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Drawing the depot

By Catherine Monson '12
April 30, 2010
“I enjoy the complexity of designing historical structures that have significance in the community,” says Kiersten Hoiland '10.

Ever since elementary school Kiersten Hoiland ’10 has dreamed of becoming an interior architect. Now, as she finalizes her senior project of a proposed renovation plan for the Northfield train depot, she is well on her way.

The “integrative senior project” is one component of Hoiland’s interior architecture and design major that she created her junior year through the Center for Integrative Studies (CIS). The main purpose of the CIS is to give students the opportunity to approach their main educational goals through a variety of course subjects. The focus on interdisciplinary studies led Hoiland to incorporate coursework in studio art, sustainability, art history, and human behavior into her final project.

Hoiland first became interested in adaptive reuse projects through an art history class, where her research inspired her own historic preservation project — only a few blocks off campus. The abandoned Northfield train depot struck Hoiland as a perfect renovation site because it has been “an integral part of Northfield’s history,” she explains. In addition, the Northfield Heritage Preservation Committee is currently discussing a plan to renew the structure, possibly moving it to the Q block across from West Third Street where it now stands (see photos here, plus more information in Facebook).

“I enjoy the complexity of designing historical structures that have significance in the community,” says Hoiland. She adds that an important aspect of the project was discovering what the Northfield community would like to see in this type of renovation project.

A detail from one of Hoiland's interior drawings that shows her ideas for the Northfield train depot.

Gallery café
The final product is a series of drawings and explications about her ideal plan for the depot. It would mainly function as a public exhibition gallery and café, drawing the community together much like it did in the late 1800s when it was first built. She has designed both the exterior and interior elements to restore the original character of the train station, taking into account the space, function, sustainability, and history of the site.

Although Hoiland doesn’t expect the Preservation Committee to adapt her project in its entirety, she hopes her ideas will at least garner attention for possible uses of the building. Everything from the use of space to ceiling design was covered in her project, and she says it would be exciting to see her ideas materialize.

After graduating this spring, Hoiland, who also majors in music, plans to attend Chatham University in Pittsburgh for interior architecture. She would like to continue working on historical preservation projects while staying involved in a community orchestra.

The project will be on display in the gallery of Kelsey Theatre through May 16. Hoiland made a public presentation about her work May 1.

Photos by Catherine Monson '12.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.