University Village (also known as the Bronson Property) is a neighborhood in

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

. It is a part of the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

(UND) campus and is located directly north of UND's central campus area. The property comprises located on the banks of the meandering English Coulee directly off

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...

. University Village has been developed as a commercial and residential neighborhood with the

Ralph Engelstad Arena Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA), commonly called the Ralph, is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota and serves as the home of UND men's ice hockey. The arena was built by controvers ...

as the major anchor and has been called "the most valuable piece of real estate in

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

History

Formerly known as the Bronson Property, the land was donated to UND by local attorney and judge

Harrison A. Bronson Harrison A. Bronson (November 19, 1873 – April 22, 1947) was an American legislator and attorney who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of North Dakota from 1918 to 1924. He died at the age of 73 in 1947. Born in Nunica, Michigan, Bronso ...

who, in 1895, became the recipient of the first master's degree awarded by UND. For decades, the area contained no structures and was used only for intramural fields and community garden space. After the devastating

Red River Flood of 1997 The Red River flood of 1997 was a major flood that occurred in April and May 1997 along the Red River of the North in Minnesota, North Dakota, and southern Manitoba. It was the most severe flood of the river since 1826. The flood reached through ...

, plans were drawn up to develop the property. The plan called for UND, commercial, and residential uses. In 2000, the first building constructed at University Village — a new

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers Barnes & Noble Education is one of the largest operators of college bookstores in the United States. As of the end of 2020, Barnes & Noble Education operated 760 campus bookstores and school-branded e-commerce sites through its Barnes & Noble Co ...

store — opened its doors. The store has since changed suppliers and is now run by Follett Book Company. At that time, construction was well underway on a large ice arena which would be the centerpiece of the new neighborhood. In 2001, the $100+ million

opened. The ice arena is home to the UND Fighting Hawks ice hockey program. Former hockey star

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

has called the arena "one of the most beautiful buildings we have in North America." In 2004, a $7 million addition, known as the

Betty Engelstad Sioux Center The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (The Betty) is an indoor arena located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is adjacent to the larger $100 million Ralph Engelstad Arena in the University Village development. The facility sits on the campus of the ...

, was constructed adjacent to the Ralph Engelstad Arena and is home to the Fighting Hawks basketball and Fighting Hawks volleyball programs. In 2006, the $20 million UND Student Wellness Center opened doors in University Village. Other buildings which have been constructed on the property include a family practice clinic, two strip malls, two banks, a bar and grill (which went out of business in 2008), new university run student apartments, and a gas station. A large townhouse development has also been built on the west side of the property. A new facility for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences will be built starting in the spring of 2014.

Notes

{{authority control University of North Dakota Buildings and structures in Grand Forks, North Dakota Neighborhoods in North Dakota Geography of Grand Forks County, North Dakota