Operated for most of its existence by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the institution was an industrial boarding school for Native American boys and girls, most of whom came from the Pueblos of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation.

Under the prevailing philosophy of the time, the students were stripped of their native identity and forced to assimilate into white American culture using strict military-style discipline.

[4] The Employees' New Dormitory (Building 232) was built in 1931 and originally housed living and dining space for school faculty members.

It is designed in the Mission Revival style with a hipped tile roof, stuccoed walls, and arched window and door openings.

The street facade is symmetrical, with two main entrance porches whose gable ends are topped with ornamental curved parapets.