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The Alumni & Foundation offices are separated into three locations: the David Park House, the Alumni House and the Career Advancement office in Decker Hall.

David Park House

David Park House

The historic David Park House in perhaps the crowned jewel of the Alumni & Foundation, as well as a premier feature for all of Bemidji State.

Built in 1936-37 by prominent Bemidji businessman David Park, owner of the largest creamery in the Bemidji area at the time, the 5,326-square-foot Park House was designed by architect Edward K. Mahlum, brought to life by local contractor Adolph Nasvik, and painstakingly built from mostly poured concrete.

The original cost of the Park House in 1936 remains unknown, with the best guesstimate put at $40,000 – a princely sum in those Depression days when two-story homes could be purchased for less than $1,000.

The house was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1988 and sold to the BSU Foundation in 1991.

David Park House history

Not only does it house many BSU Alumni & Foundation employees, the David Park House also holds a rich history in Bemidji.
 
David Park, a prominent local businessman and the owner of Bemidji’s largest creamery, commissioned the house to fulfill a promise to his wife, Edna, that he would build her a fine home for their family.
 
The 5,326-square-foot house was designed by Edward K. Mahlum, a young Norwegian architect, and built from 1936-37 in an undeveloped neighborhood on the north end of Bemidji. With its smooth surfaces, flowing lines and repetitive, geometrical detailing, the striking house stood as a classic example of the Streamline Moderne style popularized in Florida or California, though certainly not Bemidji, during the 1920s and 1930s.
 
Mr. Park selected a local contractor named Adolph Nasvik to build the house. The walls and floor of the Park House were made mostly of poured concrete rather than wood – which was typical of most Minnesota homes at the time – to give a smooth shape to the building and the appearance of a grand piano from the aerial view. Nasvik was so impressed with the home that he later built a home next door (now known as the Alumni House, or the Sauer House), which is considered complementary to the Park residence.
 
One of the most remarkable features of the house is its three-story brass railing on the curved staircase. The railing, which imitates a music note, had to be installed at an early point in the construction and the house closed in around it.
 
Each Christmas, one of the Park grandchildren had the honor of selecting the colors for a gigantic Christmas tree that stood in the front window. The flocking ranged from white to black to purple to orange and included features like colored bulbs, big pink bows and more.
 
Mr. Park was proud of his unique home and loved to entertain in it. He often gave tours after his daughters were already asleep in their rooms. Noteworthy guests ranged from former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1955 to Megaw, the Park family’s pet monkey.
 
Edna Park only had a few years in the house before she died of cancer in 1941. David Park later remarried and wed Wanda Hartman Batchelder in 1944.
 
David Park lived in the home until his death in 1977. The house was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1988 and is still Bemidji’s only home on the list. Wanda Park sold the house to the BSU Foundation in December 1991.
 
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Alumni House

Alumni House

Next door to the David Park House sits an equally impressive home called the Alumni House, or the Philip Sauer House, that houses approximately half of BSU’s Alumni & Foundation staff.

Local contractor Adolph Nasvik, who constructed the David Park House, was so impressed with it that he later built his own home next door. Now known as the Alumni House, or the Sauer House, it is considered complementary to the Park residence.

Soon owned by the late BSU professor Dr. Philip Sauer and his wife, Elizabeth, the Sauer family later donated the residence to the university. The Sauer House has been home to the BSU Alumni Association since 2004.

Decker-Hall-Fall-2022

Decker Hall

The Career Advancement staff operates out of the second floor of Decker Hall, which was built in 1957 during the Bemidji State University construction surge. It once housed a cafeteria and lounge for students.

Decker Hall, first known as Hickory Hall, is now named after Dr. Robert Decker, who served as Bemidji State's president from 1968-80. During his tenure, Decker was very influential in what was considered the “great expansion.” Eight buildings were constructed, three existing buildings were renovated and the school's enrollment hit an all-time high of 5,787 students.