The exterior of the newly renovated Harden Hall at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. (Annie Lippert/Mining Journal)

By Annie Lippert

The Mining Journal, Marquette

MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University had a rededication ceremony and ribbon-cutting Friday to celebrate the reopening of Harden Hall after more than a year of construction and renovations.

The building was originally opened in 1969, hosting the Lydia Olson Library and the WNMU radio and television stations. Over time, Harden Hall evolved to contain faculty offices, a computer lab/help desk, restaurants, distance learning classrooms and more.

“I was reading (NMU) President Harden’s vision to bring a wide array of resources together under one roof and that goes back a long way to the 1960s and I would say that was very much ahead of its time in terms of university planning and thoughtfulness about the wide array of ways we can support students,” NMU President Chris Olsen said.

Construction began in spring 2024, with renovations costing $32.7 million. The building reopened in January 2025.

“I’d like to recognize our design team partners, Neumann/Smith Architecture, AKA Architecture, OPN Architects and Peter Basso and Associates,” said Gavin Leach, executive vice president for Finance and Administration. “Many U.P. subcontractors worked on these projects; this facility and many others on campus. They do great work for us and they’re really critical in our communities.”

The newly renovated building contains the Honors Program, SISU institute, SHINE, Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, NMU Archives, all-campus tutoring centers and the Economics, History, Philosophy and Political Science departments.

The Lydia Olson Library was a major site of renovations, with many physical books being moved off-site to make room for study rooms, conference rooms, and seating areas.

“Libraries have gone through a lot from the time when this building was built to primarily hold print, to where we are now,” Dean of Library and Instructional Support Leslie Warren said. “Our collection now is upstairs, about half of our print collection. (We have) about 125,000 volumes (on the shelves), with 125,000 in remote storage.”

In May, phase two of construction will begin, focused on transforming the basement/first floor of Harden Hall into a student union-styled space. That phase is set to be completed in February 2027.

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550, or alippert@miningjournal.net.