By BSU Alumni & Foundation
Published 9:00 am on September 28, 2025
The iconic David Park House was built in 1936-37 and has housed the Bemidji State University Alumni & Foundation since the early 1990s. Its recognizable sign out front was installed by local landscaping company T&K Outdoors on this date in 2010, and you can check out the step-by-step install below.
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.
KEEP READING: