Stop 2: Island Park Pool – Island Park
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Originally built as the Winter Sports Arena in 1938, the 200’ x 300’ building was difficult to maintain and was dubbed a “white elephant.” It was dismantled in 1943 and relocated to Hector Airport to be used as a hangar, but the front facade, with its ribbon windows and curved corners, was left in place. A second arena was built in its place and incorporated the facade from the original arena. When the second arena was demolished in the 1970s, the two-story concrete facade survived again. The facade now serves as the north face of the Island Park Pool with the words “Fargo Arena” inscribed above the entrance.
During the Great Depression, the federal government created various agencies that hired the unemployed to construct public buildings. This increased the nation’s infrastructure and gave people much-needed employment. These agencies, such as the Works Progress Administration, built a number of structures in Fargo, of which the Fargo Arena facade is one of the few still standing.