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Masonic Block
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
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Location	11 S. 8th St., Fargo, North Dakota
Coordinates	46°51′55″N 96°47′29″W / 46.86528°N 96.79139°W / 46.86528; -96.79139
Area	less than one acre
Built	1884
Built by	Andrew McHench
Architect	Daniels & Proctor
Architectural style	Early Commercial
Part of	Downtown Fargo District (ID83004064)
NRHP reference No.	79001771
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 3, 1979
Designated CP	October 13, 1983

The Masonic Block in Fargo, North Dakota, also known as Dakota Business College or Watkins Block, is an Early Commercial style building built in 1884. It was designed by Fargo architects Daniels & Proctor.

The building gets its name from the fact that one of the original tenants of the building was a local Masonic lodge. The lodge rented the third floor of the building, which it used as a meeting hall (the lodge met in the building for only four years, from 1885 to 1889).

Despite the name, the building is better known for its subsequent educational function. It housed Fargo College from 1887 to 1890, and the Dakota Business College from 1891 to 1978.

Today it is used as a purely commercial building. It is one of few commercial structures in Fargo that survived a fire in 1893.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The listing included one contributing building, on an area of less than 1 acre (0.40 ha).

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ Kurt Schweigert (May 22, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Masonic Block / Dakota Business College, Watkins Block". National Park Service. and Accompanying 14 photos, exterior and interior, from c. 1921, 1978, and 1979

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Cass County, North Dakota
Historic districts	Casselton Commercial Historic District Downtown Fargo District Fargo Oak Grove Residential Historic District Fargo South Residential District M.E. Beebe Historic District North Dakota State University District North Side Fargo Builder's Residential Historic District North Side Fargo High Style Residential Historic District
Other properties	1916 Buffalo High School Barrington Apartments Black Building Cass County Court House, Jail, and Sheriff's House deLendrecie's Department Store Dibley House Fargo City Detention Hospital Fargo Theatre Federal Building and U.S. Post Office George and Beth Anderson House Grand Lodge of North Dakota, Ancient Order of United Workmen Great Northern Freight Warehouse James Holes House Knerr Block, Floyd Block, McHench Building and Webster and Coe Building Lewis House Masonic Block Northern Pacific Railway Depot Old Stone Church Pence Automobile Company Warehouse Powers Hotel Research Plot 2 Research Plot 30 Robert Lindemann House Shea Site Sprunk Site St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Union Storage & Transfer Cold Storage Warehouse and Armour Creamery Building Watts Free Library Woodrow Wilson School YMCA Sign
Former listings	Burlington Northern Depot Cole Hotel Fargo and Southern Depot Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral Chesebro Smith House
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Cass County, North Dakota and List of National Historic Landmarks in North Dakota

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• Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Dakota
• Commercial buildings completed in 1884
• Buildings and structures in Fargo, North Dakota
• Buildings designated early commercial in the National Register of Historic Places
• Masonic buildings in North Dakota
• National Register of Historic Places in Cass County, North Dakota
• Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in North Dakota
• University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Dakota
• 1884 establishments in Dakota Territory
• North Dakota Registered Historic Places stubs