Hidden 1970s dance paraphernalia discovered during Union Building renovation project
During construction as part of the Goshen College Union Building renovation and revitalization project, workers discovered a hidden trove of 1970s-era dance paraphernalia, including a Dual 1009 Sk2 4-speed turntable with The Commodores’ disco anthem “She’s a Brick House” still on the platter.
The ’70s stash is believed to have been hidden following the infamous “Snack Shop Disco” incident of 1978, in which snowed-in students engaged in six hours of “spontaneous foot movement,” a campus crime at the time. Dancing was not officially permitted on campus until 1986.
Further renovation work revealed a hidden wall space filled with 1970’s vinyl records, such as the Bee Gee’s “Saturday Night Fever” and the Village People’s “Macho Man,” platform shoes and a disco ball.
The discovery was made during the removal of the south wall of the Leaf Raker Snack Shop in the Union Building, which had been covered in wood paneling in the early 1980s as part of an earlier renovation to the snack shop area.
“We believe that students participating in these illicit dances kept their materials in a hidden wall compartment for easy access during dances,” said Jodi Beyeler, director of communications. “And when they graduated they forgot about it and left the records and that really, really awesome disco ball.”
The vinyl records and record player will be donated to the Mennonite Historical Archives, but the disco ball mysteriously vanished following its discovery.
“When I was a student, we had to go off campus to dance,” said President Rebecca Stoltzfus ’83. “But I may or may not remember going to those legendary dances in the snack shop, and my husband and I may or may not have met under that famous disco ball. If I had known where these things were hidden, I would have started renovating the Union Building earlier.”
We hope you enjoyed today’s April Fools Day story! If you’d like to learn more about the actual Union Building renovation and revitalization project (including photo updates), visit goshen.edu/union.