BISMARCK, N.D. – An auditorium and a historic district in Grand Forks have 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. North Dakota nominations are coordinated by the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

The Chester Fritz Auditorium on the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks is a late-Modernist building designed by prominent architect Myron Denbrook and built in 1972 using precast concrete panel technology. Denbrook consulted with acoustical engineer Robert C. Coffeen and then designed the rest of the building to facilitate the production of performances and educational events as the university expanded its curriculum and created the College of Fine Arts.

The Baukol Historic District includes the 41 properties in the Baukol Addition in Grand Forks. Most of the residences in the district were built between 1946 and 1962, with 22 of the residences built in 1946 by the Baukol Construction Company to address the housing needs immediately following World War II. The district makes up the first postwar multiple property development in the city of Grand Forks, and more than half of the modest homes were owned by military veterans in 1950. The residences predominantly reflect the Modern Movement and are all single-family homes less than 1,200 square feet in size.

Contrary to some misconceptions about the National Register program, listing in it does not prevent owners from altering their property, restrict the use or sale of the property, or require establishing times 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 adverse effects in federally assisted projects, and provides eligibility for certain preservation financial incentives.

For more information, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at 701.328.2089.