- School of Law to dedicate Heritage Hall, establishing Lawyering Skills Center
Members of the Valparaiso University community, as well as the general public, are invited to the Heritage Hall dedication event at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, on the lawn in front of the building. Following the dedication is a reception in Wesemann Hall Duesenberg Commons, and self-guided tours will be available as well. The event marks the establishment of the Lawyering Skills Center at Heritage Hall.
“The new Heritage Hall is a learning and service environment, and great resource for the School of Law and Valparaiso University,” School of Law Dean Jay Conison said. “The Lawyering Skills Center will provide a home for our clinics -- for our teaching law firms. It is also a link to the history and historical ideals of this University.”
Heritage Hall is the oldest building on Valparaiso University’s campus. It was built in 1875 and originally named Flint Hall after the contractor who built it, but was renamed after Richard Aaron Heritage, head of the music department from 1878 to 1894.
The building was constructed anew – it was originally planned to be a renovation process, but the structural elements of Heritage Hall were found to be unsound.
Reconstruction began on Heritage Hall in 2009. It is the nearest building to the School of Law and the last remaining vestige of the original 1859 campus. Elements of the original structure and original artwork depicting the building and old campus are included in the new Heritage Hall.
The façade design recalls the original roof, window and door styles, and decorative brick detailing, and hand-harvested recycled brick from the old building is used in interior accent walls. Interior benches are made from original structural timbers.
Artifacts and exhibits highlight the history of Heritage Hall and old campus. Exhibits celebrate the Draper and Welter family legacies; the story of Valparaiso University’s first century; and the story of Heritage Hall and its namesake. Exterior elements include the Music Hall “bench,” once the capstone to the entrance for the music building.
An exterior plaza connects Heritage Hall with Wesemann Hall and is the new home for the historic Founders’ Rock monument.
The new Heritage Hall incorporates the latest energy- and water-conserving building systems.
The Heritage Hall Lawyering Skills Center is more than a legal clinic: It is a separate and complete lawyering skills facility and curriculum. The center provides a genuine, law firm-like environment for the teaching of critical practical skills, including pretrial skills, trial practice, appellate advocacy, moot court and mock trial, and more.
Heritage Hall will also be home to the Law Clinic. Established in 1969, the Law Clinic serves the community and the legal profession. Specially licensed and supervised third-year students represent low-income clients and citizen groups who might not otherwise have such access to legal assistance. The clinic handles about 550 cases a year and presents a unique opportunity for students to represent clients before they become practicing lawyers.
Founded in 1879, the Valparaiso University School of Law enrolled 207 new students in 2010 and has an overall enrollment of 575. The School of Law is renowned for its focus on exceptional legal research and writing, enduring core competencies, a personal manner of teaching and learning, and dedication to law as a calling.
