You are here
Then and Now
UMD's 125th Anniversary
UMD Then and Now

Left: Old Main opened in 1901 as the main building for the Duluth Normal School.
Center: Old Main was closed and awaiting renovation when it was destroyed by fire in 1993.
Right: Old Main Park in 2008, with the building’s arches visible.
Left: Students outside the front arches of Old Main in 1954.
Right: The remains of the arches in 2019.
First Year Students
Left, students board a bus to "Frosh Camp" in the 1940s.
Right, the Bulldog Scramble at 2019 Welcome Week.
Commencement
Top, portraits of seven students from the class of 1903.
Bottom, members of the class of 2019.
Kirby Student Center
Top: Students relax in Kirby Lounge in 1971.
Bottom: The 2012 renovation of Kirby Student Center resulted in a more modern, student-centered space.
The Ven Den
Top: Students hanging out in the Ven Den, 1979.
Bottom: The Ven Den in 2017, after an extensive remodel that modernized the space while retaining its mid-century modern aesthetic.
Outdoor Education
Top Right: Sociology Professor Walter Baeumler and students during a skiing class, 1950s.
Bottom Right: Students learn to cross-country ski at Bagley Nature Center in 2016.
Left: Students on the Old Main campus, carrying picks and shovels.
Right: An aquatics class catching specimens in Bagley Nature Center.
Study Spaces on Campus
Top: A student concentrates hard on his studies in the Tweed Museum, 1970s
Bottom: Students working outside, Spring 2019.
Bulldogs Outdoors
Left, students sitting outside Alworth Hall.
Right, students studying in a hammock.
Tweed Museum of Art
Right: The Tweed Museum under construction in 1954.
Left: The Tweed Museum in 2017. The Tweed now has a permanent collection of 10,000 art pieces.
Homecoming
Left: Duluth State Teachers College homecoming court, 1941.
Right: students in the homecoming parade, 2016.
Sailing on Lake Superior
Left: UMD students sailing in Duluth Harbor, 1969.
Right: 2016: Students enjoy a sailing excursion in 2016.