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After Completing the First Phase of the Remodeling Efforts, Phase Two is Already Underway

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All materials salvaged will be restored and replaced into the building, in order to maintain an authentic aesthetic, true to the era of the buliding's original construction.

Buxton in Bloom, a North Dakota non-profit organization, has completed the first phase of its renovation of the granite bank structure on the main street of Buxton, North Dakota. The structure, originally built in the 1890's, has been stripped down to the bare walls with no floor in order to salvage the bank's interior, remove the asbestos and mold from the building, and allow room to replace structural elements of the roof and floor.

Demolition and abatement was completed by Intermountain Technical Services, Mayville and J&N Enterprises, Grand Forks. The wood and glass teller line has been removed and is being stored until it can be refurbished to its original condition.

”We needed to strip the interior to make sure that all the cool historical furnishings and moldings didn't deteriorate any further,” Bobbi Hepper Olson said.

Ms. Olson is the chair of Buxton in Bloom and also the project manager.

“The building wasn't weather tight and any more time that elapsed would have further damaged the antique wood doors and furnishings. We just couldn't leave that stuff in there,” she said.
The budget for the first of four phases was $40,000 out of a total estimated project cost of $200,000.

According to Olson, phase one came in slightly under budget and was completed by the end of August 2005.

“I really have to thank the people who donated funds to the project, because without them we [Buxton in Bloom] wouldn't have matching funds for the grants that we received from local, state, and federal sources,” she added.

Granting agencies require a local funding match to ensure local commitment to the project. No funding requests are considered without them.

Granting agencies were: