The historic Mandan Depot (left), the former beanery (right) and both parks located on both sides of the buildings will now be known as Heritage Plaza. Brian L. Gray photo

By Brian L. Gray

Big changes for Mandan’s former Northern Pacific Rail Road Co.  depot, beanery and their adjacent parks call for a new name.

The depot currently houses the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation, Five Nations Arts and the Lewis & Clark Riverboat Foundation. The beanery contains three organizations – Mandan Progress Organization, Mandan Historical Society and Mandan Art Association. Together they will soon begin a transformation that will turn the former train stop into a focal point for tourists and a hub of activities and events.

The new name for the depot, beanery and surrounding area will be the Heritage Plaza. Foundation Assistant Executive Director Matt Schandandore made the announcement Tuesday before the Mandan City Commission.

Schanandore will also serve as the president of the newly formed Heritage Plaza Foundation. He said the foundation and the organizations are teaming up to help breathe life back into the downtown area that once was active and popular spot in Mandan’s past.

“That’s the purpose of foundation. Both of the buildings are city-owned and obvious icons in the area, with their unique architecture and history, and we hope to make them a central focal point in Bismarck-Mandan,” he said.

What is in store for the plaza is more than just a simple name change. Two railroad cars will be purchased in the future for the plaza. One will be turned into a dining car, which will serve food and refreshments, while the other car will be a souvenir and gift shop, according to Del Wetsch, MPO executive director. And behind the depot, three murals will be set up outside, which will detail, in words and photos, the history of three areas relevant to Mandan’s past – the railroad, pioneers and cowboys, and Native Americans.

“We wanted to create something that would help promote our history, that’s part of our identity,” Wetsch said.

The Heritage Plaza will refer to the depot and beanery, and the two parks on both sides. The park to the east of the depot has been given the new name Heritage Park, while the park to the west, known as Dykshoorn Park, will retain its name.

The plaza’s name is meant to incorporate the history of that location downtown, in addition to the history of Mandan, and changes to the plaza will fit in line with that theme.

Schandandore said both the beanery and depot buildings will be going green, with the installation of geothermal wells to reduce heating costs. Windows will be replaced, and leakage problems will be addressed. With the buildings now over 80 years old, Schandandore said there’s much to be fix to keep them functional.

The interior won’t be the only visible change at the plaza. Outside, the exterior brickwork will be fixed on both buildings, and the pillars at the depot will be fixed and painted.

“And this work will all be in line with staying historically accurate with these buildings, and not taking away from the look of them,” Schandandore said.

Schandandore said the foundation plans to seek funding not by taxpayer dollars, but by way of grants and private investors, including businesses and individuals.

Commissioner Jerry Serhienko he was in favor of these plans. “I like the idea of preserving the heritage of Mandan. This idea pretty much summarizes everything I can conceive regarding this area,” he said.

Once the project gets underway, more and more events will be taking place at the Heritage Plaza. Schanandore said by Labor Day weekend, there should be something going on at the plaza just about every weekend, which he said will add more life to downtown Mandan, and help punctuate that area as a focal point for tourism.

“Many people are getting frustrated with so many of our old buildings that have been taken away, that many historic buildings in Mandan have been torn down. But this plaza is here to stay,” Wetsch said. “We want to make this plaza a tourist spot that’s centrally located in town.”

In all, the large scale plans will take several years to complete, but the plans are in place and the changes will soon begin.

A new website, which is in the works, has also been set up for people to keep up to speed with any updates at Heritage Plaza, mandanheritageplaza.org.

“People for a long time have been wanting a venue downtown they can go,” Wetsch said. “For a snack, to relax, to get together and have a good time… This is what we’re looking to do here.”

The proposed groundplan for Heritage Plaza. Photos courtesy of Heritage Plaza Foundation