Tunnels, Pools, and Ghosts: Exploring Space at St. Catherine UniversityMain MenuIntroductionBrief History of St. Kate'sTimeline of Buildings and PresidentsExplore buildings on campus in the order they were builtDerham Hall Building Overviewfrom the only building to a base for the UniversityWhitby Hall: Building Overviewit only took 98 years for students to move outChapelplace of prayer and celebrationMendel HallBasements and the Cold WarCoeur de Catherine, St. Joseph's Hall and the Libraryhow two spaces became oneThe FutureLegend or History?unpacking the truth behind the storiesCommunity ContributionThank YouSources and Further ResearchVeronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdVeronika Paprocka
Cardboard Toilet
12017-01-12T18:27:28-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd124602Photo: St. Catherine University/Rebecca Zenefski, By Rebecca Studiosplain2017-01-12T18:29:19-08:0020161214163835Rebecca ZenefskiBy Rebecca Studios LLC20161214163835Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
12017-01-12T18:32:39-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdBarrel of the toilet which would hold all itemsVeronika Paprocka1plain2017-01-12T18:32:39-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
12017-01-12T18:30:52-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdRubber gloves with rubber bands to secureVeronika Paprocka1plain2017-01-12T18:30:52-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
12017-01-12T18:31:30-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdChemical packets to keep things smelling freshVeronika Paprocka1plain2017-01-12T18:31:30-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
12017-01-12T18:29:55-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdMenstrual Pads in both sizes heavy and regularVeronika Paprocka1plain2017-01-12T18:29:56-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
12017-01-12T18:31:47-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdPlastic Bag with 2 layers to keep everything secureVeronika Paprocka1plain2017-01-12T18:31:47-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
12017-01-12T18:30:07-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdInstructions for useVeronika Paprocka1plain2017-01-12T18:30:07-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
12017-01-12T18:32:10-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdHose for WaterVeronika Paprocka1plain2017-01-12T18:32:10-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
12017-01-12T18:30:32-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bdPaper cups with lids for waterVeronika Paprocka1plain2017-01-12T18:30:32-08:00Veronika Paprockacb4a0de9a6d07f54b0abc8050984ad45ad67a2bd
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1media/Joy_Oil_gas_station_blueprints.jpegmedia/aerial view 6.jpg2016-11-03T19:45:11-07:00Basements and the Cold War33plain3702732017-09-13T13:20:19-07:00Basements have been used for a variety of purposes. Today some are used as classrooms while others are used as storage. By far their most interesting use was during the Cold War. The Cold War followed immediately after World War II, a period of heightened fear of atomic attacks and communism. This fear extended throughout the entire United States and its aftermath can be directly seen on campus. All the buildings on campus with adequate basements were declared “Fallout Shelters” by the Bureau of Civil Defense, the government agency charged with preparing the country for an atomic attack. These buildings were marked with silver and yellow signs and the campus was a shelter for the Highland Park community. In the event of an atomic attack, you would come to St. Kate’s and take shelter as the government figured out what to do next. Staying on campus during a crisis was not a five-star experience, think of it as camping in a basement. You had food and water and medicine and shelter but nothing was too extreme. And of course, the bathroom experience was similar. The Bureau of Civil Defense provided St. Kate’s with all the supplies including cardboard toilets. These were owned by the Bureau and after the war they were supposed to come pick them up, however with thousands of fallout shelters across the country they forgot about some of them. Today under the Visual Arts building there is a small collection of cardboard toilets a forgotten token to a time of great fear.
So why have forgotten about these toilets? Most likely because the time in which they existed was complicated for St. Kate’s. As the Cold War progressed St. Kate’s became less and less interested in helping with the Cold War effort. Initially, the university hosted first aid sessions but by the end they stopped replying to correspondences with the Bureau of Civil Defense. The memories of the Cold War are difficult because of the tensions we experienced then, these tensions still impact the way we think of our history today.
