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- BUILDING THE KADE-DUESENBERG GERMAN HOUSE AND CULTURAL CENTER
The Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center was constructed in 1999/2000 at Valparaiso University. The $3.2 million project was funded through the generosity of the Max Kade Foundation and alumni benefactors Richard and Phyllis Duesenberg and Robert and Lori Duesenberg. The two-story, 10,200-square-foot building was designed by a local firm, Design Organization, in the style of the German Bauhaus movement of the 1920s and was distinguished with Northwest Indiana's 2001 "Commercial Project of the Year" award, as well as the 2001 Community Improvement Award presented by the Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce and the Porter County Builders Association, Inc.
Below are images from the construction period: August 1999 - August 2000:
A computer-generated drawing of the Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center provided a preview look at the building before construction began at Valparaiso University.
May 1, 2000With the arrival of spring came the realization that the computer-generated image had gradually become an actual building.
May 1, 2000Exterior view of the main entrance.
May 5, 2000Exterior view from Mound Street.
May 1, 2000Exterior view of main entrance.
May 5, 2000Exterior view from Mound Street.
May 5, 2000Exterior view of main entrance with completed sidewalk.
May 5, 2000Interior view of main hallway with drywall installed.
May 5, 2000Interior view of the second floor common area where residents would eventually share evening meals and converse exclusively in German.
March 27, 2000On a tour of the construction site, from left to right: Architect Vic Ritter; Prof. Sarah DeMaris; Bonnie Hunter, Assistant Provost for Student Affairs; Dan Pederson, Assistant Dean of Students for Residential Life; and Fred Plant, Director of Physical Plant Services.
March 27, 2000View of the public hallway on the first floor that can also serve as gallery space.
March 27, 2000
The two-story brick structure has an exterior surface consistent with the early twentieth-century German Bauhaus architectural style.
March 27, 2000View of the interior of a student room on the upper level, looking out onto the balcony area.
March 27, 2000View of the upper-level balcony accessible from student rooms.
March 27, 2000View of the upper-level balcony.
March 27, 2000View of the rear entrance.
March 27, 2000Exterior view of the lower-level common area that now houses a grand piano and general seating for visitors.
March 27, 2000Members of the construction crew review plans.
March 27, 2000Construction crew members work on finishing windows that look onto the scenic wooded area to the south of the building.
February 19, 2000The 10,200-square-foot building is located near the intersection of Linwood Avenue and Mound Street.
