Ralph Wells Jr. Community Center

Brunton Architects & Engineers designed the Ralph Wells Jr. Community Center in White Shield, North Dakota for the three affiliated tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, or MHA Nation. Located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in central North Dakota, the facility opened in 2021 and includes a coffee shop, full-sized gym, bingo hall with a large kitchen, cardio and weight rooms, pool, movie theater, and rec center with pool table and golf simulator.

Corey: On the Ralph Wells Jr. Community Center, the history behind the three affiliated tribes gave us a point of departure in that project.

Jessica: In times of trial, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes banded together because they realized that set apart, they would most likely perish, but they could survive and thrive together. So that was our inspiration for the design, to tell the story of these three tribes coming together and unifying in the architecture, the interiors, and the site work.

Corey: The symbolic theme was three rivers meandering and coming together in the end, one stronger river and one stronger unit. We use those different rivers as wayfinding elements inside the building. You come into the main area and then they split off and you follow the blue river to the gym, you follow the red river to the movie theater. It really works.

Jessica: It is a continual graphic that is depicted on the floor that shows these three tribes coming together and intertwining. It starts on the exterior where there are three different colors in the sidewalk, and then it comes into the vestibule, then into the lobby. We also used a lot of natural materials so regardless of if you know the story or not, it still feels like home. It feels comforting. Then from a usability standpoint, it’s a space that was designed to help their community thrive in the future. It provides a lot of opportunities for youth …a place for kids to go after school or on a weekend.