The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Graham Hall

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Graham Hall (general view, from the north, 1921), Dakota Wesleyan University

Graham Hall (entrance, view from the north, 2001), Dakota Wesleyan Univeristy

Graham Hall (rear view, from the south, 2001), Dakota Wesleyan University

Institution Name: Dakota Wesleyan University
Original/Historic Place Name: Century Memorial Hall
Location on Campus: east side of campus
Date(s) of Construction:

1901-1903

original construction; groundbreaking May 8; dedication in 1902; completion in 1903

Designer: unknown
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Beaux-Arts classicism, Regionalist/Vernacular (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, history
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: Sioux quartzite and chalk rock

Walls: Sioux quartzite and chalk rock

Roof: wood, asphalt shingles

Function:

1903-1957	other (music studio)
1903-1957	gymnasium (women's)
1903-1957	dining hall (and kitchen)
1903-1957	residence hall (women)
ca. 1957-1980	residence hall (men)
ca. 1980	residence hall (co-ed)
ca. 1980-2002	academic department building (art)

Narrative:
Graham Hall is the oldest building on the Dakota Wesleyan University campus. Built during 1901-1903 and originally named Century Memorial Hall, it was renamed Graham Hall in 1910 to honor DWU President William I. Graham. It served as a women's dormitory until 1957, when it became a men's residence hall. By the 1980s the top two floors were used as a co-ed dormitory, with the lower two levels used to house offices and the art department. By the end of the 1980s, the top two floors were closed off, and it ceased being used as a residence hall.

At one point, Graham Hall was condemned. But numerous concerned alumni helped raise funds, and in 1996 portions of the exterior were restored. The lower two floors continued to be used as offices and for the art department until 2002, when the building was vacated.

Architects who have visited DWU agree that Graham Hall is the showpiece of the entire campus. The Sioux quartzite exterior is ornate, and the interior, though greatly changed, once featured decorative woodwork, fireplaces, a formal parlor, long hallways, and a dining room in the basement.

For more than 80 years, Graham Hall served as a home to numerous generations of DWU students, and as such, it is very significant to our alumni. Even the alumni who did not live in the dorm still feel strongly about preserving Graham Hall. Graham Hall is a contributing (historically significant) building within a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References:

Coursey, O. W. A History of Dakota Wesleyan University for Fifty Years (1885-1935). Mitchell, SD: Dakota Wesleyan University, ca. 1935.

French, Edith M. Dakota Wesleyan University. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1976.

Goering, Violet Miller. Dakota Wesleyan University: Century I. Sioux Falls, SD: Pine Hill Press, [n.d.].