Shannon Building

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

1. Shannon Building Marker

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From the National Register Nomination:  Ziegler’s Fabrics (ca. 1930)
One of the District’s few examples of the Art Deco mode. Minimally ornamented at roof level where vertical ribs in the mid-section are extended as decorative pier caps to form slight crenellations. Overall contrast is achieved with light and dark brick.

The Commercial District presents a collection of structures reflecting, in one aspect or another, the evolution of Devils Lake from the railroad era to the age of the automobile. The physical appearance of the Commercial District building stock may be characterized as two-story and predominantly brick, with gradations in the color and in the size and craftsmanship of mortar joints. The bulk of Commercial District properties in Devils Lake are in many respects connected to events of railroad

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

2. Shannon Building

This is one of the many extant Joseph A. Shannon-designed buildings in Devils Lake. The marker is mounted on the right side of the entrance — obscured here by the white vehicle in the foreground.

expansion in northeastern North Dakota. Railroad tributaries enabled merchants to make quick shipments, and abundant supplies of fuel, wood and coal were added inducements for retail growth. Most of the Commercial District growth took place within the context of two major development periods: The First Dakota Boom between 1879 and 1886, and The Second Dakota Boom, 1898-1917. Outside boom periods, the character of District properties was undoubtedly shaped by the latent effects of increased rail traffic and a broadening exposure to new methods and fashions in the building industry.

Joseph A. Shannon was an architect in Devils Lake, North Dakota. He has been termed “the city's first true architect.” He apparently had no formal degree in architecture, yet applied for certification and became one of North Dakota's first licensed architects. He designed 17 buildings in Devils Lake, of which 15 survived in 2001. Shannon was born March 21, 1859, and grew up in Edina, Missouri. In Minnesota he worked as a carpenter, then established a homestead near Bristol, South Dakota, and later worked as a carpenter

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at Fort Sisseton in South Dakota. He later served as president of the North Dakota State Board of Architecture. He lived in Devils Lake until his death on January 25, 1934.

The Devils Lake Commercial District in Devils Lake, North Dakota is a 15-acre historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.