The Sigma Phi Epsilon house is full of history, stories, and surprises. The walls have housed three different organizations at two separate addresses. The first recorded owners, Alpha Chi Omega, chose to move it likely to get the house closer to the growing campus before it was too late. The second owners, Tau Kappa Epsilon, are not so fortunate after being forced off campus due to multiple poor interactions. The current owners, Sigma Phi Epsilon, are still active and keeping Greek life going in the old house. This house has truly earned its place right outside campus where it will likely spend the rest of its time in "Peace".
Opening in 1972, University of North Dakota hockey fans were awed at the shiny plexiglass, alternating green and white seats, and bright illumination. Unlike its predecessor, The Barn, the (old) Ralph Engelstad Arena was a more ‘fan-friendly’ arena and offered fans warm surroundings, modern conveniences, and contemporary comforts. The 6,067-seat arena was home to the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team for nearly three decades and hosted the 1983 Frozen Four tournament. Originally named the Winter Sports Center, it was renamed in 1988 to honor UND alumnus and former Sioux goalie Ralph Engelstad. After a successful 29-year tenure in the (old) Ralph, the UND hockey team moved to the new $104 million Ralph Engelstad Arena in 2001. The old Ralph was demolished in 2013.
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.
Built in 1936, the Barn was a popular place for University of North Dakota students and loyal “Sioux” fans. This building, officially known as the Winter Sports Building, developed its nickname “The Barn” because of it being a Quonset. The cost of building the barn was $46,000 and was funded by grants. After more than ten years of operation, the Barn became the original home of UND hockey starting in 1948. For many years it served as a multipurpose building being a great center for people to come together and enjoy various events, but primarily UND hockey.
O'Kelly Hall is a building that stands on the University of North Dakota's campus. The building's west wing was completed in 1948 and the east in 1953. In 1963 Ireland Hall was added to its south side. It was built to serve as the Medical School building and did so until the medical school expanded in 1981and moved to the former St. Michael's Hospital. Since then the building has housed the communications, history, and geography departments. It now also holds the Teaching Transformation and Development Academy. In recent years it has gone through a number of renovations to its interior for modernization. Many UND alumni and former students have had at least one class in O'Kelly Hall.
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.
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 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.
The UND Armory is the home of both the universities Army ROTC program and the Air Force ROTC program. The building contains offices, classrooms, and an open gym area for working out. The building itself has been there for over the last 100 years and though many have come and gone, much of it has stayed the same and its purpose has continued to develop the future leaders of both the United States Army and Air Force.
This historic building started as a multi-purpose University of North Dakota building used as an armory, drill hall, assemble hall, and a gymnasium for both men's and women's athletics. Currently, it is known as the state of North Dakota’s first official art museum called the North Dakota Museum of Art. The original building was constructed in 1907, with subsequent modifications made to turn the gymnasium into a beautifully well-constructed museum in 1985. The seemingly small building provides a vast and immersive experience on the inside, telling the stories from the past and the present in order to immerse the Upper Midwest in the cultures of the world. Also, it has the coolest bathrooms around.
Gustafson Hall was originally the house of the Varsity Bachelor's Club on the University of North Dakota campus. The Varsity Bachelor's Club then joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in 1913 and the house remained part of this organization until spring of 1979. The building was then converted into an office space for the Outreach Programs department (now the Office for Extended Learning). The building was dedicated, and renamed after Bernhard G. Gustafson for his work with the Outreach Program, on May 8, 1980. As of spring 2021 the building sits empty, but the university has made plans for renovation in the future.
‘Old Main’ as it is known now, was the first Grand Forks University building built to hold lecture classes for students. The building was built in the flat plains of Grand Forks near the Red River of the North, which separated the states of Minnesota and the Dakota Territory.Grand Forks University first opened for classes in 1883, soon after the completion of the building. The first class graduated in 1889, six years after the establishment of the university and five months before North Dakota became a state. Changing from Grand Forks University to what it is known as today, the University of North Dakota.
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.
Gamble Hall was constructed on the west side of campus, seated between Burtness Theatre and The Oxford House. The hall opened in 1968 after just one year of construction and was built to house the University of North Dakota's College of Business and Public Administration ("CoBPA"). Thus, the following departments could be found there: Accountancy, Economics and Finance, Marketing, Political Science and Public Administration, and the department of Entrepreneurship and Management. Gamble Hall’s construction and technological advancements helped UND set eight consecutive enrollment records.
Built in 1967, Selke Hall was named after the highly acclaimed Professor of Education, Dr. Erich Selke. This suite-style dorm can house roughly 306 students and is one of the only air-conditioned dormitories on the University of North Dakota’s campus. Selke Hall is part of the West Green Dorm Complex and is attached by tunnel to Noren Hall and the Wilkerson Dining Center.
Squires Hall has stood at the University of North Dakota since 1964. It was named in honor of former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Vernon Squires in 1964.
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.
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.
The Chester Fritz library located on the University of North Dakota campus continues to intertwine legacy with innovation among current students. This building has been central for students, researchers, and faculty alike since 1961. Named after one of the most generous donors and notable alumni of the university, Chester Fritz shaped the campus and established the acclaim that the campus enjoys today. Standing tall amid the Grand Forks weather, the Chester Fritz library continues to be a staple for students in their pursuit of knowledge.
Known loving as “the living room of campus” the University of North Dakota’s Memorial Union was home to many student organizations, the North Dakota Museum of Art, and dining establishments. Constructed in 1951, it was the first space of its kind on campus, where students of any major or background could gather socially. Torn down and rebuilt in 2021, the newly constructed Union continues the 72-year legacy of offering students these services and providing space for them to learn and socialize.
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.
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
The Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA/The Ralph) is home to the University of North Dakota's (UND) hockey team. Formerly known as the Sioux, then the Fighting Sioux, the renamed Fighting Hawks have been playing in the REA since October of 2001. The REA has faced many controversies since being built in 2001, including the use of Sioux memorabilia and their controversial name sake Ralph Engelstad. The building is important to the UND and Grand Forks community, and is known as the home of "Old Time North Dakota Hockey."
Get a QR Code for this tour
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.
