FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary Kate Ryan
January 12, 2008
(701) 328-2089

GRAND FORKS RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORIC DISTRICT
LISTED IN NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

BISMARCK – The Grand Forks Riverside Neighborhood Historic District has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government’s list of properties it considers worthy of preservation and recognition.

The District consists of the residential area north of Gateway Drive, west and south of the Red River, and bounded on the west by Third Street North. There are 181 properties within this boundary, and 129, or about 70 percent of them, retain the historic values that comprise the district and are therefore listed as “contributing.” 

The district is significant both for its architecture – mostly “mechanics’ cottages” and working-class homes from the 1920s and ‘30s – and for how it developed. Its history, and the history of the park for which the neighborhood is named, help to explain the physical and social development of Grand Forks. 

The Riverside Neighborhood Historic District joins the Near Southside District as the second residential district in Grand Forks to be listed in the National Register. The smaller, more affordable homes of the Riverside area district tell a different story than the Near Southside’s large, high-style houses. This district was damaged by the 1997 Flood, and it has been separated from the Red River by the new floodwall system. These changes were considered when the district was nominated, but the district retains its ability to show the history of the town.

Contrary to some misconceptions about the National Register program, listing in it does notprevent owners from altering their property, restricting the use or sale of the property, or establish times requiring that the property must be open to the public. Entry into the National Register of Historic Places does give a property prestige, provides protection from federally-assisted projects, and provides eligibility for certain preservation financial incentives.

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