North Central University makes updates to TJ Jones Library

New leadership, new look for library

It’s not every day that a historic building gets a brand-new look on the interior, but that’s exactly what’s happening at North Central University this summer as the second floor of the T. J. Jones Library undergoes major renovations. Funded by generous donors through North Central’s annual Give Day fundraiser in March, the library’s collection on the second floor is having a moving experience. The collection was previously housed in individual rooms which were once dormitory residences for the nurses of Asbury Hospital.

While the unique way to store books had a certain charm, it was not serving effectively as a 21st Century library should. However, in making restoration plans it was important to all who love the library that the updates on the library’s second floor would honor the building’s original beauty.

Room for books, places to study

The project will create additional study and learning spaces, and house the book collection on the second floor in a unified space with flexible and expandable shelving to grow with the library for years to come. By removing the individual rooms that held the stacks (which were “decorated” with 1970s era paneling and dropped ceilings, the renovation allows us to expose the original brick walls and high ceilings to create wonderful new spaces with a nod to the old, solid structure—a gift from the past!

Ushering North Central University’s T.J. Jones Library into its next era of service is Rachelle (Poppema ’14) Waldon, M.L.I.S., who was named Library Director in May. Waldon earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from North Central University and her master’s in Library and Information Science from St. Catherine University. She has worked as a librarian in the T.J. Jones Library since 2019.

Waldon is thrilled about the updates to the library and the impact it will have on students’ academic experience. “It has been amazing to see our community come together to make this project happen. I’m so excited to see how this new space in our well-loved building enriches campus and further cultivates a scholarly environment for our students to learn and grow!”

Origin story

The origin story of the building housing the T.J. Jones Library is an interesting one. In the spring 2022 edition of NCU Magazine, Waldon wrote about how the building came to be and later became part of North Central:

Dr. Jacob Francis Tourtellotte*, a former military surgeon, and his wife Harriet Arnold Tourtellotte (a direct descendent of Benedict Arnold) moved to Winona, Minnesota, in 1870. As the Tourtellottes prospered financially, tragedy touched their personal lives through the loss of both of their children. Their first-born daughter, Harriet Lucina, died in 1870 of scarlet fever when she was 11 months old. Their second daughter, Frances Harriet, died in 1884, at age 10, from what was suspected to be food poisoning or appendicitis.

The Tourtellottes then moved to Minneapolis, where Jacob continued a successful career in real estate. While still grieving the loss of her children, Harriet focused her efforts on philanthropy.

In Harriet’s hometown of Thompson, Connecticut, the only way for children to attend school was to take a trolley into a nearby town, resulting in many children missing out on education—something about which Harriet was quite passionate. In 1906, Harriet funded the building of a school near Harriet’s hometown: the Tourtellotte Memorial High School, in memory of Hattie and Lucy. (The Connecticut high school looks remarkably similar to North Central’s library!)

When Dr. Tourtellotte died in 1912, the Minneapolis Tribune reported that even as a wealthy, successful man, he remained humble and “never missed an opportunity to do a charitable act.” A few years later, Harriet donated $125,000 to build the Tourtellotte Memorial Deaconess Home in honor of her husband before moving back to Connecticut. She remained involved with the Tourtellotte Memorial School until she died in 1919.

The Tourtellotte Memorial Deaconess Home, completed in 1914, would first be used as housing and training grounds for the Deaconesses of the Methodist Church until 1946. This stately mansion housed the students and nurses of Asbury Hospital, then became a home for retired nurses until 1968, when North Central Bible College acquired it.

One building, many uses

In its first five years, North Central utilized the space to house chapel speakers, pastors, professors, and other college guests. Some of the building’s most notable residents were former NCU President Gordon Anderson and his family, who lived on the second floor when he first arrived as a faculty member.

In 1973, the building was remodeled and renamed for the late Professor T.J. Jones after his family donated 20,000 volumes from his personal library. Known as “Brother Jones” to students and colleagues, the beloved professor taught Bible and theology at North Central from 1947 to 1969. At various points in his tenure, he also served as Principal, Dean, and on the Board of Regents. He was a perennial favorite among students in classes such as Devotional Practice, Archaeology, Truth and Testimony, New Testament Synthesis, and Christian Evidences and Bible Atlas.

As we prepare this space for a substantial renovation made possible by generous GIVE DAY donations, I can’t help but think about two legacies of generosity.

The gift of 20,000 books from the T.J. Jones family served as the foundation for North Central’s library that would serve students for generations to come.

And Harriet Arnold Tourtellotte, in the face of profound personal tragedies, devoted her time and wealth to enriching the lives of others through education. Perhaps she would be pleased to hear of the many teachers, pastors, missionaries, CEOs, and scholars who have spent time learning and preparing for lives of service within the walls of the building she built more than one hundred years ago.

Sources:
Minnesota Historical Society Archives
Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Association
The Minneapolis Tribune
Once There Were Castles by Larry Millett

 

 

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