Vangstad Auditorium

The Vangstad Auditorium and Classroom Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is an Early 20th Century Revival formerly designed for the Valley City State Normal School and built in 1907.

The 800-seat auditorium is embellished with ornate plaster adorning an illuminated dome, framing the proscenium arch, and encasing the face of the balcony. The plaster, along with the wood flooring and ceilings, was repaired. The 11,000 S.F. auditorium received new finishes including carpet, paint and refurbished seating. A new stage extension was constructed that more closely resembles the historic curved stage front, encloses and protects a cherished manual Moller Organ, and provides performing space for an orchestra.

The auditorium was finished on the last day of winter term, 1908, and once again, the entire school could meet together for general exercises. The student body at this point numbered about 600. “The Bulletin” reported that “No normal school in the country possesses a handsomer or finer assembly room,” noting its dome, stained glass windows, seating and lighting “excellent.” In the following year, the lower two floors were completed, adding eight new classrooms.

The statues and stained glass windows in the auditorium were purchased with proceeds from a series of entertainments directed by Miss Amidon, one of the seven faculty members in 1907. She and Miss McGregor (English faculty) planned the designs for the windows to the rear of the stage. The window on the left symbolizes music; the one on the right, oratory. The central panels of “Hope” and “St. Cecelia” were selected by Miss Amidon, Miss McGregor, and Mrs. McFarland. Miss Amidon also is responsible for the statue of Apollo to the right of the stage.

In 1971 the auditorium within the building was named Vangstad Auditorium to honor Lena and Thilda Vangstad, long-time faculty at VCSU who retired in 1971. Since then, the building itself has come to be known as Vangstad Auditorium.

Lena and Thilda were twins, born in Osakis, Minn., in 1901. Lena earned a Bachelor of Science in teaching and a Master’s degree at the University of Minnesota; she also did graduate studies at the University of Chicago, the University of California Berkeley, and the University of North Dakota. She came to Valley City State Teacher’s College in 1937 to teach in the Department of Education.

Thilda, born five minutes before her twin sister, taught at Langdon High School (Langdon, N.D.) and Crookston High School (Crookston, Minn.) before joining her sister, Lena, at Valley City State Teachers College in the role of principal of the College Model High School (1945). When the College High School closed, Thilda then became a member of the Social Science Department.

When they retired, the sisters returned to their family home in Osakis. In 2005 they were designated the oldest living pair of twins in the world at the age of 104. Lena died in 2007, and Thilda in 2006 (“The Osakis Review”).

In 2015, the building was renovated to update the basement and first floor, and refresh the paint, ceiling, and plaster in the auditorium. Currently the Business Department offices and classrooms, along with the Learning Center and offices for student academic support, are housed in Vangstad. It continues to be a beautiful building that promotes teaching and learning, a fitting tribute to two women who gave many years of their careers in support of VCSU and our students.