Estelle Siebens Science Center
70,000 square feet of laboratories, classrooms, and research spaces — including 18 labs, three research areas, an atrium "Science Avenue," and a greenhouse. Opened 2004.
Storm Lake, Iowa
A 60-acre campus on the shore of a 3,097-acre lake.
Campus & Facilities
Buena Vista University sits on a sixty-acre campus along the shores of Storm Lake in northwest Iowa — a tight-knit, modern environment that blends historic landmarks with state-of-the-art academic, residential, and athletic facilities.
60acres
main campus along the shores of Storm Lake
3,097acres
of Storm Lake — Iowa's fourth-largest natural lake
9halls
residence options, traditional to suite & apartment-style
70Ksq ft
Estelle Siebens Science Center — 18 labs, greenhouse, atrium
1893
Old Main archway, reborn as the Victory Arch landmark
The Setting
Your home on the lake
BVU isn't just a place to learn — it's a place to live. Our students wake up to the "Buena Vista" — the beautiful view that gives the university its name — and end the day with kayaks and paddleboards just steps from their residence halls.
Northwest Iowa's Storm Lake puts you minutes from the Iowa Great Lakes region, with Pierce and White halls connected by underground walkways so the lakeside winters never slow campus down.
- Outdoor Recreation House — free kayak, canoe, paddleboat, camping, and fishing gear checkout
- Most undergraduates live on campus all four years
- Lighthouse and Victory Arch landmarks on the campus perimeter
- Walkable, accessible campus with covered connections
Signature Spaces
The marquee places of BVU.
A handful of campus spaces define the BVU experience — academic anchors, gathering hubs, and the landmarks that make Storm Lake feel like home.
Siebens Forum
The Harold Walter Siebens School of Business and the heart of student life — bookstore, dining, the Underground, and the campus mall.
Lamberti Recreation Center & Siebens Fieldhouse
65,000-square-foot recreation addition plus a 3,000-seat competitive arena — courts, a Mondo six-lane track, batting cages, and the lake-view Fritcher Fitness Center.
Performance
Schaller Memorial Chapel
The university's largest performance and convocation space (1963).
Landmark
Victory Arch
Reconstructed from the original 1893 Old Main archway.
Landmark
The Lighthouse
30-foot brick lighthouse on the shore, memorializing Dr. Harold Walter Siebens.
Buildings Directory
Every corner of campus.
Thirty-plus buildings grouped by how you'll use them. Click any building for hours, accessibility info, and the people inside.
Academic Classrooms, labs, studios
04
Dixon-Eilers Hall
Business Office, Registrar, classrooms (1958)
08
Edson Hall
Music — practice rooms, choral, piano lab
19
Estelle Siebens Science Center
70,000 sq ft science complex (2004)
02
Siebens School of Business
Harold Walter Siebens / Siebens Forum (1985)
06
Information Technology Center
Library, CAE, Teaching & Learning
20
Lage Communication Center
Radio, TV, and print studios
—
Smith Hall
Classrooms & faculty offices (1925, renovated 1970)
18
Social Sciences & Art Hall
BVU Art Gallery, studios, social science
Residential Where students live
16
Briscoe Honor Hall
Co-ed suite-style, six per suite
15
Constitution Hall
Co-ed suite-style
13
Grand Hall
Traditional co-ed, two-person rooms
14
Liberty Hall
Substance-free hall with faculty-in-residence
—
McCorkle Hall
Co-ed suite-style
09
Pierce Hall
Connected to Siebens Forum via walkway
10
White Hall
Attached to Pierce Hall, study & laundry
12
Swope Hall
Residential / administrative
17
The Apartments
Apartment-style upperclass housing
Athletic Competition & recreation
21
Lamberti Recreation Center
65,000 sq ft, multi-purpose courts, Mondo track
22
Siebens Fieldhouse
3,000-seat arena, fitness, racquetball
23
Buntrock Tennis Courts
Four lighted outdoor courts
24
J. Leslie Rollins Football Stadium
3,500 seats at Peterson Field (1980)
25
Peterson Field
Turf field & eight-lane outdoor track
26
Buena Vista Sports Complex
Two soccer fields, two football practice fields
—
Baseball/Softball Fields
Iowa's only college baseball field turf (renovated 2009)
—
Fritcher Fitness Center
6,000 sq ft, lake views (2001)
Specialty & Landmarks Gathering spaces, art, worship
03
Schaller Memorial Chapel
Convocations, Founder's Day, worship (1963)
—
Phillips Meditation Chapel
Below Schaller for small-group meditation
07
Victory Arch
Reconstructed from 1893 Old Main
—
The Lighthouse
30-ft brick lighthouse on Storm Lake (1992)
—
Center for Sculpture & Ceramics
Foundry, kilns, metalworking (2008)
05
The Underground
Coffeehouse venue, pool, dances, study
05
Lehnus Spirit Store
Official BVU apparel inside Siebens Forum
06
Stewart D. Siebens Technology Center
Service desk, equipment checkout, multimedia
Campus Map
Find your way around.
Click any building to see hours, accessibility entrances, and the departments inside. Or download a printable version for visit day.
Plan a visit
See it for yourself — the lake, the arch, the labs.
The best way to understand campus is to walk it. Schedule an on-campus visit and a current student will show you everything, or take a virtual tour from wherever you are today.