Sparks Hall dedicated Sunday

During Sunday’s event, Chadron State President Dr. Janie Park said maintaining the building’s historical “look, feel and character” have been paramount throughout the project, beginning with initial discussion and lasting throughout construction.

“If you look around this building, the new part of the construction fits in with the old part very well,” she said. “You have a hard time distinguishing the new from the old.”

Most of the 45-minute ceremony was the cornerstone laying by the Freemasons. More than 30 members of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska, most of whom are from the eastern part of the state, were present at the ceremony. Grand Master Dean F. Skokan of Hooper presided over the ceremony and Kent Broyhill of Dakota City served as Grand Orator. It was noted that Sparks Hall was Chadron's 24th cornerstone by the Grand Lodge. In Nebraska, only Omaha has more.

Behind the new cornerstone will reside a metal box full of materials about present-day Chadron State, perhaps be viewed by a future generation.

The colors were presented by members of the Knights of Columbus, who like the Freemasons wore full regalia. The ceremony concluded with a ribbon cutting sponsored by the Chadron/Dawes County Area Chamber of Commerce and tours of the building followed.

The Nebraska Legislature appropriated funds for the $2.6 million project in 2005 and construction began in May 2006.

The building, which was originally constructed just three years after the college’s founding in 1914, is now freeing up space for new classrooms in the Administration Building, which also is undergoing renovation. Sparks Hall now has offices for the central administration and its support staff, Human Resources, and the Alumni and Foundation. The latter offices are located in the 4,700 square-foot addition to the south of original structure, which also has restrooms and an elevator. With the new space, the building has 17,218 total square feet.

In order to meet today’s environmental, functional and safety standards, the interior of the existing building was completely demolished except for a few load bearing elements and the central staircase.

Gary Bieganski of Chadron, a member of the Nebraska State College System Board of Trustees, said he also was pleased to see the historical aspects of the building maintained, and that he subscribes to the board’s philosophy of preserving buildings when possible. Bieganski, a retired hospital administrator, said Sparks Hall has sentimental value to him as he frequented it often when he was a student at Chadron State.

“I’m always pleased to see that we maintain some of the things we have and that we appreciate their historical significance when we work to restore them,” Bieganski said.

At the heart of Chadron State’s campus, Sparks Hall has had several uses since its original construction. It has been women’s dormitory, cafeteria and housing for faculty and students.

During a speech about the college’s 10 presidents last week, CSC Information Services Officer Con Marshall told about a letter from Joseph Sparks, the building’s namesake and the institution’s first president, to the college’s governing board shortly after the building was constructed. A comment about the college’s then new facility to house 50 women drew laughter from the audience.

Marshall quoted Sparks’ letter: “It gives (the female students) a pleasant home at much less expense than was possible before the construction, and, most importantly of all, the young women are under the direct control of the college.”