. died in 1924.

E.J. deLendrecie continued on as president of the business until his death in 1940. At that point, a nephew O. J. Campbell, became president. In June of 1955, Campbell sold the store to the Mercantile Stores Co, a New York based firm. After the sale the store kept the deLendrecie's name.

In 1972 deLendrecie's moved to the West Acres mall. DeLendrecie's operated at West Acres until 1998, when the store and its parent company were purchased by the Dillard's Inc. department store chain. DeLendrecie's was converted to the Herberger's banner thus ending a tradition of over 100 years in Fargo.

After deLendrecie’s moved to West Acres the building was sold to developers who remodeled it and named the building Block 6.

Sources:
"deLendrecie needed nerve to build store" Fargo Forum and Daily Republican (3 Nov.1929)
"O.J. deLendrecie Co., Fargo, celebrates 75th anniversary" Fargo Forum and Daily Republican (13 Nov. 1954)
"O.J. deLendrecie Co. Store purchased by New York firm" Fargo Forum and Daily Republican (18 Jun 1955)
"Old deLendrecie's Store to become Block 6" The Forum (22 Feb. 1975)