The historic Bismarck Depot has been receiving a makeover for the past two years. It is now only months away from reopening, with two tenants already planning to move into the renovated space.
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation and Funatix Events, a sister company of the Bismarck Larks baseball team, will be establishing offices inside the newly renovated depot. Bismarck-based real estate development firm Knutson Companies purchased the historic landmark in the heart of downtown in 2022 following years of the building sitting vacant. Renovations are slated to wrap up in August.
The depot has been a centerpiece in Bismarck for over a century, first opening in 1901 as a train station. Following passenger rail service ending at the depot in 1979, a Mexican restaurant occupied the building until 2016. Edwinton Brewery briefly operated in the space before closing its doors in 2019.
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The property has seen over $5 million in renovations since being acquired by Knutson Companies, according to owner Cam Knutson. He said much of the roof was in poor condition and replaced. The company sourced the same clay tile that previously existed on the structure. Many of the windows were replaced as well, though some windows had been replaced over the past decade.
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Wes Klosterman places a clay tile on the roof of the historic Northern Pacific Railway depot in downtown Bismarck in April. Klosterman and Nile Kirkpatrick were working on replacing the red clay tiles on the roof of the depot that is now in the process of being restored. Kirkpatrick estimated that more than 200 of the tiles will be replaced on the 124-year-old mission-style depot that was designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert. Each tile is secured with a screw to underlayment and then caulked, Kirkpatrick said. Both men work for Northwest Contracting of Bismarck.
Inside the building, the top floor was gutted, with the installation of new insulation, electrical wiring, and heating and cooling. The floor layout was revamped to provide better office space.
"It was a bit of a head-scratcher as to what do we do with this space, because it was extremely tired to say the least," Knutson said. "Actually getting it all gutted and then doing a new layout -- the space turned out amazing for that office use."
That upstairs office space will be home to the main office for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. The nonprofit serves as the planning and operational arm of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library -- a $300 million project opening in Medora in 2026. The depot building will serve as the foundation's home base to coordinate educational programs and community outreach.
“The Bismarck Train Depot was integral to Roosevelt's travels, serving as a gateway to the Western territories he so dearly loved,” said Matt Brinley, the foundation's chief communications officer. “Our presence here will honor Roosevelt’s connection to the Dakota Territory and the Badlands.”
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Cam Knutson outside the historic Northern Pacific Depot in downtown Bismarck in June 2022.
Knutson said renovations have continued on the bottom floor of the depot to prepare for additional tenants. His company is in the process of identifying a "restaurant user" to occupy the west side of the ground floor while the east side might get up to two tenants.
Funatix Events will be one of those east-side tenants, with plans for the Bismarck-based event company to move its headquarters into the building in early September. Knutson said the move will increase office space for Funatix; the company currently shares office space with the Bismarck Larks. With the move, Funatix will also play a role in coordinating community events at the depot.
“We are excited to bring our vision to life in such an iconic location,” Funatix Events CEO John Bollinger said. “This partnership will enable us to create dynamic events that cater to the community’s diverse interests, revitalizing the depot as a shared space for all.”
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Chad Cave looks over a pile of cobblestones dug up from under the asphalt parking lot in front of the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot in downtown Bismarck in May. The individual pavers date to the early 1900s, when cobblestone roadways were around the depot that was constructed in 1903. "They are going to be cleaned and refurbished," said Cave, a truck driver for Prairie View Landscaping. Cave, of Bismarck, said "This building is what created the downtown." Developer Cam Knutson, who is leading the restoration of the historic depot, said the Athens Brick cobblestones likely came by train and covered the area surrounding the depot.
Work has also continued outside of the building to replace the parking lot and add additional patios and landscaping. The parking lot space will be transformed into a "multiuse site" that can host community events and provide more downtown parking. Knutson said the idea comes from similar outdoor spaces around the state that host community events downtown, such as Broadway Square in Fargo.
"We can accommodate parking the vast majority of the time, but how do we do this in a way that we can flip a switch and we can convert this into a space that can have live music and food festivals and other community events that really activate this whole space?" he said. "And so that's ultimately what the new site plan contains -- is essentially creating this canvas so it's an ideal space for flipping from parking to curating events."