David L. Kiehle
David Kiehle
Kiehle, 1952-1960
Book laboratory in Kiehle Library, 1952
Reading in Kiehle Library with the Mississippi in the background, 1952
Kiehle (1952), exterior, St. Cloud State University
Kiehle, 1955
Biography
David L. Kiehle was born in Dansville, NY, in 1837. He graduated from the State Normal School at Albany, NY, in 1856 and then Hamilton College in 1861, where he also received a master's degree in 1864 and a doctorate in 1891. He graduated from Union Theological Seminary in 1865 and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church. He lived in Preston, MN, from 1865 to 1875, where he organized the Presbyterian Church and served as its pastor. Kiehle was also County Superintendent of Schools in Filmore County and a member of the State Normal School Board from 1869 to 1875. In 1875, Kiehle was named president of St. Cloud State, resigning in 1881 to become the state of Minnesota's superintendent of public instruction. He held that post until 1893. In 1893, Kiehle was appointed professor of pedagogy for the University of Minnesota and served until 1902. He wrote The History of Education in Minnesota in 1903, where he describes his advocacy for innovative education in the foundations of Minnesota's education system. Kiehle organized the School of Agriculture and a Department of Pedagogy, which eventually became the College of Education at the University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota Crookston's Kiehle Building was also named in his honor. Kiehle died on April 5, 1918, in Portland, OR.
Kiehle Visual Arts Center (1952)
Designed by Louis Pinault and Virgil Siddens and built by the George Madsen Construction Company, the David L. Kiehle Library opened in 1952 as the first campus building constructed as a library. Covering more than 55,000 square feet with a 135,000 book capacity, the library cost $775,000 to construct. Kiehle was designed to accomodate a population of 2,000 students. In 1952, more than 73,000 books were moved into when it first opened. Kiehle remained the library until 1971 when Centennial Hall opened. In 1974, the renovated building was renamed the Kiehle Visual Arts Center to house the Department of Art.
For more information, see the individual profiles for Kiehle on the University Archives’ website.