locker rooms with toilets and showers. Immediately behind the building is a small pump house, which is included in the property's National Register nomination. Construction The park in which Pequot Lakes' Cole Memorial Building stands was donated by Fay Cole Andrus in December 1935 to be used as a public space in memory of her father, A. L. Cole, one of the town's founders and early merchants. Three months later the Pequot Commercial Club suggested that the village council take advantage of federal work relief funding to construct a recreation hall on the site. Minneapolis-based architect P. C. Bettenburg agreed to the project in advance and submitted plans to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA was among several programs created by the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration to combat unemployment during the Great Depression by funding labor-intensive infrastructure and service projects of public benefit. As was typical, the WPA paid the workers—mostly unemployed local men plus a few key skilled workers—while the local government covered the cost of materials. These supplies and equipment were acquired from local merchants, further benefiting the area's economy. Construction began on April 3, 1937, employing 24 full-time equivalent workers for three months. The completed Cole Memorial Building was dedicated in a ceremony on July 1. The following year the village applied for additional WPA funds to landscape the park grounds further. Use The Cole Memorial Building initially provided much-needed space for a wide variety of activities. The auditorium could seat up to 400 people, nearly the entire population of the village. The school used it for plays, speech contests, and graduation ceremonies. The village council and Sibley Township board met there, as did local Boy Scout, 4-H, American Legion, and Grange clubs. Traveling performers and lecturers took to the stage, while community celebrations and fairs were held on the grounds outside. By February 1939 the village had hired a recreation director to manage activities at the hall, which included craft and game nights, an archery club, and a community forum where citizens could discuss issues of the day. Rental fees, mostly levied on the traveling performers, were not generating enough revenue for the building's maintenance costs, however. The Pequot Commercial Club proposed converting the Cole Memorial Building into a movie theater, which would provide a steadier income. The club assumed full management in November 1939 and launched free movie screenings the following year. In 1941