1970-1979: Population and Commercial Boom, Evolving Trends

It could be argued that the 1970s left its mark on Bismarck history more than any other decade. Certainly, there were single events more important than any single event of the decade, but the 1970s as a whole perhaps altered Bismarck to the greatest extent.

Bismarck celebrated its centennial in 1972. One hundred years had passed since George Sweet first secured land for a townsite where the northern transcontinental railroad would span the Missouri River. In that time, Bismarck evolved from an isolated frontier town into a modern metropolis – an important regional center for commercial, government, healthcare, and education.

It was a literal transformation during the 1970s as urban renewal left a lasting impact. Preserving the nostalgia of Bismarck’s history was deemed less important than reinventing downtown for a modern age. The Bismarck City Commission approved a $3 million urban renewal plan for downtown in December 1970. Access to federal funding and tax incentives related to urban renewal also spearheaded such efforts. As a result, urban renewal replaced aging buildings that many considered blighted rather than rejuvenating them.

The first urban renewal target was redeveloping a large tract of land between Broadway and Main Avenues and 6th and 7th Streets. All but one building on the city block was demolished by 1974, including the former Lamborn Hotel (home of Saint Alexius Hospital from 1885-1915), with the final building cleared later that year. A 19-story mixed-use hotel complex called Motor Capital Inn that would stand 100 feet lower than the Capitol was planned for the site. It was to also include a bank, retail, and office space with the top 14 floors of a central tower dedicated to the hotel and swimming pool on the third floor. Those plans never came to fruition. Instead, the cleared land sat vacant through the decade until the 10-story Sheraton Galleria began construction in 1982.

Although Bismarck and Mandan independently witnessed stronger population growth during the 1950s, the overall area population grew by the largest percent in the 1970s since 1900-1910. It’s very likely that changes in rural outmigration attributed to this disparity. Bismarck-Mandan population grew from almost 67,000 in 1970 to 86,000 by the end of the decade, qualifying as a metropolitan for the first time by the standards of the day, which required either a single city containing 50,000 residents or “two contiguous cities and counties with a combined total population exceeding 75,000.” It was said in December 1973 that Bismarck was the fastest growing city within a 3-state area. The Bismarck-Mandan twin cities became a trio with the founding of Lincoln Estates in 1972, which is organized into the City of Lincoln in 1977. By the 2010 Census, Lincoln grew to become the fifteenth largest city in North Dakota.

The 1970s witnessed the most commercial development to that point, including the single-largest private development at the time, and would not be matched until the mid-2000s. Commercial construction activity mostly centered around Kirkwood Mall to the south and where U.S. Highway 83 bisects with the recently completed Interstate 94 to the north (the State Street Corridor). These two new commercial sectors replaced downtown’s status as the primary business district. Mandan felt the impact of Bismarck’s new commercial districts even harder. Bismarck’s east side witnessed strong industrial construction. Residential construction extended south of Bismarck Expressway (then known as Bismarck Avenue) for the first time and started pushing north of Divide and Century Avenues. Other pockets of new residential units appeared east of 26th Street and in northwest Bismarck.

Retail expanded greatly with the opening of Kirkwood Plaza and Gateway Mall. New hotels sprung up like weeds, which will contribute to a hotel bust in the following decade from an oversaturated lodging market as growth slows. During 1975-1976 alone, four new hotels would open near the Interstate interchange. National restaurant chains popped up at a rapid pace: Country Kitchen (1971), McDonald’s (1971), Mr. Steak (1972), Village Inn Pancake House (1972), Taco John’s (1973), Burger King (1977), Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips (1977), Wendy’s (1979), Bonanza (1979), and Popeye’s Chicken (1979). Many of these national name franchises were owned locally by restaurateurs who achieve other restaurant successes, notably Mort Bank and Jim Glatt.

Education, of course, continued its long-standing historical growth. Five new elementary schools (Dorothy Moses, Jeannette Myhre, Roosevelt, Prairie Rose, and Robert Miller) opened during the decade while Bismarck’s second public high school – Century – opened in 1975. For secondary education, United Tribes Technical College was founded in 1971 and four new buildings were erected on the Bismarck Junior College campus (Swensen Hall, Vocational-Technical Center, Student Union, and Mystic Hall). They would be the last campus buildings to be built until the Jack Science Center in 1998.

Traffic infrastructure improvements that decade were equally as impressive. Many of today’s road system date back to changes made in the 1970s, including the 7th/9th Street pair of one-ways, State Street’s name and six-lane configuration between Boulevard and Calgary Avenues, naming convention of Streets vs Avenues, 19th Street’s interstate overpass and its completion to Century Avenue, interchange connecting The Strip to Interstate 94, and the early planning to upgrade Bismarck Expressway to four lanes with a third vehicular bridge to span the river.

If there is one family who influenced Bismarck the most during the 1970s it was the Wachters, who already cemented their legacy with two schools named Wachter and for donating land to the city for the Civic Center. In the 1970s, the Wachter legacy grew even greater for massive real estate efforts, developing Kirkwood Mall and Kirkwood Motor Inn, and cofounding Bank of Kirkwood (today Kirkwood Bank & Trust).

Another family who influenced Bismarck that decade was the Kavaney family who were principal stakeholders involved in planning and developing Gateway Mall and neighboring properties. A Kavaney member was previously partner in developing Northbrook Mall.

1970

The decade kicked off with a six-week labor strike. Work ceased on such projects as Kirkwood Plaza, Town House Motor Inn, and the Parkade. Among other demands, the Plumbers and Steam Fitters Local 795 union demanded a flat $9 per day subsistence payment for work outside city limits and a pay increase. The strike ended with a settlement in June 1970.

Parkade

As the city extended from its downtown roots and the usage of automobiles increased, downtown began facing concerns over parking and congestion. Several improvements addressed these during the 1970s. The first of which was the opening of the Parkade – Bismarck’s first parking ramp – in 1970. It was one of the city’s first urban renewal projects.

The Parkade was more than just a parking ramp. It also housed tenants. Both Red Wing Shoes and White Drug have resided there since the Parkade opened, among other revolving entities over the years. White Drug relocated there from across the street in the building now home to Walker N Daughters Jewelry. Evan’s (and Shark’s) Menswear was also an original tenant. Evan sold the menswear store in 1977 to focus efforts as an investor and real estate broker, but the retail store continued until at least 1979. The UND Center of Family Medicine was another long-time tenant.

United Tribes Technical College

United Tribes Technical College began operations in August as United Tribes Training Center. Its original staff of 129 not only included instructors and administration, but also day care personnel and counselors. It became accredited with the Higher Learning Commission in 1984. UTTC is operated by five American tribes: Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold, the Spirit Lake Tribe, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

Town House Motor Inn

Town House Motor Inn opened on the northwest corner of Divide Avenue and State Street, across from the Capitol. It was the city’s second modern multi-purpose hotel facility, after the Holiday Inn. A Town House location also existed in Fargo. It later became Kelly Inn from 1988 until its 2019 closure.

Midwest Land Development Corporation announced the hotel in 1968 and commenced construction in 1969. It contained 104 guest rooms, a lounge, restaurant, and public facilities. It originally boasted an enclosed recreation “cone” with a glass-domed swimming pool, sauna, putting green, and game area.

Kirkwood Mall

Perhaps no other single construction project impacted Bismarck more than Kirkwood Mall, which propelled massive building activity nearby and altered local consumer behavior. The first store to open was Woolworth’s on March 18, 1970. Despite being an anchor, Woolworth’s was owned independently from the mall itself. Kirkwood opened officially in April 1971 and held its Grand Opening in May with namesake Robert Kirkwood in attendance. Mr. Kirkwood served as store manager for the Bismarck Woolworth store from 1932-1939 before becoming Chairman and CEO of F.W. Woolworth Company.

At an original size of 422,053 square feet, Kirkwood was the city’s single-largest development and the largest shopping center in North Dakota until West Acres opened the following year. It was the city’s third shopping center, second of which fully enclosed, following Arrowhead Plaza and Northbrook Mall. The Y-shaped building was described as a three-point “pivotal configuration” without “weak” or “dead” corners.

Kirkwood Plaza was conceived of and developed by Paul H. Wachter, who had been considering the idea for nearly a decade. The mall would occupy land the Wachters once used as a horse pasture for their successful Dray and Transfer Company. At the time, the Wachters owned much of the land south of Front Avenue in what was previously prone to wide-scale flooding until the completion of Garrison Dam in 1953. Little development had occurred in the vicinity before Kirkwood.

Plans were announced in September 1968 with a formal ground breaking ceremony in November. Core building commenced the following spring. Its estimated cost of construction was $4 million.

Original anchors, as announced, were Woolworth, Montgomery Ward, and Fargo-based Herbst. Herberger’s would ultimately replace Herbst as the third anchor and become the last of the original anchors to close, during the company’s 2018 liquidation.

In addition to a two-screen theater operated by Midcontinent Theater, other major tenants announced included Osco Drug, Zale Jewelry, Baker Shoes, Vanity Shop, Buttrey’s, Fannie Farmer, Hatch’s Hallmark, House of Fabrics, Capital Laundry, State Bank of Burleigh County, K&G Menswear, Neumode Hosiery, and Kinney Shoes.

In addition to the mall itself, original plans included a seven-story, 170-room Sheraton Hotel that would be directly connected by a covered walkway. While the Sheraton hotel was never developed, the Wachters later open Kirkwood Motor Inn across from the complex in 1974.

Woolworth was the first section of Kirkwood to be completed, opening on March 18, 1970. At 72,900 square feet, it was the largest single-floor Woolworth at the time and the second-largest nationwide in terms of display space.

Soon after, stores opened at a rapid pace, beginning with the barbershop, beauty salon, and Zale Jewelry within a few weeks of Woolworth’s. Most stores opened between May and June, 1970.

Of the anchors, the 101,000-square-foot Montgomery Ward store was the second to open, on September 23, 1970. The Wards automotive center opened shortly before the main store itself. It was among the largest service centers in the region, boasting eight service bays.

Plaza Twin, the state’s first multi-screen movie theater, opened in November 1970.

The 65,000-square-foot Herberger’s, which replaced Herbst as the third and final anchor, followed on March 23, 1971.

The Herberger’s store was the first to be located inside a shopping center and the chain’s largest store at the time. After the store’s resounding success, company officials of the time predicted that all future Herberger’s would only open inside shopping centers henceforth.

Despite dropping as an original anchor, Herbst does occupy a store in Kirkwood Mall by August 1971 following its purchase of Black’s. It closes in 1981.

Supporting stores opened at a rapid pace leading up to the mall’s official April 1971 debut. A grand opening celebration was held the following month, with namesake Robert Kirkwood in attendance. In addition to the aforementioned anchors, Osco Drug was also an original tenant as a junior anchor.

Kirkwood expands in 1980, adding two new anchors. More on the expansion will be visited in that section.

Kirkwood Supervalu

Dan’s Kirkwood Supervalu held a Grand Opening in September 1970. The store replaced the company’s downtown location and supplemented Arrowhead. The current Washington Street store replaced the Kirkwood location in 1995. Today the building houses Gold’s Gym and Petco.

The new Kirkwood store spanned 20,000 square feet. Its theme was described as “old England.” Different areas of the store boasted unique names. The courtesy counter was called “The King’s Exchequer,” produce was “Village Market Place,” dairy was “Queen’s Buttery,” the floral department was “Sherwood Florist,” its bakery was “The Crumpet Shop,” and its meat department was “The Castle Larder.” Its snack bar was given the name of “King Arthur’s Round Table.”

The store featured seven checkout lanes with full-service bagging. Customers could opt for parcel pickup service, where their groceries were placed in plastic totes to be claimed by plastic numbered cards upon pickup from their vehicle.

Other 1970 highlights

• Bismarck Theater (formerly Eltinge and Paramount) closes. Its replaced by Plaza Twin (later Plaza 3) at Kirkwood Mall.
• Big Boy/KFC establishes a downtown location at the southeast corner of 6th & Thayer. It remains there until 1982.

1971

Mandan established a new building record in 1971 with $2.25 million in new building permits issued, beating the previous record set in 1965. Bismarck’s total building permits issued were just shy of the $14.5 million 1968 record, by a mere $208,000. Commercial permits did establish a new record and public projects were the highest since 1967.

Kmart

1971 continued the rapid commercial construction. With the exception of Kirkwood Mall finalizing construction that spring, Kmart was arguably the most important single development of 1971. Kmart was one of the first businesses to establish itself north of Interstate 94 along the State Street Corridor and helped ignite neighboring development. Kmart was Bismarck’s second modern-day discount department store after Northbrook’s much smaller Tempo in 1963. After the closure of Tempo in 1976, Kmart would be the city’s sole retailer of its type for three years.

Kmart opened to great fanfare at 10:00 a.m. on October 7th, 1971. It was North Dakota’s fourth Kmart store and the 456th in the nation. Initially referred to as “Kmart Shopping Center,” the building was larger than Northbrook Mall and roughly one-fourth the original size of Kirkwood Mall. The center consisted of the 84,000-square-foot namesake department store, an auto care center (operated by Penske from 1995-2002), and a 20,000-square-foot Kmart Food Store store operated by National Tea (renamed National Foods in 1974). Dan’s Supervalu took occupancy of the grocery store in 1975, where it remained until relocating into its own freestanding store across the street in 1981 (today’s Hobby Lobby). Kmart eventually expanded into the grocery space, consuming the entire building, in turn making it one of the largest traditional Kmart stores in the nation.

In addition to housing separate grocery and department stores, it was designated a shopping center due to the company’s practice of leasing some of its departments to third-party companies at the time. Kmart closes in 2019.

Seven Seas Motor Inn

Seven Seas Motor Inn opened that April in northwest Mandan with 106 rooms, 340-person banquet area, 116-seat dining area, and 80-capacity cocktail area. A service station, located immediately to its east, was also part of the project. The hotel and accompanying restaurant featured a nautical theme complete with a ship’s wheel and portal-style windows. It became Baymont by Wyndham in about 2016 dropping the Seven Seas moniker.

A Seven Seas dining establishment previously existed in the Greengard Commercial Building, which was destroyed by fire in 1970.

First McDonald’s

Mort Bank establishes Bismarck’s first McDonalds at 2207 E Main Avenue. The $90,000 building replaced Blue Ribbon Hatchery and a house that were formerly on the site. At first, the restaurant offered only counter pickup service. It was expanded in 1973 to add indoor seating and in 1980 to add a drive-through. That location was replaced by the McRock Cafe further west on Main Avenue in 1992.

Missouri Valley YMCA

The current facility for the Missouri Valley YMCA opened at 1609 N Washington Street on December 15th with a dedication ceremony the following March. The 37,000-square-foot building cost an estimated $655,000 to construct. It boasted a swimming pool, lounge, all-purpose room, kitchenette, teen lounge, and unfinished basement.

Plans were unveiled in 1968 and groundbreaking took place in 1970. By 1973, efforts were underway to expand and groundbreaking on a $570,000 expansion occurred in 1975. It doubled the original size, adding a gymnasium, health clubs, craft centers, and meeting rooms.

Other notable expansions occurred in 1987 – adding a second pool to its east, a spectator lounge, and 72 additional parking spots; a $1.5 million two-story childcare center to its south in 2001; and a $2 million 27,00-square-foot gymnasium and fitness center addition to its northwest in 2008. The organization partnered with Sanford Health to open the 41,000-square-foot Mandan Family Wellness Center in January 2017.

Other 1971 highlights

• Country Kitchen opens at 1201 E Main Avenue. It is the first of two – the second opening at 1307 Interchange Avenue about two years later. It closes in 1979. It later houses a succession of restaurants, including Ron’s Family Restaurant until 1984, Weisbeck’s Family Restaurant until 1989, Main Street Diner until 1990, and finally Dakota Farms. Today, the building houses Land O’ Lakes.
• Village Inn Pizza Parlor opens at 434 S 3rd Street. It was the company’s second location, after Minot. Not to be confused with Village Inn Pancake House, which opens in 1972 at 405 S 7th Street. Rax occupies the building in 1985, followed by Applebees in 1992.
• A second Bismarck Dairy Queen is established at 2021 E Main (now Oaktree Realtors).

1972

1972 established a new construction record with $18 million in new building permits issued, surpassing the 1968 record by about $4 million.  $8 million of those were commercial and public projects. While commercial construction dipped from the previous year, residential units did surpass 1971.

The $1.74 million Holiday Inn expansion was the largest building permit issued in 1972, followed by the North Dakota Job Service building at 1000 E Divide Avenue ($1.3 million), and Gate City Savings and Loan Association at 304 E Rosser ($698,000).

Both local hospitals and Q&R Clinic had significant construction that year, including adding a fourth floor to Q&R Clinic.

Top projects of 1972:

• Saint Alexius power plant ($945,000)
• Q&R Clinic fourth floor addition and exterior remodeling ($601,000)
• Bismarck Hospital phase two and three of replacement wings ($473,000)
• Jeannette Myhre Elementary ($145,000)
• Elks Pool ($148,000)
• Coca-Cola Bottling Plat at 3303 E Rosser ($206,000)
• Northwest Bell addition ($185,000)
• Downtown Office Building at 4th Street and Thayer Avenue ($128,000)
• Village Inn Pancake House ($133,000)
• Mr. Steak ($100,000)
• Ressler’s Cafe expansion ($70,000)
• At least 12 apartment buildings valued at $70,000 or higher

7th/9th Street One Ways

In 1972, the Urban Area Transportation Study recommended a transportation plan to upgrade and convert 7th and 9th Streets into a pair of one-ways. The underpass at 7th Street was later added to the project.

7th Street was to be widened between Boulevard and Rosser Avenue, and 9th Street rebuilt from Bismarck Expressway (then Bismarck Avenue) to Michigan Avenue. New traffic signals were also installed on 9th Street at Rosser, Broadway, Main, and Front Avenues; and, on 7th at Bismarck Expressway, Front, main, Broadway, Rosser, C, and Boulevard Avenues.

The Bismarck City Commission conditionally approved the recommendation in 1973, opening it to a public hearing. The project met with hot debate. About 200 people attended a public hearing regarding the proposal on August 22, 1973, mostly in protest. The project was green-lit in 1975, commenced in 1976, and concluded in September 1978.

The street alterations were an answer to increased congestion for north-south vehicles, due largely to the city’s north-south growth as opposed to east-west growth. In particular, the sudden explosion of development south of the railroad, ignited by Kirkwood Plaza and Bismarck Civic Center, necessitated an additional railroad bypass.

Funding for the conversion mostly came from the Federal government; all but $110,000 of the $2.2 million, including the entire underpass construction.

Jim Glatt & Kroll’s Kitchen

Edward Wetsch and Jim Glatt purchase Kroll’s Kitchen from Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kroll who started the restaurant in June 1968. The original restaurant at 1915 E Main Avenue was expanded in 1993. A second location replaced the former Roll ‘N Pin Restaurant on State Street in 1994. The first “Diner” location opened on The Strip in June 1996. It was a 1940s-era themed diner. The Diner was built by Starlite Diners in Florida and trucked to Mandan in four sections. A similar Kroll’s Diner concept opened in Minot the following year, followed by Fargo in 1998.

Long-time owner Jim Glatt later was later an initial partner in Bismarck-Mandan Hardee’s restaurants, before selling to a Minneapolis firm in 1979. That same year, Glatt purchased Little Cottage Cafe. He also purchased the existing Wendy’s franchises in Minot and Bismarck in 1992. At some point, Glatt also obtained ownership in Kirkwood Bank & Trust.

Other 1972 highlights

• Village Inn Pancake House opens at 405 S 7th Street in December. Not to be confused with Village Inn Pizza, which opened at 434 S 3rd Street in 1971, it is the first Village Inn Pancake House to open in North Dakota. A second Village Inn Pancake House opens at 2240 N 12th in 1977. International Inn replaces both restaurants in 1986. Denny’s later replaces the south location in 1988.
• Mr. Steak opens at 431 S 3rd Street. The site is later home to Jade Garden and Los Amigos. Today, it is home to CVS/pharmacy.
• A third Bismarck Dairy Queen is established on State Street (spring).
• Dorothy Moses Elementary opens, named for a longtime school board clerk.
• Financing for a second high school (Century) is approved.
• Plans are unveiled to remodel the Bank of North Dakota building. A western theme is chosen. The building’s exterior is covered with a new facade. The building was formerly home to an automobile dealer. It was demolished in 2008, shortly after the bank relocated to its new facility on the former site of Holiday Inn.
• Fort Lincoln Estates is established. It reorganizes as the City of Lincoln in 1977.

1973

At $37 million in new building permits, 1973 once again set another new record, more than double the previous year’s record. 44 commercial permits worth $20 million were issued. While total residential units dipped to 311 from 420, the value was nearly equal because of inflation.

Top permits issued in 1973:

• Bismarck Hospital = $4.14 million
• Saint Alexius Hospital = $4.2 million
• Kirkwood Motor Hotel = $3.33 million
• Kirkwood Office Building = $1.35 million
• Plaza Tower Apartments (52 units) = $1.33 million
• Bismarck Medical Office Building = $1.3 million
• Melroe/Clark Equipment = $946,000
• BJC Student Center = $778,000

One year following the approval to upgrade and convert 7th and 9th Streets into a pair of one-ways to improve traffic flow, the Bismarck-Mandan Transportation Study acknowledged growing traffic concerns and explored other options for improvement. Among them was widening the Liberty Memorial Bridge, which was at capacity of 11,000 vehicles per day. An alternative option called for widening Bismarck Avenue (today’s Expressway) to four lanes west of 26th Street leading to a third bridge spanning the river. That plan would ultimately take shape with the Expressway bridge completed in 1985.

Downtown fire destroys one of Bismarck’s oldest buildings

The First American Bank & Trust building at Main Avenue and 3rd Street was destroyed by fire on January 4th. Built in 1882, it was the city’s second brick building erected and one of the few to survive the 1898 Fire making it one of Bismarck’s oldest.

The fire originated in vacant offices on the 2nd floor. While the main floor was undamaged from the fire itself, the structural integrity of the building was compromised. It was a total loss, with damages estimated at around $400,000. Efforts to douse the blaze amidst wind chills of 40 degrees below zero leaves behind a thick ice sheet covering the structure. The site now contains the 3rd Street Parking Ramp. It was the city’s largest fire since the Fleck Motors fire in 1951.

Other 1973 highlights:

• Bismarck’s first Taco John’s opens at 1922 E Broadway in January. It is the 46th Taco John’s to open nationally. The restaurant is later expanded, including the addition of a drive-through.
• Grand is broken for the Mandan Community Center, which opens in 1975.
• A&B Pizza opens first Mandan restaurant, at 422 W Main Street. It relocates in 1978.
• First annual Downtowner’s Street Fair is held.
• Second Country Kitchen opens at 1307 Interchange Avenue. The location later houses Cary’s Kitchen and Highway 83 Diner. It is destroyed by fire in November 2005.
• The Kavaney family requests rezoning and re-platting of land originally intended for the ill-fated Century Mall that will eventually house Gateway Mall and other commercial projects.
• Kirkwood Bank & Trust established.
• Jeannette Myhre Elementary opens, named for a former principal.

1974

Entering 1974, financial concerns over the global energy crisis that started a few months prior were far and few as North Dakota reaped benefits from strong farm commodity prices.

Total new building permits issued equaled $22.7 million – a sharp decrease from the previous year but still the second-highest on record. Commercial activity slowed while the value of new residential units increased by $3 million to $11.4 million despite that 42 fewer permits were issued.

Urban renewal activity remained strong in Bismarck’s downtown as the agency behind such efforts acquired the last surviving building – the Eagles Club – standing on the block between Broadway and Main Avenues and 6th and 7th Streets. Urban renewal focus was shifting to the former Grand Pacific Hotel site, which closed the previous October after 93 years. The hotel was built in 1906 but had roots back to July 1880 when Louis Peterson first opened the Pacific Hotel. Northwestern Bank (later Norwest, now Wells Fargo) obtained preliminary approval in February 1974 to construct a 7-story office building and accompanying parking ramp on the site. In 2017, the Wells Fargo building was renamed Grand Pacific Center in honor of the site’s legacy.

At an estimated cost of $3.1 million, the new headquarters for Basin Electric Power Cooperative was the only sizeable construction project of the year. Basin purchased the land in June and construction commenced that July for the $3.1 million building, concluding at the end of the following year. Basin had been headquartered in the Provident Life Building since its inception in 1962.

Chancellor Square

In continuing recent solutions to traffic, Bismarck approved a six-square-block set of downtown one-ways as part of its Chancellor Square project in 1974: Broadway and Thayer Avenues as well as Fourth and Fifth streets. While the 7th/9th Street one-way conversion mostly received a warm welcome, reception to the Chancellor Square one-ways was mixed at best with public opinion worsening as time progressed. By 1994, efforts were already being taken to restore the downtown one-way loop back to two-way traffic, which was ultimately completed in 2017.

The one-way conversion was only one aspect of the grand Chancellor Square urban renewal project, the goal of which was aimed at establishing a consumer-friendly downtown and improving traffic flow between downtown and nearby Kirkwood Plaza – Bismarck’s two primary shopping districts of the time. At the time, downtown was still a popular retail center, with major retailers J.C. Penney, Sears, and Woolworth joining such popular local establishments as A.W. Lucas.

Chancellor Square was first announced before a crowd of 75 people at the Four Seasons Grand Pacific Hotel Hall on June 27, 1973. The idea conceptualized a “mini-mall with green space and diagonal parking, climatized skyways, a park surround the train depot, and even double-decker buses shuttling shoppers between downtown and Kirkwood Mall.”

The following month, the Bismarck Urban Renewal Agency authorized Hodne-Stageberg Partners Inc. to proceed with the preliminary design.

The City Commission greenlit the project on May 14, 1974, contingent on addressing two concerns. The first concern was eliminating a curb cut at Kokkeler Jewelers, which the retailer objected to because of access concerns to its parking lot. The other was an underground vault at the Cowan Building, which was beneath Broadway Avenue.

In the end, the completed Chancellor Square project, dedicated in 1976, was far less elaborate than the original planned cityscape. The six blocks of climate-controlled skyways never came to fruition. Chancellor Square’s most significant impact was converting the downtown stretches of 4th and 6th Streets, and of Thayer and Broadway Avenues to one-ways, creating a square loop. As well, diagonal parking was added with light bollards lining the nearby curbs. Built-in benches were constructed and an estimated 1,500 trees and shrubs were planted, including 89 ash trees. Curbs were bumped out at crossing to improve pedestrian safety. Lastly, an official debuted and numerous replacement signs installed.

Downtown’s first skyway was constructed along with the Galleria parking ramp, in 1983. Medcenter One began construction of a skyway over Rosser Avenue in 1991. Attempts to complete the skyway network continued, as late as 1999.

Melroe Manufacturing (Bobcat)

Melroe Manufacturing opened a Bismarck plant emphasizing Bobcat skid steer loaders. By 1977, it had doubled its capacity and employed about 600 people – one of Bismarck’s top employers.

On September 2, 2009, it was announced that the Bismarck plant would close by year-end, in a cost-saving effort to consolidate North Dakota operations into its Gwinner plant. The move resulted in the termination of approximately 475 jobs in the Bismarck-Mandan area. The plant’s last day of operation was on December 23, 2009.

On April 17, 2012, Bobcat announced plans to add about 200 total new jobs to Bismarck, just over two years following the closure of its plant. In April 2013, Bobcat unveiled the completion of a $6.5 million renovation of its Bismarck plant after adding 600 local jobs.

Wheel-A-While

The Heiers, who previously co-founded A&B Pizza, established Wheel-A-While in 1974. Wheel-A-While was an indoor roller skating rink and recreation center. The 18,000-square foot steel building was leased from William Weiss, located at 1030 Weiss Avenue in Century Commercial Park.

The Heiers opened a Dickinson location in 1978 on West Villard, called Wheel-A-While II, which also housed an A&B Pizza. Bill and Donna Leingang then assumed management of the Bismarck branch.

The Dickinson location remained until at least 1985. The original Bismarck location closed in July 1987. New Song Church occupied the building in 1990, where it remains today.

Kirkwood Motor Inn (Ramkota)

The Wachters opened the $4.25 million Kirkwood Motor Inn at 800 S 3rd across from its namesake regional shopping center. It was the city’s third modern hotel and banquet facility, after the Holiday Inn and Town House Motor Inn. At the time of opening, it boasted the largest banquet hall in Bismarck. A $3 million addition commenced in 1976, upgrading to 310 guest rooms and other improvements.

Kirkwood Motor Inn was one of four area hotels to face financial difficulties during an economic downturn in the mid-1980s, ending in foreclosure in 1987. The hotel was put up for auction in 1988 and subsequently purchased by Equitable Life Assurance Society in August of that year.

Soon after, it affiliated with Radisson Inn (officially in December 1989) and completed a $3 million renovation and expansion, pursuant to the franchise agreement. The restaurant became the Seasons Cafe at that time and the bar Nickels Lounge.

Today, it is franchised with Best Western and known as Ramkota Hotel.

Other 1974 highlights

• Bismarck School Board unanimously approves the naming of its upcoming second high school “Century.” The name is chosen both from its position on Century Avenue and due to the fact that the school’s construction was approved in 1972 – Bismarck’s centennial year.
• (Howard’s) Sirloin Stockade opens at 424 S 3rd. It later served as Howard’s Family Steak House and Family’s Choice Buffet before closing in 1993. Sirloin Stockade is a national restaurant chain founded in 1966 with 80 locations as of 2017.
• Grand Pacific Hotel is demolished.
• Floyd Boutrous announces Sunset Terrace Plaza on July 18, 1974. It was to be a fully enclosed regional shopping mall near Mandan’s Sunset Drive interchange; roughly 84,000 square feet consisting of two levels costing an estimated $1.6-$3 million. Efforts continued until at least 1982, later competing against plans to construct a neighboring mall called Terra Vallee, but neither never came to fruition.
• Basic Electric Headquarters completed.
• The Vocational-Technical Center (VoTech) opens on the Bismarck Junior College campus.
• Bismarck’s first Pizza Hut opens on the frontage road along State Street.
• GP Warehouse Emporium opens, later replaced by Front Page Tavern.
• Ben Franklin store opens at Arrowhead Plaza. It is originally a variety store, but later transitions into a craft store. The store closed in 2007.
• Kmart Foods rebrands as National. The change last one a year before Dan’s Century Supervalu opens inside.
• Thunderbird Home Improvement relocates into a new 18,000-square-foot building at 1405 E Interstate Avenue (September). It was previously housed at 619 E Broadway Avenue. The store closes in 1995 after a succession of different owners.
• Little Cottage Cafe is established. The restaurant is housed in the former office building for Tyler Cabins, which was relocated onto the site in 1964 from the then-site of the Holiday Inn.
• Schaumberg Arena opens. The facility is renovated and expanded to include the Schaumberg Arena and Wachter Arenas in 2017.

1975

Bismarck building activity surpassed $40 million for the first time – an achievement that would be matched in 1976 too. Bismarck is North Dakota’s second-fastest growing city behind West Fargo and among the fastest growing in the nation. Retail sales near $150 million – an increase of 92% since the start of the decade.

Century High School

Plans for a second high school began in 1969 and the project was approved in 1972. Ground was broken in 1974 with Century High School opening fall 1975.

“Century” was chosen among 70 names suggested in a “name the high school” contest held in 1973. In the contest, “Century” actually placed second, with Capital City High etching 1 vote more. Despite this, the school board unanimously chose “Century.” The name reflects the school’s approval in 1972… Bismarck’s centennial year, and the fact that it was built on the already-named Century Avenue. Coincidentally, its completion also coincided with the nation’s upcoming bicentennial the following year, leading to the school adopting its mascot as the Patriot with its official patriotic colors of red, white, and blue.

The proposed school site spanned 51.5 acres, 40 of which was already owned by the park and school districts. To acquire the remaining land, the city annexed 51 acres of Hay Creek Township and filed an eminent domain action against William Weiss. Weiss intended to expand his adjacent Weiss Commercial Park onto the land. A court decision in 1973 awarded Weiss $160,250 for the desired land and severance damages.

Its chosen location was highly controversial, due partly to its close proximately to the city’s former landfill, which was replaced by the current landfill in 1965. Contrary to popular believe, the school itself was not built atop the former landfill, but part of its parking lot and the neighboring dog park were. Additionally, the surrounding area – still largely undeveloped – was zoned for major commercial use and future traffic was a noted concern.

Mandan Community Center

A ribbon-cutting ceremony commenced on January 15th for the Mandan Community Center and the facility celebrated its grand opening in February.

Planning for a Mandan pool-auditorium complex began on January 12, 1968 when the Park Board began exploring federal funding to construct such a facility. The project was scraped the following month after discovering that the 1% bond limit that the district could impose would not be sufficient financing.

Soon after, a citizens committee organized a drive to increase the park district’s mill levy by six mills. In 1970, voters narrowly approved the measure by a margin of only 18 votes. Another election held on December,19 1972, to authorize a $495,000 bond measure was overwhelmingly approved with an 84% majority. Ground was broken in June 1973.

Originally, the center boasted a 150’x140′ gymnasium/auditorium and two mezzanines to compliment the swimming pool area, which consisted of a main L-shaped pool and separate diving pool.

A waterslide was added in 1990. It was the first indoor waterslide in North Dakota. The original three-loop 144-foot slide has since been replaced.

In 2011, work completed on transforming the former gymnasium/auditorium and mezzanine into classroom and office space for the school district, as well as a smaller gymnasium and carpentry shop.

State Street naming

The City Commission approved renaming Highway 83 from Boulevard Avenue north “State Street.”

In 1964, the road that would become known as State Street was graded and asphalted to Calgary Avenue. That same year, interchange ramps were built for I-94, which opened the following year. The bridge spanning I-94 was originally two separate structures, until being widened and combined as a single structure in 1980.

State Street was widened to six lanes between Divide Avenue and Century Avenue in 1979, with the exception of the I-94 bridge, which wasn’t widened until the following year, officially completing the lane expansion project. New traffic signals were installed at the I-94 interchange, Century Avenue, and Capitol Avenue, while those at Divide and Interstate Avenues were upgraded. A pedestrian overpass was built alongside the I-94 bridge in 1981. The upgrades were part of a bigger project that widened Highway 83 to four lanes between Bismarck and Washburn by 1983, anticipating four lanes to Minot by 1985.

State Street was redeveloped in the early 2000s. The two-year, $17.6 million project commenced in 2002 between 43rd Avenue and 6th Street. The project was 80% federally funded. While the project didn’t add additional lanes, improvements included intersection upgrades, updating the I-94 interchange, utility work, and improvements to the curbs and gutters. Left turning out of Gateway Mall and Kmart were also eliminated, while traffic signals debuted at the Menards entrance and Calgary Avenue. The interchange at Boulevard Avenue also saw an improvement.

The project restricted traffic to two lanes and even completely shut down State Street at times. As a consequence, the nearest north-south arterials, 19th and 4th Streets, witnessed traffic volumes greatly increase. New traffic signals debuted at 19th Street and Capitol and at 4th Street and Interstate Avenue. The signals were initially intend to be temporary, but later made permanent with the shifted traffic pattern.

19th Street overpass

The Federal Highway Administration approved an overpass for 19th Street at Interstate 94. At the time, the land north of the interstate was not within city limits. The Burleigh County Commission approved funding the extension of 19th Street from the overpass to Century Avenue connecting 19th to Century for the first time.

Other 1975 highlights:

• Dan’s Century Supervalu opens inside Kmart (relocated in 1981, then again in 2003)
• Basin Electric completes new headquarters. Building commenced in July 1974 for the $3.1 million building. Basin had been headquartered in the Provident Life Building since its inception in 1962.
• New building for Roosevelt Elementary opens. The $740,000 schoolhouse replaced the former Roosevelt School that stood where the playground of the new school was built.

1976

Downtown urban renewal was strongly evident by 1976. An entire city block was vacant, Chancellor Square debuted with its new one-way loop and pedestrian-minded improvements, and Northwestern Bank (later Norwest, now Wells Fargo) completed construction of its 7-story office building and accompanying parking ramp on the former Grand Pacific Hotel site.

The city had greatly expanded its reaches debuting expansive neighborhoods on every end. Developers were allowed to name streets whatever they desired and that caused confusion. City planners began considering a stricter system of naming and platting streets, including “themed” neighborhoods. The concept of designating north-south roads exclusively as “streets” and east-west roads as “avenues” was adopted soon-after. The use of other names, such as “drive” or “road” were permitted on non-through streets only.

McQuade Softball Tournament

The first-annual McQuade Softball Tournament was held that summer. The annual charity event is the largest non-profit tournament in the country. It provides a major economic boost to the regional economy. Sam McQuade Softball Complex, adjacent to the VFW Sports Center and YMCA, was named for the founder of McQuade Distributing & Bottling – the company who organizes the tournament.

Tempo closes, alterations at Northbrook Mall

Tempo – Northbrook Mall’s largest tenant – closed unexpectedly that May, despite having six years remaining on its lease. This left Kmart as the only discount department store in the city for the next three years.

Its former 45,000-square-foot space was converted into a “mini mall” to house multiple tenants. The “Northbrook Mini Mall,” as it would be referred, was divvied into 35 spaces averaging 1,200-1,500 square feet each, with the largest space being that of Hardware Hank at 6,500 square feet. The heart of the mini mall was an octagonal layout.

Pepper Mill

The Pepper Mill opened at 3rd and Bowen. The restaurant later obtained the license to manage the Airport lounge and cafe that same year. It operated until 1979, when it was replaced by David’s Fine Foods. The building later houses Hollywood Nights Video/Planet Video and was destroyed by an electrical fire caused by the store’s sign in or around 2001. Hollywood Nights Video re-opened in a new building before America’s Mattress replaced it.

Other 1976 highlights:

• In February, Bob Kavaney requests rezoning and re-platting of land that will eventually house Gateway Mall, setting aside 27 additional acres bounded by Century and Gateway Avenues for a proposed major shopping complex. 12 acres to the southwest would be dedicated for multi-housing to act as a buffer zone between commercial and single family units.
• All-American Subs franchise opens on former Auto-Dine site (closed by 1980).
• Northwest Fabrics holds its grand opening on January 22, 1976 at 2504 N 14th Street. The store later becomes Hancock Fabrics & Crafts.
• Fun Factory opens at 3014 N 11th Street. The entertainment facility featured fast food, several pinball machines, two air hockey tables, and eight pool tables. It closed by 1980.

1977

1977 development activity seemed unremarkable compared to other years of the decade, but after roughly $150 million worth of building activity decade-to-date the city’s achievements were highlighted in a Minneapolis business magazine called Corporate Report that year.

First National Bank and Trust building

The First National Bank and Trust building erected on the northwest corner of Broadway and 3rd was the year’s largest development at about $2.6 million. It is an impressive three-story structure with connected two-level ramp. It was built to support two additional stories with plans to expand within six years, but those plans never materialize. Construction commenced that April with groundbreaking that summer after demolishing existing buildings at the site, including Bismarck Theater. The building was dedicated in January 1979.

First National was the second bank to establish in Bismarck. Originally located at 314 E Main, a larger building was later constructed at Main and Fourth. The bank opened a branch at Arrowhead Plaza in 1963 and a motor bank in 1974. U.S. Bank acquired First National in 1984.

City of Lincoln

Residents living in the Lincoln Estates housing development southeast of Bismarck voted to incorporate the City of Lincoln on July 12, 1977. The new city becomes a suburb to Bismarck-Mandan. One of North Dakota’s fastest growing cities, Lincoln has seen steady growth.

A Lincoln Township south of present-day Bismarck has been shown on maps dating back to 1872, when Edwinton – as Bismarck was originally known – was first platted. Efforts to formerly organize a township and city under the name of Lincoln have persisted, including one in 1965.

What is today considered the City of Lincoln was first established as a 300-acre, 492-lot housing development called Fort Lincoln Estates in 1972. It was originally considered part of Apple Creek Township. Billy Rippley was the principal developer. 24 homes were constructed by 1973.

Lincoln, along with eleven other sections of Apple Creek Township, entered the Bismarck Public School district through annexation in 1973. Lincoln Elementary opened in 2014 – the first public school in the city. Prior to that, students were bused into Bismarck.

Other 1977 highlights

• $15 million expansion project begins at Kirkwood Mall. When completed in 1980, Kirkwood will double in size and add two additional anchors.
• Major winter fire destroys several buildings in downtown Bismarck
• Bismarck’s first Burger King opens, on South 3rd at Bowen Avenue. The location is remodeled in 2014.
• Village Inn Pizza Parlor relocates.
• Pacific Sound is established.
• Golden Dragon opens at 410 E Main Avenue. The restaurant expands into the adjacent building in 1983 and closes in 2005. Its original building formerly housed the long-time clothier Dahl, along with Weeda’s. Blarney Stone occupied it in 2009.
• The first local Happy Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor opens, just south of Kmart. A second location later opens in south Bismarck. Both are replaced by Pizza Factory in 1984.
• Prairie Rose Elementary opens.
• Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips opens at 320 S 3rd, which was once a national chain consisting of roughly 800 locations. It was the state’s second Arthur Treacher’s restaurant. It then became the Copper Penny, a local restaurant, from 1981 until 1983, when Taco John’s occupied the building.

1978

Building activity reached $59.5 million, propelled by Gateway Mall and the Kirkwood Plaza expansion, completed in 1979 and 1980 respectively. More on those projects are detailed later upon their completion. Despite these two massive projects, commercial activity did not surpass the 1973 record. The $8.4 million Heritage Center also broke ground that year, to be completed in 1981. Residential construction dipped by $5 million but still exceeded commercial permits at $24 million vs $19 million. The strong residential activity resulted in thirteen new real estate firms setting up shop that year

The 7th/9th Street one-way conversion was completed that September – six years since first approval.

Shiloh Christian School

Shiloh Christian School began operations in September. It is described as an “interdenominational evangelical school.” It initially consists of 7 full-time and 2 part-time teachers serving 43 students in grades K through 10th. It is strictly private with no federal or state funding.

For the first few months, Shiloh shared a building with Bethel Assembly of God in the Conrad Building at 4909 9th Street S.E. in Mandan, but was forced to relocate when the building was marked for demolition in a project improving Memorial Bridge access on the west side. It relocates to Mandan’s Baptist Temple Church.

Within months of opening, the school announced plans to expand to Grade 12 with 500 enrolled students. Enrollment numbers prove optimistic, however, with 90 students by the start of its third year in 1980. In 1981, Shiloh had its first graduating class – 5 seniors.

In 1989, Shiloh later relocates to 6117 E Main Avenue in Bismarck. It again relocated, in 1996, into its current facility on a 43-acre campus. An additional building was added to its south in 2003. An $8.5 million athletic complex with a track, football/soccer field, and basement diamonds was completed in 2013.

Big Boy sold, splits from KFC

Bismarck Big Boy founder Harley McDowell sold the local Big Boy and KFC franchises to Stan and Bonnie Rothenberger, who continued ownership until at least the late 2010s. Rothenberger, who was manager of the Municipal Country Club, was not the highest of five bids for the businesses, but McDowell selected him for “his established reputation for honest business and quality food service.” The agreement called for McDowell to remain on the board for seven years.

The city’s first standalone KFC restaurant opened on the Gateway Mall outlot, divorcing it from Big Boy where the two brands operated in a hybrid format since 1957 despite that each franchise shared common ownership. The breakup was forced by new KFC franchising agreements that prohibited the hybrid concept.

Fiesta Villa

Fiesta Villa opened in Mandan. It later relocated to the former Northern Pacific train depot, where it remains until its 2016 closure.

Other 1978 highlights:

• Construction commences at Gateway Mall (June)
• 7th/9th Street one-way conversion project completes in September, which includes the addition of a railroad underpass on 7th Street. The project was recommended as part of an Urban Area Transportation Study in 1972.
• Green Tree Square, a shopping center designed to house up to 8 tenants, opens inside the former Dakota National Bank building at 212 N 4th Street. The venture ceases in about 1985 or 1986.
• A&B Pizza relocates Mandan restaurant, from 422 W Main Street to its present location at 609 1st Street NE.
• Tennis courts added to Tom O’Leary
• The Donut Hole opens Mandan location at 600 E Main. The venture is a partnership that includes the owners of Dickinson’s Baker Boy. A Bismarck location follows in 1981. Today, it is known as Bearscat Bakehouse.
• Fiesta Villa opens in Mandan. It relocates to the former Northern Pacific train depot in 1983, where it remains until its 2016 closure.
• A new Corpus Christi church opens.

1979

The decade ended on a high note with the record number of building permits issued exceeding $70 million. $20 million of that was commercial and $30.1 million residential with public accounting for the remaining.

Kirkwood expansion

Kirkwood Mall was finalizing its massive expansion project that was first announced two years earlier. Two major milestones of the expansion occurred ahead of its 1980 dedication in November 1979.

First was the opening of Target. The store was originally planned to be a Dayton’s, but was changed in February 1979. The walkway directly into the mall isn’t completed until at least 1980 when the full expansion concludes. A Kirkwood Dayton’s later opens in 1985 and the current Target now occupies that site.

Second was Herberger’s completing its renovation and addition of 15,000 square feet to a total of 65,000. Kirkwood Mall’s expansion necessitated reconstructing much of the Herberger’s anchor, which lied in the path of the mall’s expansion. It was the largest Herberger’s at the time – a distinction it previously held upon first opening at Kirkwood. Herberger’s will later expand to 92,500 square feet upon closing its Gateway Mall location in 1993.

Gateway Mall opening

Aside from Kirkwood’s massive expansion, the top event of 1979 was the opening of Gateway Mall. Osco Drug, a junior anchor, was the first tenant to open, on May 7th. Osco relocated from its downtown 4th Street storefront while also maintaining its Kirkwood Mall location. The shopping center itself opened on August 15th with a grand opening celebration the following month on September 12th. Construction of the mall was still ongoing, with only 30 of the 57 initially leased tenants open at the time.

Plans for a shopping center on the west side of U.S. Highway 83 near I-94 were first unveiled in October 1968. Century Mall, as it was to be called, was to feature 3 anchor stores and 50 total tenants contained in 600,000-650,000 square feet. Denver-based Century 21 Corp. was the developer behind the proposed $11 million project, which was expected to open in 1970. Several tenants who later occupy Gateway Mall, including White Drug, Maurices, and Orange Julies, were attached to the project, as was a movie theater.

Its developer had planned for similarly designed Century Malls across eight cities, including four in North Dakota: Bismarck, Fargo, Minot, and Grand Forks. Despite that sites had been secured in all cities, except Fargo and Sioux Falls, and that tenant agreements were struck, none of the malls ever materialized as conceptualized.

In 1973, the Kavaney family – owners of the land where Century Mall was to be developed, requested new platting and annexation by the city. This laid the ground work for developing Gateway Mall and other nearby commercial projects.

Early planning for Gateway Mall progressed in 1976. In February, Bob Kavaney requested rezoning and re-platting, setting aside 27 additional acres bounded by Century and Gateway Avenues for a proposed major shopping complex. 12 acres to the southwest would be dedicated for multi-housing to act as a buffer zone between commercial and single family units. The developers noted that they could develop the shopping center within the existing 50 commercially-zoned acres, but preferred the additional acreage.

Anchors of Gateway Mall were announced in May 1978 and Decom Corp of Minneapolis commenced construction in June. The shopping center was developed by North Bismarck Associates, a key player of which was the Kavaney family, for $8 million. It was 320,000 square feet with space on the mall’s northwest set aside for a future 150,000-square-foot expansion. While that expansion never truly came to fruition, the mall’s later movie theater expansion occupied much of that space.

The mall was 100% leased upon completion with 57 tenants, including the outlots. Some of the tenants originally attached to Century Mall setup show inside Gateway. Junior anchor Osco Drug and three full-line anchors initially supported the shopping center: National department store Sears (89,000 square feet), long-time local department store A.W. Lucas (45,000 square feet), and regional discount department chain White Mart (49,000 square feet). Lucas and Osco were the only occupied anchors upon the mall’s September opening, with Sears following in October and White Mart on February 28, 1980.

Other original tenants included Jo-Ann Fabrics, Hansen’s Menswear, Lowe’s Garden Center, Lund Jewelry, Midwest Vision, Musicland, Radioshack, Regis, Maurices, Barker’s, The Cheddar Box, Walkers N Daughter Jewelry, Richmond’s Bootery, Bob’s Photo, Meredith’s Craft and Hobby, Merle Norman, Perry’s, The Jeaner/Young America, Kinney Shoes, and Clowntown. Its designated food court housed five fast food restaurants: Orange Julius, Taco Tina, Turn of the Century (a fast-food delicatessen), Pop’s Ice Cream Shoppe, and an unnamed snack bar.

On the perimeter outlots, Perkins, KFC, and Gate City Bank were initial tenants, all of which remain to this day.

State Street to six lanes, nine new traffic signals, and other traffic infrastructure improvements

Without a doubt, record-breaking commercial and residential construction stole the spotlight during the 1970s, but a close second was infrastructure upgrades to improve traffic. 1979 was a particularly significant year for such projects.

Perhaps the biggest was the widening of State Street to six lanes between Divide and Century Avenues, which concludes the following year. The project also plans for widening Highway 83 to four lanes between Bismarck and Washburn by 1983 and to Minot by 1985. In actuality, it was completed sooner than expected opening four lanes all the way to Minot by June 1983.

Nine new intersections received traffic signals: State Street/Highway 83 at Capitol and Century Avenues, Main Avenue at 3rd Street, Ward Road at Avenue C, Rosser Avenue at 5th Street, Main Avenue at 26th Street, 3rd Street at Avenue C, and Divide Avenue at Washington and 4th Streets.

Another major infrastructure upgrade was adding a new interchange west of the Liberty Memorial Bridge connecting The Strip to Interstate 94.

Lastly, 26th Street was realigned to lessen its curve and shift its intersection with Divide Avenue east.

LaBelle’s (“Best” Products) showroom

Minnesota-based Modern Merchandising established a LaBelle’s catalog showroom at 1026 E Bismarck Expressway in August. It was the company’s second North Dakota showroom, after Fargo. Richmond, Virginia-based Best Products purchased Labelle’s and its parent company in 1982. The local showroom was re-branded as “BEST” in July 1987, at which time the store underwent minor renovation.

The showroom itself accounted for roughly 1/3 of the 65,000-square-foot building. It contained a mix of self-service (mainly toys, health and beauty, and sports) and mail-order merchandise. The remaining space was dedicated to warehouse storage. At Christmas, a portion of its warehouse was converted into a large toy department. Space was also set aside for a restaurant; however, none apparently ever opened.

As of 1996, the company operated 169 showrooms and 3 distribution centers across 23 states, in addition to its catalog division. The company folded in 1997.

Joint Law Enforcement Center

The Joint Law Enforcement Center was completed at 700 S 9th Street. The $2 million facility is is chiefly funded through a $1.9 million grant from the Economic Development Administration. It consisted of three stories, plus a basement and attached garage.

Originally, the joint facility was to house all offices for local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, with a possible jailhouse and courthouse also constructed. Those plans never fully materialized. Instead, Burleigh County continued some operations at the Burleigh County Courthouse, which itself was greatly expanded in 1992 to house all county law enforcement operations.

Consideration of a joint law enforcement center went back as far as 1969. Planning and funding were completed in 1977 with ground breaking on December 12th. The Wachter Family donated land for its construction in exchange for vacating part of Arbor Avenue to allow for Kirkwood’s expansion.

The facility was erected on top of the city’s former garbage dump yard, a fact that caused the cost to increase by $26,000 when it was decided some buried debris must be scooped out.

Passenger rail service ends

In an ironic end of an era, the last passenger train departed Bismarck – a city founded by the railroad – that year when Amtrak discontinued local operations. Burlington Northern – the successor to Northern Pacific Railway – continues to utilize the Bismarck depot until 1982 when it shifts all operations to Mandan.

Other 1979 highlights

• King’s Food Host becomes The Woodhouse.
• Choice Cut Family Steakhouse is sold and converted into Bonanza. The new owner was the original owner of the Bismarck restaurant. The Mandan location closes in 2017.
• Country Kitchen closes at 1201 E Main Avenue. It is one of two – the second opening at 1307 Interchange Avenue about two years later. It closes in 1979. It later houses a succession of restaurants, including Ron’s Family Restaurant until 1984, Weisbeck’s Family Restaurant until 1989, Main Street Diner until 1990, and finally Dakota Farms. Today, the building houses Land O’ Lakes.
• Popeye’s Chicken opens at 1400 E Main Street in Mandan. Gramma’s Burgers of Mandan replaced Popeye’s by 1982, followed by Checker’s Buffet and Catering in 1988. The site is now home to Burger King. The fast food restaurant was opened by Glen and Delmar Grishkowsky, who later are initial partners in the first local Hardee’s, along with Kroll’s Kitchen owner Jim Glatt.
• Robert Miller Elementary opens, named for the former superintendent.
• GP Warehouse is temporarily replaced by Sports Page Tavern, then by Front Page Tavern
• David’s Fine Foods replaces The Pepper Mill at 3rd and Bowen. The building later houses Hollywood Nights Video/Planet Video and was destroyed by an electrical fire caused by the store’s sign in or around 2001. Hollywood Nights Video re-opened in a new building before America’s Mattress replaced it.
• The city’s first Wendy’s opens at 2112 N 12th, replacing a service station on the site (September 25). Wendy’s relocates from the site in the about 2003, replacing a scraped A&W/Long John Silvers location. A second location on Expressway opens in 1985.
• Jumbo’s Drive-in becomes Trails West. It closes in 1983.

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