We added a postcard of the Fargo Waldorf as it looked in 1911 a few days ago. Here are a few more looks at this long gone Fargo landmark.
In the first postcard below from 1906 or ’07, the Northern Pacific Depot is center-left, and the Waldorf is the four-story building center-right. This view is looking southeast from the tracks at 8th Street North.
The postcard above was sent to Miss Margaret Kelly in Detroit, Michigan in February of either 1906 or ’07 with the following message:
Hello Margaret. I just got home from Fargo. Would send from there but did not have address. Now, even away, I think of you. Many thanks for the nice Xmas card. Will write you a letter soon. Hope you are well. Kindest regards from J. and myself. Write [something illegible] Don’t wait. Mrs. [first name illegible] Shea. Two Harbors. 2/22/06 (I believe she mistakenly wrote ’06 instead of ’07)
In the postcard below, from the same time frame, we get a look at the Waldorf from the opposite angle. This shot looks southwest from Front Street and Broadway. The Waldorf is at the end of the block, under the tree. Thanks to Jordan Doerr for the postcard.
Here we have two similar angles on the same scene, nearly ninety years apart. The postcard above is from around 1924. You can see the reddish Waldorf center-right, by that time a five story building due to the floor which was added sometime between 1907 and 1911. You can also see the DeLendrecies department store, the tan building in the center, which is now part of the scene, and the NP Depot on the left.
In the shot below from 2011, the Delendrecies Building and Depot are still there, and the tall, skinny sign behind the lightpole with “LJA Architects” on it marks the spot where the Waldorf once stood.
Original content copyright Sonic Tremor Media
Ghosts of North Dakota 
And that LJA building is one of the ugliest structures currently standing in Fargo, completely out of character with its surroundings.
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It should be noted that “Front Street” is now called Main Avenue. The buildings in the foreground of the Front Street postcard are the buildings that now contain Babb’s Coffee, Rhombus Guys, One World Imports, etc. Also, the building closest to the Waldorf also had additional floors built onto it sometime before the 1924 postcard as you can see when comparing it to the older ones.
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When did the Waldorf TAVERN come into being?
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I still remember the Williams hamberger place by NDSU as they used to have a sale as 10 cent hambergers. Does anybody else remember that. 1964 and 1965 a few years ago.
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I absolutely remember Williams hamburgers! It was a real treat to go there for lunch after church/Sunday school and eat to our hearts content! (not sure they were connected to the Waldorf 🙂
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Yes! In the early 60’s my girlfriend and I would come from Hillsboro to go to Clare Brandt’s ballet class and afterwards to Williams hamburgers. It was way before McDonalds got popular. Thanks for remembering as no one else I mentioned it to seemed to. Lolly
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Lived down the street at the Kappa Psi house. (65-70). Ate a few burgers at Bills Steakhouse. Had some Fraternity dances at the Waldorf also.
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My Grandmother, Mattie Johnson Jacobson, worked at the Waldorf in 1909 when she was 16. She was 90 miles away from her family which, in those days, was a very long way. Her parents wouldn’t let her get married at that age, so she worked for 1 year & then came home to marry Ole Jacobson at age 17.
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Fancy smancy. I miss all the ritzy hotels by the train station. I guess not everyone was interested in eating with the Harvey girls. Went to one in Socorro NM. They even featured the soup to nuts menu as a novelty. I swear the bathroom felt haunted tho!
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