HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION DEVELOPS WEBSITE
April 30, 2025

The Vermillion Historic Preservation Commission is proud to announce the development of a website: https://vermillionhpc.org/. This digital platform is designed to inform, engage, and empower residents, property owners, historians, and visitors who have a passion for preserving the community’s architectural and cultural heritage.

The website offers a wide range of resources including information on all of Vermillion’s individual historic properties as well as the historic districts, frequently asked questions, news items relating to historic preservation in Vermillion, and links to other preservation websites. Whether you’re restoring a historic home, researching local landmarks, or simply curious about the area’s past, the new website is your go-to destination. Be sure to check out all it has to offer!

The Historic Preservation Commission encourages community members to explore the site and to take an active role in preserving Vermillion’s rich heritage. If you have historical information to share, please contact us by phone or email at the links on the website.

Vermillion’s Historic Preservation Commission was formed in 2018 and is a volunteer commission that meets monthly at City Hall to plan and implement projects that celebrate Vermillion’s history through its structures. The City of Vermillion as a Certified Local Government (CLG) receives grants from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior through the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office. The website was partially funded through this grant.

VHPC and CCHPC Co-sponsor USD Campus Nomination for Listing on National Register of Historic Places
March 10, 2025

The University of South Dakota’s historic core - including 13 buildings, two gate posts, and one fountain built between 1883 and 1954 - has been added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. The core of the USD campus is the oldest public university campus of higher education in either Dakota. It was established as the University of Dakota (Territory) in 1862.

The National Park Service, which oversees the National Register of Historic Places, agreed with the South Dakota Historic Preservation Office and two local historic preservation commissions in awarding the district inclusion on the prestigious national register on February, 28, 2025. "The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation,” according to the park service website.

Two buildings within the district were already listed individually on the register - Old Main and Belbas Hall (the Old Armory) - but now 11 more buildings in the area some refer to as “The Quad,” have been added as contributing to the historic area.

Newly added are East Hall, College of Law (now Arts & Sciences), the Old Power Plant (Service Center), University Library (National Music Museum), Chemistry Building (Pardee-Estee Laboratory), Dakota Hall, Slagle Hall and Auditorium, South Dakota Union, McKusick Law Library, Charlotte Noteboom Hall, and Danforth Chapel. The bird bath/fountain in the Shakespeare Garden and the gate posts near the music museum, which once marked the main south entrance to the campus, are also included.

In 1883, the University of Dakota began to take shape with the construction of the west wing of University Hall, which was funded with a Clay County bond issue. University Hall was gutted in an 1893 fire and was reconstructed in similar style as Old Main.

Prior to submitting the nomination, the Vermillion Historic Preservation Commission sponsored a study of campus buildings throughout its history. “University of South Dakota: Historic Context” by preservation consultant, Michelle L. Dennis chronicles the development between 1883 and 1975. Dennis also authored the National Register nomination application.