Forum Communications Building

The Fargo Forum serves as the primary newspaper for the region. The current building was constructed in 1926 at the corner of Fifth Street and First Avenue North. The design of the building is Art Deco composed of steel and concrete and was built by the Meineke-Johnson Company at a reported cost of $300,000 (Roughly $4.1 Million in today's dollars). The third and fourth floors were not added until 1935.

Parts of the building have been leased out over the years to other companies including Northwesten Bell Telephone. The building's appearance has been largely unchanged since construction of the last two floors. The only obvious change being that the illuminated FORUM sign on the corner was replaced in 1945 with the obelisk seen today. Since then, the obelisk has been refurbished twice- changing the lights from neon to fiber-optic in the late 1990's, and most recently, the complete restoration of the obelisk with LED lights in 2012. A television camera was also added to the peak for use on a local newscast.

Sources:

1. “Fargo Forum | Fargo History.” Accessed December 11, 2016. https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/fargo-forum.
2. Fargo Historic Preservation Commission. A Look Around Downtown: Fargo Heritage Discovery Walk. Second. Fargo, North Dakota: Fargo-Moorhead Heritage Society, 2006.
3. Tim Holzkamm, and Dean Dormanen. The History and Growth of the City of Fargo: Historic Context Study. Edited by David B. Danbom. Fargo, North Dakota: Fargo Historic Preservation Commission, 2001.

Photo Sources:

1. “Forum Communications Company | Work, Play, Food, Shop, Visit, Live | Downtown Fargo - Moorhead.” Downtown Fargo - Moorhead | Downtown Community Partnership. Accessed December 5, 2016. http://downtownfargo.com/dt-fargo/forum-communications-company.
2. Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU, Fargo (2007.0532-03)
3. “Fargo Forum | Fargo History.” Accessed December 11, 2016. https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/fargo-forum.