Downtown Historic Context

Description: The Bismarck Historic Preservation Commission is looking to complete a historic context for Bismarck's downtown. The main goal for this project will be to help understand how Bismarck's original commercial area developed over time, including its social and cultural history, common building types, and architectural patterns. It should be written to encompass the whole of the historic downtown commercial core, including the Bismarck Downtown Historic District, so that it can be utilized in the future to evaluate properties beyond the boundary of the Downtown Historic District. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Downtown Historic District was designated in 2001, and a subsequent amendment to the district was completed in 2012 to clarify some inconsistencies in the original nomination. Additional buildings have become historic since the original investigation twenty-five years ago, and additional time periods or additional themes (e.g., Urban Renewal) may now be relevant to the area's significance. Additionally, there have been changes throughout that may have affected previous evaluations of building integrity in this core area including changes to building appearances, demolitions, and additions. A separate Class III Intensive Survey is currently being conducted to reevaluate the buildings within, and surrounding, the current Downtown Bismarck Historic District. The BHPC anticipates receiving a draft of the Class III report in April 2027, with a completion time of the report and Class III narrative in June 2027. This information may be provided to the selected consultant at that time as a reference. It is anticipated that the Downtown Historic District will need to be amended as a result of the Class III intensive survey, and the development of a historic context is the next step towards that anticipated end goal.