ABOVE: The building at 105 W. 1st Street in Fairmont will be revitalized and transformed into the Michael and Elizabeth Garry Building for use by Imagine Martin as an artisan studio known as The Hive.

FAIRMONT– An old building at 105 W. 1st Street in Fairmont is getting new life thanks to a generous benefactor who is helping to preserve, restore and transform it into the Michael and Elizabeth Garry Building. It will then be presented to local arts non-profit, Imagine Martin, which will use it as an artisan studio and market, known as The Hive.

The building has been sitting empty for a number of years though it’s served many purposes over its long 120-year history. Some of the dozen or so businesses that have been housed inside of it include Braun Shoe Shop (1912-1946), Montgomery Ward (1977-1985) and Elbert Optometry (1988-1998).

West 1st Street, over North North, or Downtown Plaza, is possibly the most historic street in Fairmont.

The benefactors had wanted to do something to memorialize Michael and Elizabeth Garry, a couple that spent its entire married life of 64 years in Fairmont.

Mike Garry graduated from Fairmont High School in 1941 and after going away to college, returned to Fairmont and went into the grain business. He later became the owner of Garry Elevator.

While originally from Minneapolis, Liz Garry helped launch KSUM radio and served as the first host of the station’s premier morning show, “The Talk of the Town.”

Throughout their lives, the Garrys supported a number of local organizations, including the Martin County Historical Society, Knights of Columbus, Chubb House, Fairmont Hospital and the St. John Vianney Endowment.

The benefactors got to know Jeff Rouse, Imagine Martin Chairman, and what he was doing at Imagine Martin’s The Hub, which is also on West 1st Street. Once they learned that the building next door was open, they thought it would be a good opportunity to revise it and use it as something to memorialize the Garrys.

Admittedly, it took quite a long time to locate the building’s former owner and obtain the title. The hunt for that began in early 2025 but they would not get ownership of the building and be allowed to start work until October of this year. However, things have been moving very quickly since then.

Rouse shared that eight large dumpsters were filled just to clear out the building. The building got a new roof and other renovations are planned, including work to the floors and ceiling and the front of the building will be refurbished as well.

“The building will get a total makeover,” Rouse said.

The renovation is being funded by the benefactors, who also expressed appreciation for Profinium Bank for its support in the process.

As for what the building will become, the benefactors saw it as a place that could showcase and encourage local creativity and entrepreneurship and serve the community.

Both they and Rouse hope that it will also draw people from the region into Fairmont.

Patrick Garry, one of Mike and Liz’s eight children, said that his parents were not just “pro Fairmont,” but “pro Downtown.”

ABOVE: Michael and Elizabeth Garry, a couple the demonstrated a strong commitment to the Fairmont community.

“Their first home was above the Wolf’s Department Store on Downtown Plaza,” he said. “The downtown has had its ups and downs over the years and I think they would have loved to do something to revive it a bit and do what they can.”

He added that they too would have opted to revive a building and keep as much of its original integrity as possible rather than demolish and start new.

“The past is the past but it still influences us. Fairmont has a rich past… I think this is a good reminder to us that the past is a strong influence and real contributor. If there was anyone that believed in the past, it was certainly my father,” Patrick Garry said.

Rouse added that the benefactors saw the importance of saving the building, developing it and using it as something that will better the community, all in honor of Mike and Liz Garry.

“We have a lot of gratitude,” Rouse said. “We will use it to give back to the community.”

Imagine Martin is still thinking of all of the possibilities the building can be used for. It’s expected that it will be completed by the late spring of 2026.