It was originally called the Home Economics Practice House. Today, the house, located at 1260 University Drive North on the NDSU campus in Fargo is known as the Alba Bales House.
North Dakota Agricultural College was established in 1890 by an act of the North Dakota Legislature, and the first students began classes on January 3, 1892. That same year, the school offered its first “domestic economy” class. The course catalog described it this way: “The instruction is imparted by means of demonstration lecture, after which pupils are expected to perform work described for themselves in the practice kitchen.”
Two developments in 1917 led to the growth of the home ec department at NDAC, and eventually to the creation of the Home Economics Practice House. First, the department was elevated to the School of Home Economics. Second, national legislation, the Vocational Education Act, commonly known as the Smith-Hughes Act, was implemented. The act provided federal grants, matched by state funding, to support salaries and training for vocational education teachers, including those in home economics. To qualify for these funds, the college was required to provide a “practice house” for students.
While these developments were unfolding in North Dakota, Alba Bales, born in Lewis, Iowa, in 1879, was pursuing her education at Oberlin College and Columbia University. She began her professional career teaching at normal schools, often called teachers’ schools, in Idaho and Kansas, and at Montana State College. Alba came to NDAC in 1920, serving in several roles, including Dean of the School of Home Economics, making her the first female academic dean in the school’s history.
School President Edwin Ladd recommended construction of the Practice House in 1918. Four years later, in 1922, the state finally allocated funds for the project. At the time, Alba Bales predicted the house would be ready for students by January of the following year, but it was not until the fall of 1923 that the house opened for teaching and training.
Alba Bales retired from NDAC in 1942 and moved to Florida, where she lived until her death in 1967. Today, the Alba Bales House remains in good condition but sits empty on the NDSU campus, opening its doors only for the occasional meeting or tour.
Dakota Datebook written by Merrill Piepkorn
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Watch Prairie Public's documentary about the Alba Bales House below!