North Dakota Governor's Residence

Current North Dakota Governor's Residence

The North Dakota Governor's Residence is the home of the Governor of North Dakota. The current residence is located on the southwest corner of the North Dakota State Capitol grounds in Bismarck, and is the second official residence that has been built for North Dakota's governors.

Former Governors' Mansion

Former governor's residence, now a museum

The original governor's mansion was built in 1884 as a private home for Bismarck businessman Asa Fisher. Fisher homesteaded in Edwinton (Bismarck) in 1872 and made his fortune in banking, real estate and liquor sales. In 1893, the house was sold to the state for $5000. The house was used as the governor's residence from 1893–1960 and was the home of twenty North Dakota governors. In 1975, the State Legislature passed House Bill 1315 which transferred ownership to the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The house was renovated to look as it did in 1893 and opened to the public as a North Dakota State Historic Site in 1983.

Current Governor's Residence

In 1955, the North Dakota legislature approved House Bill 761 providing $200,000 for a new governor's residence to be built because the current mansion was in a state of disrepair. Construction started in 1959 and was completed in 1960. Governor John Davis was the last governor to live in the old mansion and the first to live in the new residence. In 2000, a complete remodeling of most of the home was done.

New Governor's Residence

The 2015 North Dakota Legislative Assembly passed Senate Bill 2304, which authorizes up to $4 million in special funds (for use on the Capitol grounds only) along with up to $1 million in private contributions for the demolition of the current Governor's residence and the construction of a new home on the same site (on the southwest corner of the Capitol grounds). The residence now in use was found to have major structural and safety issues, and estimates to repair the home came in at over $3 million. Instead, the legislature determined that new construction of a home, along with a visitor's facility for hosting events, would be a better option.

Governor Jack Dalrymple signed SB 2304 on April 29, 2015. Construction is scheduled to begin on the new residence in 2017.

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Coordinates: 46°49′03″N 100°47′06″W / 46.81747°N 100.784862°W