Bulldog Buildings: There's a Chester Park Building?

The Chester Park Building while it was still Chester Park Elementary School. Credit: Archives and Special Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota

UMD’s campus is home to many different buildings serving various purposes, from containing classrooms to providing energy for campus. 

The Chester Park Building was built in 1927 to be the Chester Park Elementary School, which it served until the 2004-2005 school year.

A water color painting of the Chester Park Elementary School Credit: Archives and Special Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota

Chester Park Elementary School served around ~278 students in grades kindergarten through 6th grade. The building contained an Auditorium/gym, multiple classrooms, cloakrooms, balconies and reports say there was an air raid bunker in the basement. 

Following its closing in 2005, the university purchased the building in June of 2006, and the university started renovations to the building and grounds of the property. 

Older photographs of the building show the primary entrance of the school having a staircase and flagpole facing College Street. That entrance has been closed and now serves as a meeting room.

In 2008, the Duluth Preservation Alliance granted the building an award for its renovations to keep the building in its historic state while also making upgrades for state-of-the-art research programs and educational programs. 

Now, the building is being used partially as homes to programs related to UMD such as Robert F. Pierce Speech and Hearing Clinic, and Preschool at the Park; Minnesota Sea Grant College Program; and School of Fine Arts’ Vocal Program and Fine Arts Academy.

The Chester Park building holds most of the music ensembles’ practice spaces and is the home to the Bulldog Athletic Bands as well as offices for professors and instructors of Communications Science Disorders.