Northwestern to break ground for Colenbrander Plaza on Oct. 2

Members of the public are invited to join Northwestern College students, faculty, staff and trustees for the groundbreaking of Colenbrander Plaza, an outdoor gathering space that will also serve as a walkway toward De Valois Stadium. The event will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Colenbrander Plaza, located where Colenbrander Hall stood from 1960 to 2024, has been designed by Ampere Design of Kansas City, Missouri. It will be a place for gatherings throughout the year that also funnels people toward the stadium, featuring brick pillars on each side similar to those elsewhere on campus. The plaza will include seat walls and a large athletic logo. A commemorative plaque remembering the legacy and impact of the Rev. Henry Colenbrander will be on the back of the logo.

“We’re excited to continue to honor the legacy of Rev. Colenbrander and all he did for the college in his 34 years as chair of the board of trustees while creating an attractive entrance to the stadium and a plaza that students can enjoy,” says President Greg Christy. The project is funded by a gift from Ray Heemstra of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, a 1945 Northwestern graduate and son of the college’s first president, Jacob Heemstra, with whom Colenbrander worked closely.

Colenbrander was pastor of Orange City’s First Reformed Church from 1925 to 1960. He served as Northwestern’s board president from 1926 to 1960.