Boise State University District in Ada County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)

Assembly Hall

Treasuring the Past... Shaping the Future

— Boise State University —

Assembly Hall Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 27, 2023

1. Assembly Hall Marker

Inscription.
The Assembly Hall was built in 1941 to house the Department of Music. Campus and community patrons attended numerous concerts over the years in the main hall, which still houses the J.W. Cunningham Memorial Organ donated by Laura Moore Cunningham in 1953.

Erected by Boise State University.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1941.

Location. 43° 36.216′ N, 116° 12.17′ W. Marker is in Boise, Idaho, in Ada County. It is in the Boise State University District. It can be reached from West Cesar Chavez Lane. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1819 W Cesar Chavez Ln, Boise ID 83706, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Idaho’s Snake River Plain.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this

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marker: Original Student Union (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Student Union (about 400 feet away); In Memory (about 500 feet away); Administration Building (about 500 feet away); Friendship Bridge (about 600 feet away); St. Margaret's Hall (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named St. Margaret’s Hall (about 800 feet away); Davis Orchard (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boise.

Regarding Assembly Hall. This building is currently known as the Hemingway Western Studies Center.

Also see . . .
1. Assembly Hall Building History. The Hemingway Center building is the second oldest building on campus. Designed by Hummel architects and built with WPA funding in 1941, it originally served as “Assembly Hall.” Here, convocations, graduations, performances, concerts and school dances occurred.

Flexible in purpose and centrally located, Assembly Hall was long the heart of campus. Boise Junior College graduations were held there every Spring from 1942 until 1955.

The Sound of Music

In 1953, Charles Griffith Bratt raised funds to install the Laura Moore Cunningham

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 27, 2023

2. Assembly Hall Marker

Memorial Organ, on which he performed Sunday organ concerts for many years. In the 1960s, it was designated as the Auditorium or Music Auditorium; by 1975, it was the Music Building.

In 1986, the building was dedicated to the Hemingway family name as “an educational research and exhibition center” by University President Kaiser. (Submitted on February 20, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

2. Living New Deal.

“Established in 1932, the Boise Junior College was without a permanent home until the initial construction of the present campus in 1940-42. The land had previously been occupied by the Boise airfield, which had moved to its current location at Gowen Field. Designed in the traditional campus style of Collegiate Gothic, the Administration Building (1940), Heating Plant (1940), Assembly Hall (1940-41), and original Student Union (1941-42) represent a more streamlined version of the style as it transitioned into the modern age. The campus infrastructure, landscaping, and original structures were all funded through the WPA.”

cite=https://www.preservationidaho.org/ (Submitted on February 20, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 27, 2023

3. Assembly Hall Marker

Built by Works Projects Administration 1941

Assembly Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 27, 2023

4. Assembly Hall

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, June 27, 2023

5. Assembly Hall

Credits. This page was last revised on February 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 20, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 172 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 20, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.