Lee Watkins

Funeral Service: https://vimeo.com/939133585

Lee Watkins, Fargo Artist and Architect, dies at 84.

F. L. (Frank Leland) Watkins, III was born in Fargo, ND, on July 19, 1939, to Luella and F. Leland Watkins, Jr., son of Glenora and F. Leland Watkins, Sr., an early Fargo resident who founded the Dakota Business College (DBC) in 1893. Lee died peacefully in Fargo on April 22, 2024 due to complications associated with his age.

After graduating from Fargo High School, he pursued his artistic talent further, earning a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from North Dakota State University, and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He was also mentored by renowned regional artist Cyrus M. Running while attending Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.

Lee practiced as an architect throughout his life. He returned to Fargo to help his parents run the DBC until it closed in 1978, and he cared for them until their passing. During this time, he was a partner in the Fargo architecture firm KBW, taught design at NDSU, and designed commercial buildings, and custom homes and renovations for many clients.

In 2006, Lee’s design was recognized when he was chosen as the winner of the Broadway Square international design competition, outshining over 80 other applicants. His proposal, as noted by jury selection member Lee Faulkner, stood out for its dramatic form and visual appeal.

Lee was a respected artist who mastered many mediums and artistic styles. When Fargo had heavy snow storms, Lee demonstrated his skill as a sculptor by creating life-size snow sculptures of famous works of art in his front yard, such as Rodin’s “The Thinker,” featured in the Fargo Forum.

Lee was not only a talented artist and architect but also a dedicated community member. He played a significant role in the development of the Red River Zoo when the Red River Zoological Society was established in 1993.

After Lee’s parents joined Dr. and Mrs. George Foster and others in 1938 to establish the Fargo Winter Club, the group partnered with the WPA to build the Fargo Arena in Island Park so residents could participate in skating and other winter sports indoors. The Fargo Arena attracted professional skating coaches to Fargo, and Lee became an accomplished competitive figure skater.

Lee was a strong supporter of the arts in the Fargo region and created a thriving artists’ community in the DBC building after the school closed. His generosity in offering affordable rents to many Fargo artists and shop owners for decades contributed significantly to the growth of Fargo’s art community. In 2018, Dakota Fine Art on 8th – a fine art gallery and working collaborative of nine artists and visiting artists was established with Lee’s support on the first floor of the DBC building.

Lee was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Mary Button, Joyce Newman, and Joan Jakobson. He is survived by his nieces and nephews, grandnieces and nephews, and a great-nephew.

Services will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, April 29, 2024, in the chapel of the Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home in Fargo, with a visitation one hour prior. The service will be livestreamed on the funeral home website. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery, Fargo.