Old to New:

Remodel, Restore, Revitalize

For decades, “downtown” was the hub of the economic and social lives of rural residents across North Dakota. Since their heyday in the 50s, small town business districts have been shrinking. Many small communities in North Dakota are on the cusp of extinction. As the rural population declines and the state’s agriculture-based economy struggles, boarded buildings and empty storefronts now dominate once prosperous streets.

Seeking to reverse years of decline, some local organizations are taking steps to revitalize their communities. Across the state community groups and entrepreneurs with vision are rehabilitating old buildings and putting them to new uses – renewing their sense of identity in the process.

• An empty hardware store becomes a high tech incubator
• A church is converted into a library
• A former jail becomes a restaurant
• An abandoned school house turns into a family

Transformations are occurring across the State of North Dakota with a former school building becoming a bed and breakfast, and a long dormant opera house filled with performers and audiences once more. Each effort is helping small towns preserve their identity and quality of life, while strengthening the local economy.

Old to New: Remodel, Restore, Revitalize, examines how communities are finding new uses for old buildings and revitalizing their town in the process. This companion website examines the issues and challenges facing any project, and diverse perspectives that come into play.