This Prairie School style bank was built in 1919 after the town’s original bank building burned in one of the fires that reshaped Forest River’s business district. The integrity of the Forest River State Bank’s exterior design, materials, and workmanship remains quite high. The building is the last remaining historic structure of Forest River’s once thriving main street and is a testament to the bustling community that the town once was. The building is not open to the public.

Forest River State Bank on Front Street in Forest River, Walsh County, is significant for its architecture and construction. An excellent example of Prairie Style architecture, it exemplifies early 20th-century small town bank architecture in North Dakota and the upper Midwest. Furthermore, the Forest River State Bank is a notable example of a commercial institution vital to the economic development of many small towns in North Dakota in the early 1900s.

The Forest River State Bank building was constructed in 1919 and served the community as a banking institution for 84 years. Designed by Joseph Rosatti, it was built to replace the original bank building which was lost to fire. The bank closed in 2003 and is currently used as a law office. It is the last remaining historic structure on Forest River’s once thriving main street and is a testament to the strong roots of this community.