A view of the Iverson Building, which has been a fixture in Mandan since 1917. Talks have begun on how the building may be used in the future. Some possibilities that have been thrown in the air include a bakery, an organic food supplier and a museum. Ken Rogers photo

By Ken Rogers

Piece by piece, downtown Mandan’s business future has begun to take shape.

Going back to 2003, the Library Square I project was finished on the 100 block of First Street Northwest. The Family Dollar and O’Reilly Auto Parts stores on the south side of Main Street were completed in 2008. Work on Library Square II finished this past fall.

Construction has begun at 200 West Main Street on the Mandan Place project – a multi-story, $3 million structure with commercial space at the street level and apartments on the upper three floors. The developer is CRT Investments, LLC. The first floor has been roughed in.

The Mandan City Commission recently agreed to sell the city’s property at the corner of Collins Avenue and Main Street to Western Edge Development. Proposed is a three-story, 36,000-square-foot building costing an estimated $5.8 million and designed along the lines of the historic Hotel Mandan, which was originally built on the site in 1883.

It’s to be called Peoples Square.

Western Edge has furnished the city with a letter of intent from a buyer for the street-level commercial space, where service sector businesses are expected. Developers want professional services on the second floor and the third floor will go for condos.

It seems the redevelopment of downtown Mandan has begun to heat up. With the big pieces already completed, what’s now under construction and plans still on the drawing board, other possibilities are starting to spin off; in particular, eyes have turned to the former John Iverson building at the bottom of Collins Avenue.

Constructed in 1917 as a food warehouse, the three-story, 24,000 square foot building was a wholesale food distributor for communities then served by the railroad – New Salem, Glen Ullin, Hebron and Richardton on the mainline; Flasher, Elgin, New Leipzig and Mott on the south branch; and Hazen and Beulah on the north branch.

Later it became home to the John Iverson Co., an electrical contractor and lighting retailer.

Today, the building belongs to Al Leingang.

In recent months, a number of local entrepreneurs, under the umbrella of the Common Development Enterprise Corp., along with the Mandan Mercantile Steering Committee, have been holding public meetings about potential uses for the John Iverson building. Possibilities under discussion have been a bakery, fulfillment operation for Pride of Dakota, organic food supplier and children’s museum.

At the same time, according to Mandan business development director Ellen Huber, the city pitches the John Iverson building every time there’s a suitable inquiry for commercial space in Mandan.

“It’s one of the top two or three prime locations in the community or a restaurant… because of the parking,” Huber said. There’s room on the lot to the east of the building for 140 cars. It might mean creating a suitable entrance for an eatery on that side of the building.

The building also has character.

People involved in the possibility of a bakery are interested in a phone survey to help determine whether there would be the demand for that kind of business. A feasibility study will need to be done.

Also, a feasibility study for the development of a children’s museum will be conduced by Leadership Bismarck-Mandan, an offshoot of the Chamber of Commerce. A children’s museum was an idea that got its start with education focus group for the Mandan Vision plan, and a formal organization has since been created.

One of the issues related to the John Iverson building is that it’s “too much” building for many uses and, Huber said, an effort will be made to work with the owner to look at developing the building floor by floor.

Also, Huber said cost estimates are needed for getting the public areas of the building ready for use, so that someone could look leasing or buying one floor.

The John Iverson building is not the only building on Main Street that could house one or more of these projects.

Huber expects the regional and national economy to perk up and that may further help development in downtown Mandan, although finding local people – successful business people – to invest locally may be a better way to go.

“We are going to develop a local investment group,” Huber said, “…We can accomplish things for Mandan by ourselves.”

It’s one of Mandan Tomorrow’s top objectives, she said.

Downtown isn’t the only part of Mandan that plays into development. The Strip and the developing residential property to the south of The Strip have seen strong growth, which should continue. Work has already begun on a Memorial Highway Corridor Project that will look at further improvements in this key business, commercial and residential area.

The completion of the new Mandan Middle School north of I-94 will provide cause for development in that direction.

Meanwhile, the Bismarck Mandan Development Association has been working with United Hardware, the cooperative that owns Hardware Hank, about a potential location in Mandan.

It’s all coming together one piece at a time.