The Lorentzen Clinic and Pharmacy in Elgin exemplifies an indispensible and yet somewhat experimental business enterprise in North Dakota. Private clinics and even small hospitals once served rural residents with access to emergency health care, especially for childhood illnesses and farm accidents. That need was met in Grant County by F. C. Lorentzen’s clinic. The building was constructed as a one-story brick building, with the later addition of a second floor with contrasting color brickwork, parapet crenellations, and tower-like projections at the corners. In the 1950s the drugstore was known for its soda counter and homemade malts. This building served the clinical care needs of Elgin and surrounding residents for more than fifty years, in stark contrast to the current, rapid-fire changes in managed health care.