Stop 28: St. Mary’s Cathedral – 604 Broadway (National Register)
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The church was designed by Bassford & Company of Minneapolis in a Gothic Revival style. It was built by a company from Duluth, and the Hancock Brothers, a local architectural firm, supervised construction.
The first Catholic bishop of North Dakota, John Shanley, purchased the land for the cathedral and building started in 1891. Construction was halted by the Fargo fire, and the building was finally completed in 1899. It was the only Catholic church in Fargo until 1917.
The three stained glass windows are focal points in the building, which has numerous windows to maximize the natural light, a key element in Gothic architecture.
Two fresco paintings were recently uncovered after being hidden for over 50 years by acoustic tiles.