Cass County Courthouse
a.k.a. 32CS1335
211 S. 9th St., Fargo, NDThe 1904-06 Cass County Court House is significant architecturally as Fargo's premier example of Rennaissance Revival style architecture. Compared to many upper midwest court houses of similar age, its integrity is excellent. The jail and sheriff's house, connected to the Court House by enclosed walkways, is compatible with related county buildings on the same block dating from 1913. These buildings have served the governmental functions of Cass County since their construction. All three structures were the work of Charles E. Bell, whose practice extended from Montana to Minnesota. They constitute an important element in the corpus of his work.
In partnership with Kent, Bell designed the Montana State Capitol in 1898, and several county court houses in that state. The competition for the present (third) Cass County Court House was fierce. The first courthouse was sold and eventually razed; the second burned on November 17, 1903. Bell was listed as living in Helena, Montana, when the Cass County Commissioners announced their choice of architect in March 1905. Designs of prominent Fargo architects (such as the Hancock Brothers, Milton E. Beebe, and William C. Albrant) along with plans by Minnesota architects, were rejected in favor of Bell's Renaissance Revival design.
By the time construction of the Cass County, Court House was underway in 1904, Bell had moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, forming a partnership (from 1904-07) with Menno S. Detweiler. While the Court House was being built, Bell and Detweiler. designed the Grant County Court House (1904-05) in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, and also the Martin County Court House in Fairmount, Minnesota, 4 which is on the National Register. In subsequent partnerships and alone, Bell practiced into the 1920s in Minnesota, designing many residences in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
The 1982 north wing of the Cass County Court House, designed by Clark, Holman, and Moorhead of Fargo, received the 1982 North Dakota State Design Award from the N. D. Chapter of the A.I.A.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.