The Dane G. Hansen Memorial Plaza was conceived by the trustees of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation as a means of memorializing the Hansen Family in a way that would give Logan, Kansas, and the entire area, new cultural and social opportunities. The Foundation made a tremendous community improvement when it purchased and razed an entire square block of mostly unoccupied business buildings in downtown Logan to make room for the Memorial Plaza. The five year project was completed in 1972 and deeded to the City of Logan. The Plaza was officially dedicated on April 10, 1973.
The Plaza is a square block area, centered around a multipurpose building, and surrounded by beautiful landscaping. The building is designated into quadrants: one for the Trust and the Foundation; and one each for a Community Meeting Room, a Museum, and a Gallery. Designed by Kiene and Bradley of Topeka and built from pre-stressed concrete, the quadrants are divided by protruding sections of Neva Limestone, which was quarried near Junction City, Kansas. The building is fully carpeted and elegantly decorated, making it the finest structure of its type in the area.
The Plaza contains an all-purpose community room furnished with an organ, keyboard, a Kansas patchwork quilt from the Hansen Family, and paintings by Kansas artists. The Museum contains early American and foreign coins, European and Western guns, Mr. Hansen's office, the Hansen Family Biography, oriental art collected by Kate Hansen in Japan from 1907 to 1951, and art objects purchased by the Museum Association. The Museum also houses traveling exhibits and a monthly "Artist of the Month" exhibit.
History
Dane G. Hansen, son of one of the founders of Logan, Kansas, was born and conducted business in the same city block where the Memorial Plaza stands today. Mr. Hansen was widely known and respected as a citizen leader, businessman, philanthropist, and Republican. He maintained a deep faith and love for Logan and all of Western Kansas. Dane G. Hansen was born in Logan on January 6, 1883, of pioneer parents Peter and Alpha Gray Hansen.
Dane G. Hansen started business in 1905 by working with his parents in a large mercantile store. He later engaged in ranching, cattle breeding, and raising mules. Since most earth moving was done by mule teams at that time, he started his own business which evolved into road and bridge construction. The Hansen Construction Company ultimately developed into Logan's largest single industry, employing nearly 200 men in peak seasons.
With the discovery of oil in 1941, Hansen went into oil development and was among the largest independent operators in Kansas. Opting to work long and hard hours, Hansen's work habits were summed up best by his own philosophy which said: "Anything you like becomes a hobby--and if it's a hobby, it isn't work."
When he became old enough to vote, Hansen took an active part in Republican Party Politics. He commented, "I'll take any political job if there's no pay in it. My services are always free." His love for this country and great patriotism were widely known and respected, although he never sought nor desired to run for public office. As a personal friend of former United States President Dwight Eisenhower, Mr. Hansen was a member of the President's Commission on Intergovernmental Relations in 1954 and 1955 and a vice-president of the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Foundation.
