This photo shows the Wishek Civic Center in Wishek, North Dakota, a large stone and concrete building with an Art Deco–inspired façade. The front features multi-colored stone blocks, tall vertical lines, and a central glass block window above the entrance. A small awning labeled “Auditorium” covers the double glass doors. Flanking the walkway are two “No Parking” signs, while the building’s solid, symmetrical design gives it a historic and monumental civic presence.

The building of the Wishek Civic Center was started in the year 1940, thanks to the benefits from the Works Progress Administration or WPA. President Franklin D. Roosevelt devised the program to combat the struggling effects of the depression, making it possible for working people to stay in their home areas and support their families. The Wishek park, the swimming pool, and the Civic Center were all projects that were completed as a result of the Workers Progress Association.

Gilbert Horton, who moved to Jamestown in 1911, and opened his architectural firm in 1913 was awarded the project. His approach to bring maximum quality design while considering cost, was acclaimed in the area. In fact, between 1913 to 1939, around 320 projects in North Dakota were completed by his firm, generally new building projects or major additions.

Horton layered the hand chiseled rock here at the Wishek Civic Center creatively with concrete holding them in place. The total cost of the project was just under 55,000, with the City of Wishek chipping in for $15,040, and the WPA paying just under 40,000. How was it possible to build this building for so little? Well, the superintendent’s monthly salary with $140. Skilled laborers received 52 cents per hour, while unskilled workers received 33 to 40 cents per hour. The men worked 8 to 10 hour days, and the project employed two shifts which ran from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM. In December of 1942, after only four basketball practices in the gymnasium, the Wishek boys won the first of many games to be played in this grand facility.

While no longer the school gymnasium, the Civic Center is still at the heart of Wishek functions. It serves as a recreation spot for the community. It hosts wedding and graduation receptions, and dances, and is the annual serving site for the famed Wishek Sauerkraut Day the second Wednesday in October! Visitors come from all around the region for the Folksy German music and the famed sauerkraut made with shpeck and served with Cloverdale hot dogs and mashed potatoes! Plus, just up the street at the first Baptist church you will find every kind of pie you can imagine homemade with love!