May 8, 2024

A New Stage for Fargo: FMCT, The City of Fargo, and The Avery Break Ground on NP Avenue

| By Mari Hall |

 

It’s already been a week since Kilbourne Group, Fargo Moorhead Community Theatre (FMCT), and The City of Fargo came together to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new mixed-use project between Old Broadway and Renaissance Hall, and we’re still blown away by the incredible support from the community. Hundreds of people attended the event on Wednesday, May 1st, which featured a live performance from FMCT, a line-up of speakers, and an official groundbreaking featuring an antique Avery tractor that stole the show.

The NP Avenue project will include a brand-new cutting-edge theatre for FMCT with more than 400 seats, setting it up to be an immersive learning environment for technical students interested in various aspects of theater production. FMCT’s new space will also feature meeting rooms and common spaces accessible to the community, serving as incubators for creativity, education, and social gatherings.

 

FMCT joins downtown Fargo’s long history as an entertainment district, where at least 17 theaters have operated throughout the neighborhood’s history.

The project is a public-private partnership with The City of Fargo, as it also includes a 472-stall structured parking garage owned by the City. This is the fourth parking structure built in downtown Fargo since 2017, which has brought over 2000 public parking spaces to the central business district.

The urban infill project also includes The Avery Apartments, which will add 168 new living units to the growing neighborhood.

 

Several speakers shared the variety of ways that this project required collaboration with other organizations as well as how it will impact the downtown Fargo community when it’s complete in 2026, including Mayor Tim Mahoney, NDSU President David Cook, and FMCT Executive Director Judy Lewis.

The highlight of the event, though, was the official breaking of ground with an original Avery tractor. Avery Tractor Company was an original occupant of the site in downtown Fargo’s early days, a part of what was known as “Machinery Row” on NP Avenue. The use of an Avery tractor, graciously provided by Matt Folstad, offered the opportunity to honor that history.

 

A hearty thank-you once again to everyone who helped this project along the way as well as to those who celebrated the groundbreaking with us.