Grand Forks in Grand Forks County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Electric Construction Company

16 South Fourth Street

— 1908-1998 —

Electric Construction Company Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 28, 2022

1. Electric Construction Company Marker

Inscription.
This building was considered one of the best examples of pre-World War I commercial architecture in Grand Forks. The two story structure was built of dark red Hebron brick accented by stone. It remained largely unchanged throughout its life.

Originally housing a farm implement dealership, a wholesale grocer located there in 1914, later giving way to an auto dealership and a coal and wood supplier. In 1923, it was also home to the first broadcasting station in Grand Forks, the Valley Radio Station. In 1940, Electric Construction Company acquired the building. The firm, formed as a partnership of several electricians in 1919, evolved into an electrical appliance business owned by the Haugen family. The business was known for its extensive inventory of rare or hard-to-find components and for its ability to repair a wide variety of electrical goods. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Sustained main floor damage in the 1997 flood; demolished in 1998 to clear the side for the Grand Forks Corporate Center.

Erected 2003 by Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.

Location. 47°

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55.435′ N, 97° 1.85′ W. Marker is in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in Grand Forks County. Marker is on South 4th Street just south of DeMers Avenue (Business U.S. 2), on the right when traveling south. Marker is mounted at eye-level, beside the sidewalk, on the Grand Forks Corporate Center parking structure. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 DeMers Avenue, Grand Forks ND 58201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Clifford Annex (within shouting distance of this marker); First National Bank Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Finks and Gokey Block (about 400 feet away); Grand Forks County Courthouse (about 500 feet away); Alexander Griggs (about 600 feet away); Votes For Women (about 600 feet away); Welcome to Memorial Park (about 700 feet away); Grand Forks Flood Protection Project (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Forks.

Regarding Electric Construction Company. Formerly listed on the National Register of Historic Places, #82001322, but was removed in 2004. The site was redeveloped for the Grand Forks Corporate Center parking structure.

Also see . . .
1. Electric Construction Building.

The building was built on Grand Forks' original town site. It was constructed during
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 28, 2022

2. Electric Construction Company Marker
(looking north along South 4th Street • marker is mounted on parking lot structure)
Grand Forks' peak period as a commercial center in the upper Midwest. The building was once part of a commercial historic district which is significant as for its association with the earliest growth of the community's public, commercial, social and transportation-related infrastructure. This growth is directly related to federal Homestead legislation, the construction of the transcontinental railroads, and the rapid settlement of the West that followed. The building was damaged by the flood of 1997 and was subsequently razed in order to build a new corporate center and it associated parking facility in downtown Grand Forks.

(Submitted on January 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Electric Construction Company Building.

Was a property in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was built in 1908 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The listing described Early Commercial, Vernacular, and other architecture. The building was damaged by the flood of 1997. It was removed from the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

(Submitted on January 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Grand Forks Flood of 1997.

In 1997, when the Red River broke through the temporary dikes and inundated the city, community members,
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 28, 2022

3. Grand Forks Corporate Center Parking Structure
(former site of Electric Construction Company Building)
university students and base personnel fought together to hold back the water. However, at 54.35 feet, Grand Forks experienced the worst flood in its recorded history. The dikes broke, the city flooded, and more than 50,000 residents were evacuated in the largest single-city evacuation in the United States since the Civil War.

(Submitted on January 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 61 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 15, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.