Northwestern College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for Colenbrander Plaza, a new outdoor gathering space and walkway leading to De Valois Stadium. The event is scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd, at 5:00 pm, with students, faculty, staff, trustees, and community members invited to attend.
The plaza is being built on the site of Colenbrander Hall, which stood on campus from 1960 until earlier this year. Designed by Ampere Design of Kansas City, the project will feature brick pillars, seat walls, and a large athletic logo. A commemorative plaque honoring the Rev. Henry Colenbrander, for whom the plaza is named, will be displayed on the back of the logo.
College President Greg Christy said the project both honors Colenbrander’s service and provides a welcoming entrance to the stadium. Colenbrander served as pastor of Orange City’s First Reformed Church from 1925 to 1960 and chaired Northwestern’s board of trustees for 34 years.
The project is funded through a gift from Ray Heemstra of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, a 1945 Northwestern graduate and son of the college’s first president, Jacob Heemstra, who worked closely with Colenbrander.
