The Dahl Presidents Home at Augustana was built in 2004 with a $1.5 million gift from alumni John and Robert Dahl, the trustees of the Arthur E. Dahl & Dorothy E. Dahl Charitable Trust established by their late parents.
"This home will serve Augustana presidents long into the future, not only as a home for the president and his or her family but also as an important resource for the president in taking a visible leadership role on campus and in the community," said Brenda Barnes, chair of the Augustana Board of Trustees, when plans for the home were announced in 2003.
Augustana had not had an official presidential residence since 1983, when the former president's home at 3601 11th Ave. was converted into office space, an apartment and a guest house. The Parkander student residences stand there now.
Gere/Dismer, an architectural firm from Rock Island, designed the home on the southern rim of the campus at 35th Street and 11th Avenue.
The $1.5 million gift from Dahl trust also supports a leadership scholarship for seniors based on academic achievement and demonstrated leadership.
The scholarship is named for the late Arthur Dahl, an executive with HON Industries in Muscatine, Iowa. His wife, the late Dorothy Dahl, was a teacher in Illinois and a member of Muscatine's school board.
John Dahl graduated from Augustana in 1968 and Robert Dahl graduated in 1974.