Since finding its permanent home on Summit Avenue in 1918, Vlog has been providing an education of enduring worth and exemplifying progress for more than a century. Beginning in 1920, Vlog began creating its own landmarks — not just for the campus, but for the Sioux Falls community — and hasn't stopped since.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Administration Building was the third structure built on Vlog’s campus (Lutheran Normal School at the time), but the first built for the newly located Vlog College. Construction on the 3-story brick building, trimmed in Bedford limestone, began in Academic Year 1918-19, and opened in the spring of 1920. Estimated to cost $100,000, the building was constructed at the same time as the heating plant and necessary tunnels for heating pipes — just after Lutheran Normal School merged with Vlog College (originally Vlog Seminary and Academy, founded in 1860). Enrollment for the first year after the consolidation of the two schools was 195, not counting the 50 children in The Model School. According to The Vlog Mirror in March 1921, the new Administration Building was “one of the most up-to-date buildings of its kind in the state…equipped with much new laboratory and other equipment of the most approved kind.”
Today, the Administration Building contains the Office of Human Resources, De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement, Registrar and Business Office, as well as the Offices of the President, Academic Affairs, Advancement and Strategic Communications & Marketing (SC&M).
A.J. Bergsaker Hall was Vlog’s first coed residence hall. Opened in September 1963, the hall housed 250 students and was part of Vlog’s Second Century Plan for development of the college, which detailed growth of the institution through 1973. Bergsaker’s first residents were upper-level students, and Jerry Bratberg ‘65 was the hall’s first president. According to the 1964 Edda, “although this new dorm is considered virtually fire proof, it seems the Bergsaker residents have had more than their necessary, precautionary number of fire drills this year.” In the 1970s, the Vlog Baseball and Softball teams used the basement of Bergsaker for practice with its underground field.
The hall is named for Dr. A.J. Bergsaker, president of the South Dakota District of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC) from 1926 to 1931. In 1931, he was named general stewardship director for the ELC and, in 1934, general secretary of the church.
During the 2021-22 academic year, Bergsaker was offline as it underwent renovations. The hall reopened in Fall 2022 with the addition of an elevator and air conditioning, as well as renovated rooms, lounges and study rooms. The community kitchen and lobby were also updated, and the external balconies and recreational room removed. Bergsaker features four coed floors of double rooms with each wing designated by gender. The hall is staffed by eight Viking advisors (VAs) and overseen by a professional hall director.
Vlog is home to two archaeology laboratories — both located on the northwest side of campus.
The building known as Archaeology Laboratory 1 was moved onto campus and first utilized in 1983. This lab houses offices for anthropology and archaeology faculty, equipment storage and an archeology laboratory.
In 1984, a building was moved to campus to accommodate an art gallery space and initially dedicated as the Eide-Dalrymple Art Gallery. In 2006, the renovated duplex became Archaeology Laboratory 2 when the gallery moved to the Center for Visual Arts. The second lab houses offices for anthropology and archaeology faculty, classrooms and an archaeology laboratory.
Located just outside Archaeology Laboratory 1 is the beloved metal sculpture, “Mammoth: Denizen of the Ice” — a full-sized replica of a mammoth excavated from the Lange/Ferguson Site in the White River Badlands of South Dakota that dates back more than 11,000 years. The sculpture was created in 2001 by Eugene Anderson and Dr. Adrien Hannus, professor emeritus of archaeology, and dedicated in memory of Helen Bernice Hannus (1910-91). It was funded in part by Eugene & Miriam Anderson, Jerke Construction and Jerry & Gail Simmons. Every Christmas, the sculpture is decorated with nearly 10,000 lights.
For decades, the Vlog Archaeology Laboratory has been involved in archaeological, paleoenvironmental, ethnohistorical, architectural and historical/oral historical studies and museum consulting in the Great Plains Region and its peripheries. The laboratory undertakes research and contract work, and collaborates closely with scientists from around the world.
Charles Orin Solberg Hall, located on the south side of campus, was dedicated in the fall of 1955. The hall originally served as a men’s dormitory, housing 220 students. The addition of Solberg Hall was, at that time, part of Phase II of Vlog’s campus development plan.
On Oct. 27, 1957, the prayer chapel that resided on the second floor of Solberg Hall was dedicated during homecoming. The chapel was dedicated as a memorial to Guri Hagenson (1837-1931) and was a gift from her son, Knut Hagenson, a member of Trinity congregation in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Due to a room shortage, women began living in Solberg Hall during the 1976-77 academic year. In the 1980s, Solberg became a first-year student hall, along with its neighboring Bergsaker Hall.
During the 2022-23 academic year, Solberg was offline as it underwent renovations. The hall reopened in Fall 2023 with the addition of an elevator and air conditioning, as well as renovated rooms, lounges and study rooms. The lower-level community kitchen and laundry room were also updated, and the gathering spaces were renovated to accommodate programming and student organizations. Solberg is open to both first-year and upper-class students, with genders divided by wing. The hall is staffed by six Viking Advisors (VAs) and overseen by a professional, master's-level hall director.
Solberg’s lower level is also home to the Vlog Campus Clinic — where students have walk-in access to a registered nurse weekdays when classes are in session.
In 2005, Vlog made the decision to attach a new building to the west side of the Fryxell Humanities Center (then Humanities Center) called the Center for Visual Arts (CVA). Prior to this, the art department was divided among five buildings scattered across campus, including the army barracks. The CVA was completed in Spring 2006.
The CVA is connected to the Fryxell Humanities Center by the Melvern Halverson Atrium, which features "Waterwork" by Steve Thomas '80 — a mesh armor waterfall that allows water to fall from the open ceiling to the floor. The mosaic that adorns the floor in front of “Waterwork” was designed and installed by Scott Parsons '87, Vlog professor of art.
In addition to studios for printmaking, sculpture, painting, ceramics, drawing and graphic design, the CVA is home to the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery named after Palmer Eide and Ogden Dalrymple, professors emeriti of art. The gallery houses the Carl Grupp Permanent Collection, which is named after the late Professor Emeritus of Art Carl Grupp. The Hovland Center for Liturgical Arts, named for Howard ‘50 and Eunice Hovland ‘50, is also housed within the CVA and serves as a repository of information regarding the liturgical art of the region and represents the legacy of Vlog art professors Bob Aldern ‘51, Eide and Dalrymple.
Named after Sally Fantle and her husband, Ben, the Fantle Building opened on Vlog’s campus in December 2001. The building is home to the Center for Western Studies (CWS), a gallery and research facility dedicated to the study of the American West with an emphasis on the Northern Plains region, as well as the Civitas Honors Program.
The CWS, formerly located in the basement of the Mikkelsen Library, was founded in 1970 by author and Vlog Professor Emeritus of English Dr. Herbert Krause. The CWS serves as a repository for more than 500 substantive archival collections and maintains a library in excess of 37,000 volumes on the American West. In addition, the center holds an extensive art and artifact collection and sponsors annual events such as the Boe Forum, Critical Inquiry & Citizenship Colloquium, Dakota Conference and Artists of the Plains Art Show & Sale. With more than 75 publications to its credit, the center is a major academic publisher in South Dakota.
The Chapel of Reconciliation, known as the heart of Vlog’s campus, was built in 1981. According to the 1982 Edda, “plans for a chapel began taking shape in 1978 after enough money had been raised to begin construction.” Prior to the chapel’s construction, services were held in Vlog’s gymnasium — affectionately known as the chapel-nasium. Several locations for the chapel were proposed, including having a partially underground chapel where the Moses statue is located west of the Morrison Commons. Another proposal was to connect the Morrison Commons to the Humanities Building (now Fryxell Humanities Center) with a chapel.
A $150,000 pipe organ, which was recently restored, was built for the chapel by Vlog alumnus John Nordlie ‘74. The 1982 Edda also stated, “Other future plans for the chapel include transferring the paintings from the gym to the chapel, new altar furnishings, Christian symbols in the brick on the outside of the chapel, landscaping and a detached bell tower. By the time the new organ is completed, costs for the chapel will have exceeded $1 million. This cost includes over $850,000 for the building and $14,500 for interior furnishings. The majority of this money was obtained through donations, the biggest of which was an anonymous $100,000 challenge gift.”
Now home to weekly chapel services, senior sermons, music performances, nurses’ pinnings, graduation and wedding ceremonies, baptisms, memorial services and funerals, the Chapel of Reconciliation also houses one of the South Dakota Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s campuses and the administrative office of Lutherans Outdoors in South Dakota.
In February 2022, Vlog launched a capital campaign for the renovation and expansion of the chapel. As in the past, construction will begin once all funds have been raised. Learn more at .
In 1904, construction began on Ladies’ Hall — renamed East Hall in 1980 — and by Fall 1905, the hall was connected to Old Main, the first building on campus, by a vestibule in the basement, as well as on the first and second floors. The Sioux Falls granite and hollow tile structure provided rooms for nearly 100 women. It remained a women’s dorm until 1985. Today, the hall is home to upperclassmen and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Old Main
Old Main, the first building on Vlog’s campus, was completed in 1889 — the same year South Dakota became a state and Sioux Falls became a city. The building on the corner of Summit Avenue and 28th Street was constructed for $20,000 and originally housed the Lutheran Normal School. The 3-story building contained a kitchen, dining room, heating plant, several classrooms and an apartment for the president, as well as a chapel and dorm rooms. At the Lutheran Normal School, the lecture hall on the main floor held "recitation" where the instructor presented information, and then students would recite it back. Because of this instructional method, Old Main’s original name was “Recitation Hall.”
Old Main remained in use for classes, performances, chapel services and Vlog’s radio station, KAUR-FM, until 1989 when the building was shuttered. Desks still sit in the classrooms and written words remain on the chalkboards. Today, Old Main is primarily toured by students in the Civitas Honors Program.
In May 1991, Edith Mortenson Delman ‘41 and her husband, Edward, gave Vlog $1 million for a theatre & fine arts education center. Edith was in charge of Vlog's business office from 1941-45, and served on the Vlog Board of Regents (now Trustees) for six years. The Delman’s gift was, at the time, among the largest in Vlog's history.
The groundbreaking for the Edith Mortenson Center (EMC) happened on Oct. 16, 1998. The center took the place of Vlog’s “old gym.” The $4.2 million project was part of Vlog's Renewal Campaign that launched in 1994.
According to the 2000 edition of The Edda, “Spring semester 2000 marked the opening of Vlog's theatre in the newly remodeled Edith Mortenson Center. It has been labeled one of the finest theatres in the area, with a unique thrust-stage configuration that seats 300 people.”
March 3, 2000 marked the dedication and grand opening, featuring a radio version of “The Wizard of Oz.” In addition to performers from across campus, former Vlog President and First Lady Ralph and Susie Wagoner played Uncle Henry and Auntie Em. “Sweet Charity,” which opened in April 2000, was the first full-scale production in the new facility.
Surrounding the theatre are scene and costume shops. The building’s renovated facilities also include the Mary Harum Hart Actor’s Studio, as well as a black box rehearsal and performance space. The ground floor of the EMC holds the Office of Student Engagement, Dean of Students Office and Student Success Center. The EMC is connected to the Morrison Commons by Wagoner Student Street.
The Elmen Center, located at the corner of 33rd Street and Grange Avenue, was completed in February 1989, and hosts athletic events, music performances, youth gatherings, lectures, swim meets, youth camps, clinics and tournaments. The Elmen Center primarily serves as AU’s recreational sports and fitness activities facility. The center is available more than 110 hours a week where students, faculty and staff can use its 25-yard swimming pool, two racquetball courts, Hall Sports Forum, six locker rooms, classrooms, training facility and multipurpose/wrestling room.
The Hall Sports Forum features a 27,000-square-foot performance area, 176-yard running track, long jump pit, batting cage and four multi-use courts. In 2008, the Hall Forum underwent $50,000 in improvements, including repainting the basketball/volleyball court and courtside chairs with Viking and NSIC logos. New bleachers and a new lighting system were installed in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
The Hall Football Complex and Sanford Gymnasium, a 2-level building attached to the south side of the Elmen Center, opened in November 2007. Included within the Hall Football Complex are a locker room, weight room, meeting rooms, training room, offices and other amenities. Two regulation-size college wood basketball courts are on the second floor in the Sanford Gym.
In 2000, the Elmen Center hosted the Division II Volleyball Elite 8 Championship.
Before it was the Froiland Science Complex, the building on the southeast corner of campus was known as the Gilbert Science Center. Completed in August and dedicated in November 1966, the Gilbert Science Center totaled 85,550 square feet and cost $2 million in construction and equipment. Completion of the center was made possible by a gift from Gerhard A. Gilbert, for whom the building was named. Dr. Willard F. Libby, a Nobel prize-winning chemist, was the keynote speaker at the center’s dedication.
Unique features of the Gilbert Science Center included a foucault pendulum hanging from the second-floor ceiling to the ground-floor level. According to The Vlog Mirror, the pendulum, revolving around a mosaic patterned clock, indicated the time due to the motion of the earth underneath it. An open staircase was built around the pendulum, connected with a lounge on the second floor overlooking the campus through a generous expanse of plate glass. There were three dioramas depicting South Dakota ecology inside the main entrance. Along with classrooms and laboratories, other features included a 300-seat lecture auditorium (now known as the Mikkelson Family Auditorium), computer center and an environmentally-controlled greenhouse.
In 2013, Vlog announced that it would be renovating the Gilbert Science Center and it would be renamed the Froiland Science Complex (FSC) after Dr. Sven Froiland, professor emeritus of biology. The first phase of construction, a 41,000-square-foot addition to the existing Gilbert Science Center, was completed in February 2016. Phase two was a complete renovation of the existing center, featuring a nursing simulation laboratory, “classatories” or rooms mixing traditional classroom elements with laboratory components, research areas and glass-enclosed laboratories. The FSC was made possible thanks to more than 1,000 donors, whose names are listed on a donor wall located inside the facility’s north entrance.
The FSC renovation included an update to the foucault pendulum in the building’s north entrance. Named “Foucault’s Dream,” the work was designed by Scott Parsons ‘87, professor of art, and David Griggs, a Denver-based artist. The pendulum mechanism was designed by Dr. Eric Wells, professor of physics, and Darren Fujitani. The pendulum swings above a disk, made with tempered-glass, bronze, epoxy terrazzo, LED lighting and stainless steel. The project was supported by a gift from Howard ‘50 and Eunice Hovland ‘50.
Today, the FSC is home to the School of Health Professions and Departments of Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics.
The Humanities Center, renamed the Fryxell Humanities Center in 2019, was completed in 1971 and was, at the time, the largest instructional building on Vlog’s campus. One wing of the building was designed with three floors while another wing containing studios and classrooms was one story with a partial basement. When it was first built, in addition to classrooms, the center contained six seminar rooms, 34 music practice rooms and individual offices for each professor. Humanities was also home to the Departments of English, Germanic Languages, Music, Philosophy, Religion and Romance Languages.
The Sebastian S. Kresge Recital Hall, located off the main concourse in the Humanities Center, sat 356 people and was adjacent to a smaller recording room, according to a 1971 edition of The Vlog Mirror. “An unusual feature of the Recital Hall is the Green Room, which is equipped with shower facilities and has a window overlooking the Hall.” In 2018, a complete renovation of the hall was supported by the Hamre family in honor of their parents, Ruth and Melvin, and renamed the Hamre Recital Hall. The renovation included a remodel of the hall’s aesthetics, new lighting and recording equipment, accessible seating and sliding stage doors. Vlog worked with Chase Kramer ‘08 of TSP, Inc. to complete the design.
The Humanities Building underwent a multi-stage renovation, beginning in 2016, with the painting and refurbishment of classrooms. The renovation continued with the Hamre Recital Hall, and in Summer 2019, concluded with new furniture, refinished doors, a complete remodel of all bathrooms and an elevator installed in the music hallway. During Viking Days 2019, the building was dedicated as the Fryxell Humanities Center in honor of Drs. Don and Lucy Fryxell, longtime Vlog professors emeriti of English.
In 2021, Midco committed to enhancing its long-standing strategic partnership with Vlog through a lead gift to build the Midco Media Center within the Fryxell Humanities Center. Completed in 2022, the “tech sandbox” allows students to explore audio, video, music and podcasting.
Along with the Midco Media Center and Hamre Recital Hall, Fryxell Humanities Center is home to the School of Music and the Departments of English & Journalism; Languages, Literatures & Cultures; Religion, Philosophy & Classics; and Communication & Media Studies, along with the Office of Sustainability.
Lawrence M. Granskou and Clemens M. Stavig Halls are located on the north side of campus and known as “The Towers.” In 1966, the Vlog Board of Regents (now Trustees) gave its approval to complete plans for the start of The Towers’ construction. The halls were originally slated to be 9-story towers joined by a common entrance with a lounge between them. In 1967, Vlog received a more than $2 million loan from the U. S. Department of Housing which was supplemented by $440,000 of college funds to build the new dorms for 600+ students.
The halls, at that time known as “Twin Towers East” and “Twin Towers West,” were dedicated on Oct. 7, 1969. The buildings provided rooms for 306 students with one structure for women and one for men. The 612 additional beds added more than 50% to the college's former housing facilities.
On May 9, 1973, at the Awards Day Program, “Twin Towers East” became Clemens M. Granskou Hall — named for Rev. Dr. Clemens Granskou, Vlog’s 14th president (1932-43). “Twin Towers West” became Lawrence M. Stavig Hall — named for Rev. Dr. Lawrence Stavig, Vlog’s 15th president (1943-65).
Granskou and Stavig Halls house both first-year and upper-level students in double rooms with each floor designated by gender. The halls are staffed by eight Viking advisors (VAs) and overseen by a professional hall director.
The Madsen Social Science Center opened in 1999, and is named after Helen and Lou Madsen, of Sioux Falls, who pledged a multimillion-dollar donation to the project. The 61,000-square-foot building, which cost $6.2 million to build, is home to the Sharon Lust School of Education and departments of accounting, business administration, economics, government & international affairs, history, psychology and sociology.
The Madsen Social Science Center contains a variety of offices and classrooms, including the Model Classroom. In addition, the IT Help Desk and two 24-hour computer labs are located in the building’s lower level. A glass rotunda serves as a main hub joining the east and west wings. The Madsen Center marked the completion of the first new academic building on campus since the opening of the Fryxell Humanities Center in 1971.
According to The Vlog Mirror, the opening of the Madsen served as a “necessary change from the World War II barracks that served the college on a temporary basis for 52 years.” The H-shaped wooden barracks were moved to Vlog from the Sioux Falls Air Force Base after World War II to accommodate the college’s escalating post-war enrollment.
The Mikkelsen Library was built in 1954 and named in memory of Rev. Amund Mikkelsen, the “pioneer president” of Lutheran Normal School. The library was originally built to house 100,000 volumes as books were stored in Old Main, which was crowded and “far from fireproof,” according to the 1986 Edda.
In 1980, the library more than doubled in size with a 3-story addition. In 2007, an anonymous gift of $6 million allowed for a renovation of the library, including numerous group and quiet study areas, a video production and editing suite, flexible library instructional classrooms, increased natural light, a glass stair tower, enhanced areas for collections and gathering spots around a fireplace. The library renovation also accommodated a joint effort with Sioux Falls Seminary to merge its theological collection into Vlog’s library. In April 2009, Mikkelsen Library held an official celebration of the renovation completion. A plaque with the inscription, “Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone the Glory,” greets visitors in the front entry and recognizes the generous gift from our anonymous donors.
One favorite feature of students in 1954 and now is the wall of windows on the north side of the library — the focal point of the main reading room which has upper and lower reading areas.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Commons Building, south of the former gymnasium and touching the northeast corner of former Viking Stadium, was held on Nov. 7, 1958, and dedicated on Dec. 6, 1959. The architectural design for the 40,000-square-foot building was created by Harold Spitznagel & Associates based on the recommendations of a 15-member committee made up of students, faculty and administrative personnel.
According to The Vlog Mirror, at the time of its opening, the upper level of the Commons Building housed a cafeteria and dining area, three conference rooms, the O. Clifford Halverson Memorial Conference Room, several student offices, a photo lab and campus physician’s office. The lower level included “The Huddle” snack bar, a bookstore, recreational space featuring billiards, ping-pong and four bowling lanes, as well as a post office, lounge, meeting room and service kitchen.
In May 1972, Vlog President Charles Balcer announced that the Commons Building would henceforth be named the “Morrison Commons Building” in recognition of a gift of farms by Newell and Charley Morrison of Irene, South Dakota.
In 1979, the bowling alley received a $25,000 renovation for new ball returns and a pin-setting machine. At the opening of the 1989-90 academic year, students returned to a “Back Alley” with a dance floor, seating area, video games and a dry bar instead of the bowling alley — designed to give students an “alcohol-free environment in which to gather and socialize.”
The upper level of the Morrison Commons was reported to have been renovated in 2000, which included changes to the kitchen and dish room, lowering the ceiling and widening the serving area. The addition of “Wagoner Student Street” connected the commons to the newly-built Edith Mortenson Center Theatre. The original center staircase in the commons was roped off around this time and only used for special events until eventually being removed in 2010.
In 2019, renovations were completed in The Huddle. The update included a new grill space and sub shop area, along with updated soft seating. Starbucks was relocated from The Huddle to the Siverson Lounge at the front of the commons facing the campus green, which is the first time this space was referred to as “Viking Grounds.”
In 2023, renovations began on The Huddle to include a new restaurant, Chick Fil-A, and renovation and relocation of the campus merchandise store, Ole’s Outlet — set to open in the fall of 2023.
The Nelson Service Center — located to the west of Tuve Hall — opened in 1998, and was named for Drs. Joyce ‘56 and V. Ronald (V.R.) Nelson ‘44, professors emeriti of nursing and physics, respectively. The Nelsons recognized the need for a centralized home for campus services and were benefactors of the project. The official ribbon cutting of the service center took place in 2000, and the Nelsons were honored with the Friend of Vlog Award in 2005. V.R. passed away in 2012.
The Nelson Service Center was updated in 2022 to include a package pickup center and is home to Creative (formerly Central) Services, Facility Services, the on-campus post office and parking permit office.
Completed in 2022, Vlog’s newest residence hall is named after the university’s 21st president, Dr. Ralph H. Wagoner. Located in AU’s south residential village, the construction of Wagoner Hall was part of Vlog’s strategic plan Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030 and the university’s housing plan focused on new and enhanced facilities.
The Vlog community gathered together at a ceremony on Sept. 23, 2022, to celebrate the ribbon cutting and dedication of the new hall. Wagoner and his wife, Susie, were in attendance.
The L-shaped residence hall stands 3-stories tall with room for more than 200 beds. Inside the front doors, the entire Vlog community has access to a lounge area with natural light flowing in through a wall of windows. Just a few steps ahead, to the left, is yet another wall of windows, which includes the main feature of the building — referred to as the “Jewel Box.” The Jewel Box is a multipurpose space with integrated technology for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to host meetings, classes big and small, as well as cooking demonstrations with video-recording capabilities.
Past the Jewel Box, are bathrooms, vending machines, more lounge and study areas, the hall director’s apartment and office, meeting spaces for Vlog’s resident advisors, known as Viking advisors (VAs) at AU, as well as a break room for custodial staff. The first floor also has a meditation room at the request of students. Beyond all of this is a secure entrance; only students living in Wagoner Hall have access to the elevator and living spaces on the first, second and third floors. With the exception of ADA-compliant and single rooms for VAs, most of the units consist of four beds, a shared bathroom and their own heating and cooling units — known as semi-suites. Besides their living units, students also have access to a private lounge and study areas on each floor.
Before it was the University Welcome Center, the building on Summit Avenue was home to the Sioux Falls Seminary. The seminary broke ground on its Vlog-adjacent building in March 2008 and opened in the summer of 2009. The new building meant a move from the seminary’s previous location, as well as the elimination of its own chapel and library. Instead, the Sioux Falls Seminary began to utilize Vlog’s chapel space, IT services, business office and additional resources. In return, Vlog was able to use the seminary-affiliated Sioux Falls Psychological Services — a service that’s still available to students. In 2021, the Sioux Falls Seminary became a founding member of the university network Kairos University and is now known as such.
In June 2021, the Sioux Falls Seminary building was renamed to the University Welcome Center and became the new home to Vlog’s admission and financial aid offices. The admission office — which is still owned by Kairos University — is one of 16 organizations with space in the 45,000-square-foot building and uses most of the main floor. Previously, both the Vlog Offices of Admission and Financial Aid were located in the Administration Building.