University of North Dakota Walking Tour
Description
A walking tour of the University of North Dakota covering the available buildings on Clio. This tour includes a wide array of buildings, from sports stadiums to mansions such as the Oxford house.
Built in 1952, this structure was built to serve as the new St. Michael Hospital on Columbia Road. It would later go through many changes in uses and in its names until it became the building known as Columbia Hall
Site of the University of North Dakota’s Era Bell Thompson Multicultural Center from 1975 to 2014. The building was constructed in 1914 and served as private residence and apartment rental for sixty years before being acquired by the University of North Dakota (UND) and turned into the multicultural center. After decades of deferred maintenance, the center moved across the street to UND’s Memorial Union, and the former residence and student community center was demolished in 2017.
Cowin-Larimore halls, built in 1909 and 1910, were two of four buildings comprising Wesley College, a Methodist institution affiliated with the University of North Dakota in the early 20th century. Larimore Hall acted primarily as a women’s dormitory while Corwin Hall housed faculty offices, classrooms, and a music recital hall. A. Wallace McRae, a New York architect, designed the buildings which stood on UND’s campus for a century before their destruction in the Summer of 2018.
Built in 1908, Sayre Hall provided Grand Forks, North Dakota with a beautiful example of Beaux-Arts architecture while serving as a cornerstone of campus life at Wesley College and the University of North Dakota. Designed by renowned New York architect A. Wallace McRae, the ornate building came into existence via a unique relationship between Edward Robertson, the president of Red River Valley University, a Methodist institution in Wahpeton, North Dakota and Webster Merrifield, the president of the University of North Dakota. The architectural gem stood on the University of North Dakota’s campus for over 100 years before demolition in June 2018.
The designation of the name "Oxford House" came into being in the 1950s as a means to identify the building at the corner of Oxford Street and University Avenue. It had housed four University Presidents. The house was originally built for Dr. and Mrs. Webster Merrifield, the University's fourth President, in 1902. The house is now used as a setting for University functions.
Merrifield Hall, or the New Liberal Arts building, began construction in 1927 and was dedicated on Founder’s Day in 1930. It was designed in the Collegiate Gothic style by Joseph Bell DeRemer, a famous North Dakota architect. DeRemer also designed the campus’s Budge Hall, Babcock Hall, the Oxford House, and the state capitol building. Since its dedication, Merrifield Hall has been the home of the Liberal Arts departments.
The Carnegie Building was built in 1907 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie and an additional loan from the University's president. It was built to house the University's library but quickly outgrew its original purpose. It was used as a dining hall and later became the home of the Home Economics Department. It was known as the Commons for most of its life, only receiving the designation of The Carnegie Building after the Home Economics department moved out in 1996. Today it houses University budget and auditing offices. As of December, 2018, plans have been put into place to restore the exterior to its original look and renovate the interior to house the President and his staff in new offices.
Serving the University of North Dakota since 1907, Babcock Hall is the oldest academic building standing on UND's campus. It was built as the School of Mines. It was the first home of UND's famous ceramics program, and later housed the Anthropology department. In upcoming years, Babcock Hall will become a hub for big data research, electrical engineering, and computer science department.
The University of North Dakota School of Law is the first professional school to operate at the university. The University of North Dakota has been providing legal education since 1899. The current law school was built from 1922-23, with additions completed in 1973 and 2015.
Created in the year 1927, the Memorial Stadium was used by the University of North Dakota's football team until 2001. The stadium brought new teams to play against North Dakota and helped the university financially, thanks to the expanded number of seats. Currently, the Memorial Stadium is used by the University of North Dakota's football team as a practice field and storage facility. Along with the football team's use, the UND track and field team uses the stadium for practice and events.