"The Fritz" | |
Address | 3475 University Avenue |
---|---|
Location | Grand Forks, North Dakota, 58202 |
Coordinates | 47°55′18″N97°04′44″W / 47.921627°N 97.0788°W |
Owner | University of North Dakota |
Capacity | 2,384 |
Construction | |
Construction cost | $3 million [1] |
The Chester Fritz Auditorium (CFA) is a performance facility on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) located in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. [2]
"The Fritz," as it is commonly known, has a maximum capacity of 2,384 and is used for many events including concerts, dance recitals, and popular Broadway musicals. The auditorium also plays host to university events including some commencement ceremonies, lectures, and conferences. The building measures 85 feet (26 m) in height and the facade is constructed mainly of brick and pre-cast concrete sections. It sits on the banks of the English Coulee, which meanders its way through the UND campus.
Chester Fritz (March 25, 1892 – July 28, 1983), a notable alumnus of UND, gave the university $1 million in 1965 for the construction of a "distinctive auditorium" on the campus. The finished auditorium cost $3 million, with additional funds received from the state of North Dakota and private donations. The Chester Fritz Library, the main library at UND, is also named after Chester Fritz. [3] The auditorium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. [4]
Grand Forks County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 73,170, making it the third most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat and largest community is Grand Forks.
Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Fargo and Bismarck. Grand Forks, along with its twin city of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, forms the center of the Grand Forks metropolitan statistical area, which is often called Greater Grand Forks or the Grand Cities.
Ralph Louis Engelstad was an American businessman who owned the Imperial Palace casino-hotels in Las Vegas and in Biloxi, Mississippi. He also owned the Kona Kai motel in Las Vegas, which later became the Klondike Hotel and Casino. He was also the donor for the construction of the $104 million Ralph Engelstad Arena for his alma mater, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and another arena bearing his name in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Engelstad was also a co-developer of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Engelstad was one of the very few independent casino-hotel owners in Las Vegas.
North Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as the state's land-grant university. As of 2021, NDSU offers 94 undergraduate majors, 146 undergraduate degree programs, 5 undergraduate certificate programs, 84 undergraduate minors, 87 master's degree programs, 51 doctoral degree programs of study, and 210 graduate certificate programs. It is classified among "R1-Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".
The murder of Dru Sjodin, a 22-year-old student at the University of North Dakota and Gamma Phi Beta sorority member, occurred on November 22, 2003. Sjodin, was kidnapped by Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. from the Columbia Mall parking lot in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Rodriguez Jr. took Sjodin to the North Dakota and Minnesota state lines, where he murdered her and left her body in Crookston, Minnesota.
The University of North Dakota (UND) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota.
The Chester Fritz Library is the largest library at the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is the largest library in the state of North Dakota and houses over two million print and non-print items. It is a designated U.S. Patent and Trademark depository of federal and state documents. The library also houses a Special Collections Department preserving unique publications, manuscripts, historical records, and genealogical resources, including a large collection of Norwegian bygdebøker.
Valley City State University (VCSU) is a public university in Valley City, North Dakota, United States. It is part of the North Dakota University System. Founded in 1890 as Valley City State Normal School, a two-year teachers' college, it was authorized to confer bachelor's degrees in 1921 and changed its name to Valley City State Teachers College. With an expansion in programs outside teacher education after World War II, it became Valley City State College in 1963. In 1986, it was renamed State University of North Dakota-Valley City and a year later received its current name.
Grand Forks International Airport is a public airport five miles (8 km) northwest of Grand Forks, in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. GFK has no scheduled passenger flights out of the country but has an "international" title because it has customs service for arrivals from Canada and other countries.
The University of Mary is a private, Benedictine university near Bismarck, North Dakota that has 3,852 students. It was established in 1959 as Mary College.
Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA), commonly called the Ralph, is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and serves as the home of UND men's ice hockey. The arena was built by controversial UND alumnus Ralph Engelstad. The North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's hockey team is the tenant. The arena formerly hosted the defunct North Dakota women's hockey team.
The Alerus Center is an indoor arena and convention center in the north central United States, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The facility is owned and operated by the city of Grand Forks and opened on February 10, 2001.
KKXL is a commercial radio station licensed to Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States, and features a sports format known as "1440 The Fan". Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the station serves the Greater Grand Forks region as an affiliate of the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Wild, and ESPN Radio, with daytime programming provided from KFXN-FM in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. In addition to a standard analog transmission, KKXL programming is available online via iHeartRadio.
Arthur Gustave Sorlie was an American businessman and politician who served as the 14th governor of North Dakota from 1925 until his death in 1928 at the age of 54.
The University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota at the University of North Dakota (UND) and is the only school of medicine in the state of North Dakota.
The John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is a multidisciplinary college within the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school was formed in 1968. The majority of the school's fleet of over 120 aircraft is based at nearby Grand Forks International Airport and is the largest fleet of civilian flight training aircraft in North America. UND Aerospace also operates a flight training center at Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona. Today, the school has many aerospace-related programs including commercial aviation, Unmanned aircraft systems operations, air traffic control, airport management, Space Studies, Computer Science, Atmospheric Sciences, and Earth System Science & Policy. Currently, the school has over 500 faculty and 2,000 students making it the second largest of UND's degree-granting colleges. The present dean of the school is Robert Kraus.
The Summer Performing Arts Company (SPA) is a summerstock educational theatre program in Grand Forks, North Dakota that is part of the Grand Forks Public Schools. Started in 1987 as a voice lesson and performance program for high school students, SPA now has over 1000 students ranging from elementary to high school, and produces one to three mainstage productions each summer at the Red River High School Performance Hall and Central High School Auditorium. Other venues have included the Chester Fritz Auditorium at the University of North Dakota and the Empire Arts Center in Downtown Grand Forks. In addition to the mainstage productions, accredited classes for high school students are offered. A middle school/junior high program and elementary school program are also offered. In addition, the Grand Cities Children's Choir operates as a division of SPA. "GCCC" features several separate choirs that have regular concerts and special tours.
Theodore B. Wells (1889-1976) was an American architect. He was born in North Dakota. He studied at L'ecole des Beaux Arts. Back in North Dakota, he designed many public and commercial buildings.
Gordon L. Iseminger is an American author and historian. A professor of history at the University of North Dakota, he is the university's longest-serving faculty member, having joined the faculty in 1962. His work has appeared in the North Dakota Quarterly, Minnesota History, Agricultural History, Pennsylvania History, The Journal of American History, and the Middle East Journal, as well as the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains.
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux controversy refers to the controversy surrounding the now retired nickname and logo of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the athletic teams that represented the University of North Dakota (UND) based in Grand Forks, North Dakota.