CHESTER FRITZ AUDITORIUM

In 1965 Chester Fritz, a University of North Dakota alumnus, gave UND one million dollars toward the construction of a "distinctive auditorium" on the campus. A matching appropriation of $1 million from the State of North Dakota and another $1 million in private donations completed funding for the impressive Chester Fritz Auditorium.

Finished in 1972, the Chester Fritz Auditorium rests on a base measuring 170' x 220' and has an average height of 85 feet, equivalent to a seven story building. The building covers over 26,000 square feet of ground and has more than two acres of interior floors. The building is constructed of 1 1/3 million pounds of steel framing, approximately 1/3 million pounds of steel reinforcing and more than 12 million pounds of concrete. The exterior is of orange Hebron rock-faced brick and pre-cast concrete, both made in North Dakota.

Chester Fritz began his education in a one-room rural school in Traill County and attended UND from 1908-1910. He completed his baccalaureate degree at the University of Washington and became an international investment banker. In 1951, UND awarded Fritz an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Fritz donated an additional million dollars to the University for the construction of a library in 1960.