A Manitou Messenger headline in 1942 indicated that in its "retirement" as a library, Steensland would serve as a "student center." For the next 30 years, the building did become a center for various student activities. The old reading room was occasionally converted into a theater. The lower level provided offices for the Messenger and the Viking yearbook. But the building's main employment through the 1970s was as a rehearsal space, especially for the St. Olaf choir, and as a recital hall. As early as 1954, Steensland was also used to exhibit art. This purpose would prove ideal, given the proximity of the Art Barn and Flaten Hall, homes to the art department. Moreover, the building's Palladian porch, its Ionic columns and classical symmetry, and its miniature stained glass dome all recommended it as an exhibit space.