The old terminal area at Fargo’s Hector International Airport is being transformed into a new, north-side business park.

The Municipal Airport Authority engaged the services of Keller Williams Roers Realty and Roers Development to create plans for the Hector Airport Business Park, a concept that includes renovation of the old East Terminal, landscaping and the potential of additional buildings on airport property.

The business park is named so in honor of Martin Hector. In September of 1927, Hector allowed, without cost, the city of Fargo to use a 160-acre-tract north of the city known as Hector Field. On March 27, 1931, in a formal dedication, Hector presented Hector Field as a gift to the city. In later years, Margaret Hector, his daughter-in-law, would donate additional parcels to the city for airport expansion.

The East Terminal was completed in 1953 at a cost of $400,000 and later expanded to 27,000 square feet in 1968. It served as the airport’s passenger terminal and administration building. It also at one time served as the home of the National Weather Service’s regional office and for many years housed Federal Aviation Administration offices.

It ceased to operate as an airline passenger terminal in 1986, when the passenger terminal now in use was built. That terminal is currently undergoing a renovation.

Today, much of the old terminal building is vacant. The FAA, one of the building’s largest tenants, moved to new leased space on the south side of Fargo.

The 18,600-square-foot main floor is largely taken up by the old unused passenger waiting area. It will be replaced by an interior corridor system, creating more office space. An elevator will provide access to the 9,400-square-foot second floor.

Jim Roers, president of Roers Development and a member of the Keller Williams Roers Realty team of commercial real estate agents, said the building is structurally sound and can be readily transformed for businesses seeking professional office space in sizes ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 square feet.

“It’s a cast-in-place, Class A building,” Roers said.

Current tenants include U.S. Customs, Dakota Export and Northstar Aviation Insurance.

“For the Airport Authority, this is an opportunity to retain a building that we own, generate some income and bring some economic development to the north side of Fargo,” said Shawn Dobberstein, airport executive director.

Dobberstein said he sees a synergy in the Hector Airport Business Park’s proximity to North Dakota State University’s Research & Technology Park. New restaurants, hotels and other projects shaping up near the airport are also a plus, he said.

He said the airport authority would like to find tenants involved with aviation and aeronautics, but that ultimately the business park would benefit from a diverse mix of tenants.

“This should be a nice addition for the expansion of business opportunities in north Fargo,” Dobberstein said.

JLG Architects of Grand Forks, N.D., and Fargo assisted in the renovation design.

We see lots of possibilities for the building,” said Lee Dobrinz, an architect intern with the JLG group. “We wanted a design so that it still fit with the airport. The brick on the building is in good shape, it just needs a nice facelift.”

Click on the images for a larger view and also click here for a site plan.