In 1920 the Hotel was purchased by William Barkley who turned the ground floor into the Scotts Department Store.
In 1970's the store and the Hotel both closed, and the building remained vacant for the next 15 years. During that time, the interior was stripped of it oak woodwork and Tennessee marble wainscoting, a leaky roof caused a large hole to develop through all the floors, and a fire burned through most of the second floor. In 1989 the city began plans for demolition.
Tired of watching Fergus Falls lose its historic buildings, Mark Sundberg founded the Hotel Kaddatz Preservation Association. The community stepped forward as volunteers worked to patch holes and clean up. Developers began showing an interest in the Hotel, but it wasn't until 2001 when Artspace in Minneapolis purchased the building. Artspace is a nonprofit organization that rebuilds historic buildings to be used for the arts.
Today the Kaddatz Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places, and houses artists lofts and Kaddatz Galleries, Ltd. |
