MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College's oldest academic building has been dedicated in memory of a Muscatine, Iowa, couple  who were called “tremendous supporters of higher education in this region,” by Monmouth College president Richard Giese.

The dedication ceremony for the Dorothy and Arthur Dahl Chapel and Auditorium, located on the corner of East Broadway and North Seventh St., was held March 17. The Monmouth Chorale, the college’s 36-member vocal ensemble, followed the dedication with its Sesquicentennial Tour Home Concert.

Among the speakers at the dedication were Donald Clark, a friend of the Dahl family, and Gertrude Peterson Walker, sister of Dorothy Dahl. Also dedicated was the Kasch Performance Hall, the gift of 1948 MC graduate Louise DuBois Kasch.

Two years ago, Arthur Dahl, a former senior vice president of HON Industries, Inc., made a commitment of $1.5 million to Monmouth College in memory of his late wife, Dorothy Peterson Dahl, a 1940 MC graduate and a member of the college’s board of trustees for 11 years. The gift funded roughly half of the $3.5 million renovation of the Auditorium, the college’s oldest academic building. Work on the project took approximately 10 months.

“Renovations to our Auditorium have been needed for some time, and Mr. Dahl’s wonderful lead gift allowed us to move forward with our plans to make it a first-class facility for our campus community and for the local community as well,” said Giese. “Through the years, the Dahls were generous with their time and support of Monmouth College. I can think of nothing more meaningful for me as college president than to recognize them with the naming of this very prominent facility. It ensures that their commitment to Monmouth will be remembered for generations to come.”

The Auditorium is the second facility on campus to bear the Dahl name. Shortly after his wife’s death in 1994, Mr. Dahl helped secure the funding that led to the Dorothy Peterson Dahl Computer Center in Hewes Library.

Born in Monmouth in 1919, Dorothy Dahl taught in nearby Reynolds before her marriage in 1944. She maintained a strong interest in education throughout her life, and served on various church and education boards in Muscatine, where she lived for nearly 50 years.

“Although I didn’t attend Monmouth, I’ve maintained an interest in the college due to the strong affection that Dorothy felt for it,” Arthur said two years ago. “This gift certainly honors Dorothy’s memory, placing her name on a building that was very meaningful to her in her college years, both as a chapel and as an auditorium.” Dorothy Dahl died in 1994. Her husband died in April 2002.

Designed by 1887 Monmouth College graduate Dan Everett Waid (who was later president of the American Institute of Architects), the facility was originally dedicated in 1897 and is best remembered by alumni as the "chapel," where daily attendance was formerly required. In addition to extensive modernization of the lower level, the main level has been restored to much of its original look. Work has also been done to the balcony, and the building is now air-conditioned.

The community also played a key role in the recent $3.5 million renovation of the facility, noted Giese. “On so many different levels, members of the Monmouth community and the surrounding area stepped forward to contribute to the completion of this project,” he said. “The Dahl Chapel and Auditorium is truly a community facility that has been supported by the community.”

That support includes a gift of $1 million from the Monmouth-based Edward Arthur Mellinger Foundation. Several Monmouth banks made contributions of $1,000 or more, and as of the beginning of March, 245 persons, including several from the local area, had purchased seats in the Dahl Chapel and Auditorium for $300 apiece or two for $500.

Associate professor of music Perry White, who oversees many of the performances in the facility in his role as the college’s director of vocal activities, said, “I think it’s going to be wonderful for the community as a whole. The Auditorium has been such an integral part of our campus for so many years, and not only has it been a campus center, but it really is the cultural center of our community. We all benefit from the work that’s been done to this building.”

The Monmouth Chorale tour, which opened March 7 at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights (Ill.), also included five performances in California and two in Arizona. One of the highlights was a performance Sunday at the famed Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif.

Auditorium Renovation Photos