October Friday History: Kraus-Anderson at Augsburg University
By Matt Goff, KA Archivist
The campus of a college or university is a place where the built environment can be particularly impactful. Kraus-Anderson has worked with many postsecondary institutions, but a particularly important and historic relationship developed in the 1990s when KA helped Augsburg University (then called Augsburg College) reshape its campus.
Augsburg’s campus surrounds Murphy’s Square, which is one of the most historic blocks in Minneapolis. As one of the lucky few people who were given special permission by the U.S. Military to reside within the Fort Snelling military reservation, Captain Edward Murphy was well positioned to be among the earliest land owners in Minneapolis. Murphy was a respected doctor, and a prominent citizen of early Minneapolis.
He was also the first resident of Minneapolis with the foresight and generosity to set aside a parcel of his own land for the benefit of his fellow and future residents of Minneapolis. This parcel is now called Murphy’s Square, and is the oldest park in Minneapolis. In 1871 Captain Murphy extended his munificent gesture when he donated adjacent land so that a small Norwegian seminary that was founded a few years previous in Marshall Wisconsin could relocate to Minneapolis
Murphy’s Square is now entirely surrounded by the charmingly austere buildings of Augsburg University’s campus. Kraus-Anderson built many of these buildings, including the library, student housing, and a sports dome that is inflated seasonally.
KA also built the architectural centerpiece of the campus, which houses a chapel and several academic departments.
CATEGORY: Community Involvement