Webb Brothers Block

The Webb Block is significant because of its architectural details, setting, and historical associations. The Classical Revival-inspired structure was built in 1898-99 and a similarly designed addition was built in 1906. The massiveness and grand design convey a sense of Bismarck's importance and growing prosperity at the turn of the century, as do the nearby Northern Pacific Depot (National Register, 1977), the Patterson Hotel (National Register, 1976), and the E. G. Patterson Building (National Register, 1982). The Webb Block's exterior design and materials retain a high degree of material integrity, and the building continues to be a key structure in Bismarck's central business district.

The original Webb Block and its 1906 addition were built for Alexander McKenzie, long-time political "boss" of North Dakota and northern Dakota Territory. McKenzie served as the Burleigh County Sheriff in the late 1870s and 1880s, but his association with the Northern Pacific Railroad and eastern capitalists gave him influence far beyond that of a county official. He is credited with masterminding the relocation of the Dakota territorial capital from Yankton to Bismarck in 1883. McKenzie lived his later years in a St. Paul, Minnesota, hotel suite, but he influenced North Dakota politics well into the early 1900s. True to his St. Paul connections, McKenzie contracted Butler and Ryan of St. Paul to build the 100 X 90 foot Webb Block on lands owned by the Northern Pacific in the heart of Bismarck's business district. In 1906 he contracted H. C. Rhud to build the 50 X 90-foot addition to the west for $12,195.00. This addition and the Hare Block adjacent to it contain the original building's basic architectural style. A block to the west of the Hare Block was also to have had similar architectural detailing but was never built.

The Webb Brothers Department Store occupied the east 75 feet of the building from 1899 to 1906. After 1906 this store occupied the east 100 feet of the building. The Webb funeral parlor probably occupied the east 25 feet of the addition until after 1906. After 1913 the funeral parlor occupied the entire first floor of the addition. William H. Webb, one of the founding brothers, was active in local governmental affairs, as a county commissioner from 1904 to 1910, chairman of the commission in 1907 and 1908, and as Bismarck's mayor from 1905 to 1907.

Several government offices have been associated with the Webb Block. The United States Post Office occupied the west 25 feet of the original building's ground floor from 1899 to 1906. In 1906 the post office was moved to the west 25 feet of the addition, where it remained until 1913. The United States District Court courtroom occupied the west 50 feet of the original building's second floor from 1899 to 1913. The second floor housed the offices of police magistrate John F. Fort, city attorney F. H. Register, and the area offices of the United States Surveyor General between at least 1908 and 1910. Other second-floor offices were occupied by attorneys, real estate agents, insurance agents, and others.

Webb Brothers Department Store and funeral parlor vacated the building in 1945, as did the professional offices on the second floor. That year Sears-Roebuck & Co. began leasing the building from Webb Realty Company. Sears renovated the building and opened its store in September 1946. Sears occupied the entire Webb Block and addition until 1977. Since then the building was been occupied by retail businesses and is presently occupied by a furniture store.

The Webb Block is clearly significant in the history of Bismarck's commercial, political and governmental history. The building also is a substantial architectural contribution to the downtown business district; its ornate Classical Revival detail contrasts visually with Mission Revival, Sullivanesque, and High Victorian structures in the immediate area. The Webb Block retains a high degree of integrity of original design and is one of the very few buildings in the central business district to clearly reflect its turn-of-the-century origins.