Luther Hall was once a ghost town.
The Wartburg campus in Waverly sat vacant in fall 1933, shuttered by the American Lutheran Church as it consolidated its colleges across the Midwest.
President August Engelbrecht, with the help of civic and church leaders, preserved the buildings and their contents — just in case the decision to move Wartburg’s operations east to Clinton was less than permanent.
One year later, the campus hosted the ALC general convention. Thanks to an all-out effort by the Waverly community, attendees were so impressed by the facilities, especially Luther Hall, that the return of Wartburg was overwhelmingly approved for the 1935-36 academic year.
“Luther Hall is why we’re here,” said Dr. Terrence Lindell, professor of history. “It’s a good, solid building that has evolved to meet the school’s needs.”
STUDENT HELP
Luther Hall was designed by architect Mortimer B. Cleveland of Waterloo. Bids were let to Louritzen Construction, general contracting, $75,256; E. C. Richards, plumbing, $3,994; and Waverly Electrical Co., $1,950. A number of students working their way through college took construction jobs on the conveniently located building.
1930s
Luther Hall was home to most of the academic departments, classrooms, administration, and even the library at one point.
1950s
The 1950s addition brought more space for classrooms, offices, and most notably, Neumann Auditorium.
DID YOU KNOW
Until the South Campus Addition was built, you could drive up to the front of Luther Hall from Bremer Avenue.
The Luther Hall transom from the Bremer Avenue side of the building can still be seen on the second floor inside the Rada-Aleff Classroom Technology Center that was built onto the south side of Luther Hall in the ’90s.
