519 - Cathedral District 2

The Cathedral Area Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its eclectic mix of architectural styles that reflect nearly 50 years of changing fads. From impressive Colonial Revival and Prairie Style mansions to more modest Craftsman and Tudor Revival bungalows, the District contains over 130 historic properties and is named for one of its youngest buildings–the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at 520 N. Raymond St., completed in the Art Deco style in 1945. Most of the houses in this neighborhood are much older. Those lining Avenues A and B were designed by regionally renowned architects. 100 W. Ave A–a transitional house with Colonial Revival elements– was designed by Arthur Van Horn in 1908, the same architect who designed the Belle Mehus Auditorium and numerous other commercial and public buildings downtown. Frederick W. Keith, one of the architects of the Liberty Memorial Building at the Capitol grounds, designed the stucco Prairie Style house at 103 W. Ave B. And Herman Leonhard who is remembered for buildings like St. George’s Episcopal Church and, later, the William Guy Federal Building, designed his own home, 719 N Mandan St., in a Storybook Tudor Revival style. Two houses in the district, the Atkinson House at 402 W Ave B and the P.E. Byrne House at 120 W Ave A were designed by the nationally known Minneapolis-based architects Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie–contemporaries of the famous Frank Lloyd Wright. As the neighborhood grew, variety grew, too. Some houses were based off standard house plans that could be purchased at the local lumber yard. The house at 802 N Mandan Street is an example of a kit house ordered from the Sears and Roebuck catalog!


Through architecture, residents of this neighborhood certainly made statements about their social standing. But by investing in these stately homes, they also expressed confidence that Bismarck would become a prosperous community. In this way, the Cathedral Area Historic District is an important, tangible part of the story of Bismarck’s early growth and development.