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Wishek Heritage Society The Wishek Heritage Society is a non-profit organization incorporated in 2007 with membership open to anyone interested in promoting preservation of buildings and sites of historical, cultural and/or architectural significance in the area. The organization is currently working to preserve the Old Wishek City Hall. The building is suffering from years of deferred maintenance, a leaking roof and general disrepair. The Old Wishek City Hall, a one-story, mission revival style building in the heart of downtown Wishek, is located in the original plot of the Village of Wishek on land originally owned by the Missouri River Division of the Soo Line Railroad. Built in 1916-1917 by L.H. Jennings the building was designed by F.W. Keith of Bismarck. The building measures 30 feet by 75 feet and is poured in place reinforced concrete finished with stucco. The most notable feature of the exterior is the southeast corner bell tower, finished with rounded arches on all four sides and capped with a pyramidal roof. This style lends itself to the simplicity of poured in-place concrete design, which was a newer material being studied at the time by architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Irving Gill. The building housed the 1906 Victor Chemical Fire Engine. The rest of the building provided space for community meetings and activities; a library and city council chamber formed the two spaces. The city police department and jail were located in the basement of the building. The Old Wishek City Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 4, 2005. It received Honorable mention as the 4th most endangered building in North Dakota at the 14th Historic Preservation Conference held in Minot, May 2007. Additional memberships and financial support would
help us proceed quicker in the restoration of the Old City Hall and also
in starting the process of getting the Wishek Civic Center named to the
prestigious National Register of Historic Places, a great aide in qualifying
for grants. Membership fee of $5.00/family
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