DOWNTOWN GOES DIGITAL

Culture | April 11th, 2016

Fargo middle school students create building histories

Downtown Fargo buildings have a rich and varied history, and 98 eighth grade social studies and history students from the Ben Franklin Middle School are creating digital histories of many downtown Fargo buildings through videography and interviews. The students are electronically documenting how each property has changed over time. The finished products will be presented at the Fargo Theatre during a special event on April 21.

Jessica Smith, Social Studies/American History Instructor at Ben Franklin Middle School, explained that this project grew out of a past undertaking where students created a downtown walking tour podcast, made available to the public. For the digital history project, they first made contact with the Kilbourne Group, “because we know they appreciate the history of the area and are involved in several downtown projects.”

Smith hopes that students “will realize that they are witnessing history all around them and that history is more than just what can be found in a book. This project is giving students an opportunity to practice many of the 21st Century skills to which our district is committed. We want our students to be prepared for the workplace by practicing skills like communication and collaboration.”

Twenty-five student groups have been assigned a historical downtown Fargo property and have conducted research, interviews with building owners, and captured video and still photos. They are also writing a narrative and digital report on the building’s history.

Properties include Great Northern Cycles, Vogel Law, Bison Hotel, Red Raven, Hotel Donaldson, First Lutheran Church, Works of Light, Beyond Running, Ecce, NDSU Renaissance Hall, Orange Records, First Presbyterian Church, Going Postal, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fargo Theatre, Grand Lodge of AOUW, Pounds, Block 6/DeLendrecies Building, Theater B, Union Apartments, Wimmers, Porterfield Block, Fargo Parks District Headquarters, Shultz and Associates Architects, Kate-Lo Tile and Stone, Plains Art Museum, Babb’s Coffee, Zandbroz, Stroh Architecture, Ultimate Images, Reed & Taylor, Rhombus Guys, Forum Communications, The Black Building, and Nichole’s Fine Pastries.

Each property in the project will also be assigned a QR (quick response) code to post. Smith says, “We are hoping to see the codes in storefronts, on menus, on table tents, etc. and we are hoping that visitors to the area, and even long-time residents, will use the QR codes to learn about our city’s history.”

One site that is useful for all researchers of regional history is the NDSU Archives Fargo History page: https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/ It details Fargo’s history from the early settling days of the 1870s to the present.

Fargo: Past to Present – A Living History will have a specialunveiling of the students’ finished digital histories on April 21 at the Fargo Theatre from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., along with student-led property tours following the presentation. It is an open-house format with an introduction at 12:30, and the public is encouraged to attend.

According to Smith, “Students will be on hand to discuss their buildings and even help people download the necessary app on their smartphones. Students will also be available to walk guests around downtown. We scheduled it so that people might be able to stop in during their lunch breaks.”

IF YOU GO:

Downtown Fargo: Past to Present – A Living History

April 21, 12:30-2 pm

Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway

Fargo middle school students create building histories

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