Skating bench gets a facelift

by Joe King

The "skating bench," a fixture on the East Lagoon of the NIU campus for more than half a century, is getting a long-overdue facelift. The stone bench, officially known as the "Kiwanis Skating Bench," is located at the south end of the lagoon, near Lincoln Hwy. It was built in 1941 by Chauncey B. Watson, a former Kiwanis president, DeKalb community leader and Northern Board member, whose name also graces Watson Hall. He dedicated the bench to the memory of his friend, fellow Kiwanian and DeKalb civic leader Elvin Carlson.

Crumbling stonework and encroaching weeds show the sorry state of the Skating Bench on the East Lagoon. University crews will begin work shortly to dismantle, move and rebuild the bench a few feet from its current location.

Since it was built, the bench has been a favorite gathering place for generations of ice skaters at the lagoon. The semi-circular seat, with a fire grate in the middle, provided ice skaters a place to rest, re-lace their skates and warm up by the fire. During the remainder of the year it provided a scenic overlook of the lagoon.

"I grew up skating at that lagoon and it was just wonderful. That's what everybody did in the winter," said lifelong DeKalb resident Patti Perkins of NIU's Department of Finance and Facilities, who is overseeing the project.

Despite numerous repairs over the years, the condition of the bench deteriorated and it had become dangerous. To remedy that situation, the decision was made to disassemble the bench, then rebuild it with the original stones a few feet southeast of its current location. The project is part of the ongoing renovation efforts at the lagoon, which have included dredging out several feet of silt, installing new bridges, restoring some islands and replanting the area with native flora.

Work on the project was to begin the first week in September and should be completed in plenty of time for this winter's skating season, Perkins said.

The lagoon, which has been fenced off from the public since last summer when dredging began, should reopen sometime this fall, Perkins said. The reopening was pushed back due to heavy rains this spring that washed away some of the new plantings, followed by a long, dry summer. New plantings need time to take root before the fence surrounding the pond will come down, she explained.