Music Studio (1929)
By the end of the 1920s, St. Cloud State was slowly growing with an enrollment of 1537 by the fall of 1929. That slow growth began to see academic functions of St. Cloud State move out of the Old Main building. Due to the construction of Eastman Hall, a nearby home, the Music Studio, was used for teaching.
Music Studio, 1967
Acquisition and Use
As part of the $225,000 appropriation by the 1929 state legislature to construct Eastman Hall, $12,000 was earmarked to purchase property south of Riverview for the new building. The James E. Jenks home stood on the property. According to St. Cloud State administrative records from the late 1960s, the west facing wood framed home was 2.5 stories and measured roughly 34 feet by 54 feet. Sitting on a granite foundation, the 15-room building had a full basement, cedar shingle roof and siding, and a wood lath and plaster interior as well as an attached south and east porches.
Mr. and Mrs. George E. Hanscom lived in the home when it was purchased by the state for St. Cloud State.
Before construction of Eastman Hall, the Jenks home was moved south in late September 1929, remodeled for $3,000, and dubbed “Music Studio”. According to the 1936/37 course catalog, it was to accommodate music instructors in voice, piano, and violin.
At some point, the home also served as a dormitory for male student-athletes while still being used as music studio. Students resided in the basement and third story. Correspondence from 1966 and 1967 detail problems caused by students living there. As a result, after June 1967, students no longer lived in the Music Studio.
Demolition, 1969
Demolition and Other Uses
Time was not on the side of the Music Studio. An October 17, 1968, letter from the state fire marshal’s office detailed many building deficiencies and urged St. Cloud State to demolish it. In addition, the Performing Arts Center opened in April 1968 and all musical activities held in the Music Studio had moved there.
In spring 1969, St. Cloud State decided to demolish the Music Studio and August Stoltz was hired. The July 10, 1969, issue of the Chronicle included a photograph of the building being demolished. Once razed, two new parking lots costing $7,000 were soon built near Eastman Hall, including one where the Music Studio sat. As of 2025, J parking lot is still used on the Music Studio site.
Additional sources:
- Landscape architectural drawing, June 1929
- Letter, October 17, 1968
- St. Cloud Daily Times, September 23, 1969