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BEMIDJI — Earlier this week, the Bemidji Public Works department was notified of a potential sinkhole at parking lot 7 in downtown Bemidji, at the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Fourth Street NW, adjacent to Raphael's Bakery and Brigid's Pub.

Upon arrival, the department was thrown off guard by what it unearthed.

Contributed

The foundation of a building that previously stood in the lot's place lay intact underneath the lot. The unexpected discovery created more work for the department, but for now, the lot was temporarily closed for the potential sink hole to be filled.

TJ Rhodes / Bemidji Pioneer

Bemidji City Manager Richard Spiczka explained in a letter to city councilors that the lot would need to be resolved in the future. This likely means excavation to remove pavement and debris while filling the cavity to ensure the lot is safe to use again.

Until that time, the lot will stay closed.

The lot is used regularly. Thus, accommodations to prevent ticketing have been made between regulars and the Bemidji Police Department, facilitated by the city. This should remain until the lot is safe to reopen.

The question remains, to which building did the foundation belong?

Cecelia McKeig, Ashton Loebs and Lois Jenkins, Beltrami County Historical Society members, began researching the lot's history immediately following the news. Though the trio did not find an absolute truth, they did discover some interesting tidbits about the area that could unveil the foundation's true origin.

The trio determined that the lot was likely paved and tarred in 1971. Thus, they formed a timeline for the properties of 314-318 Minnesota Avenue, which likely began breaking ground between 1898 and 1906 with a smattering of hardware stores that continued to change hands throughout the years.

A definitive answer is tough to find, however, the potential origin of the cavity is a leftover basement of a building torn down and forgotten by time.

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The historians offered four likely candidates that previously operated in the vicinity. These prime suspects include The Deep General Store, which was listed on a 1914 map; Given Hardware, which operated at multiple lots in the area around 1918; C.A. Peterson Motor Co., which likely operated from 1937 to 1938; and Saar Motor Co., which operated from around 1946 to 1970.

Saar Motor Co. in particular stuck out to the trio.

It operated the longest, as nearby businesses began to consolidate with it. Therefore, the basement could have belonged to Saar Motor Co. and was paved over without much thought a year or so after the business closed, not to be seen again for over five decades.

Or Saar Motor Co. simply acquired the basement along with the building. It is hard to tell if demolition and reconstruction were a theme throughout the early 1900s.

Of course, the research is not conclusive. The trio used historical maps and newspaper articles to pinpoint the ownership and business timeline, but there is a chance that some details were missed or completely lost due to time.

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Thus, the basement could be part of a different project that never made it off the ground or part of an extended basement that touched other buildings that no longer stand in the area.

Perhaps the city will learn more about the cavity when it begins filling it.

TJ Rhodes / Bemidji Pioneer