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Goddard Residence Hall
Goddard and Jones Residence Halls were designed on the same plans as King and Goodison Residence Halls. Once again, two dormitories formed a square around an enclosed central courtyard. The interiors of King and Goodison, however, were slightly different. The architectural team based room designs in part on the preferences shown by students who viewed sample plans of dorm rooms on display the winter semester before. Each suite of rooms held four students and included a private bath for each unit. Wood paneling decorated the halls. Goddard and Jones accommodated 1,200 women, enough to make the new payment program viable. On February 1, 1964, the University opened the Instructional Computing Center in Goddard Hall. By 1980, it also contained classrooms for Industrial Education. Goddard and Jones were both made honors dorms in the 1980s. As of fall 2005 Goddard Residence Hall was closed as a student residence hall and the structure remains vacant. -
Goodison Hall
Goodison Residence Hall and King Residence Hall were among the first dormitories built on Eastern Michigan?۪s campus. According to a brochure describing the new housing, the buildings had been designed, ???so that students may enjoy not only the modern conveniences, but also the atmosphere of a cultured home and a program of worthwhile activities.? Photographs of the work in process show that they were built with Works Progress Administration labor. The WPA was established to bring the unemployed back to work during the Great Depression. Because of his influence, President John M. Munson was able to use WPA labor for a number of the necessary improvements on campus. These architects and laborers were instrumental in developing the brick and stone style popular on the southern side of the campus. These two dormitories, constructed as women's housing were designed in the shape of two opposing Us enclosing a private courtyard for recreation, similar to the one surviving in the Munson-Brown Apartments. According to the floor plans, architects created the first two-room dormitory suites in the state. Each suite included a bedroom with an adjoining study. Furnishings included a twin-sized maple bed for each student with mattress, box spring, and pillow; a built in dresser and closet; a bedside rug; and a dressing table. The study room contained a double desk with a shelf for a typewriter or books, a bookcase, study chair, and easy chair. Halls shared bathrooms that included an electric hairdryer. Other convinces included five date parlors,? and a laundry room with tubs, ironing boards and clothes dryers. The complex included a cafeteria and dining room for meals. Lunch was served cafeteria style but dinner was a more elaborate affair with assigned tables and a student hostess to oversee the meal at each one. The school attempted to create a sense of gentility in their dormitories. For all these amenities, room and board cost $144 per semester, payable in two installments of $72.00 each. -
Hill Residence Hall
The Hill-Hoyt-Pittman complex was constructed in 1969 to house ever-growing numbers of students at the university. The University financed the $6.25 million project through the sale of self liquidating bonds. Standing 11-stories tall, the residence halls in the complex stand taller than anything on or near campus except the city water tower at Cross and Washtenaw. Designers built the residence halls to house a total of 1,404 students. Hill and Hoyt were originally dedicated to women while men lived in Pittman. Like many of the other campus dormitories, the buildings surround a courtyard. The fourth side of the court is closed by the Conference Center which contains the Eagle Market and Einstein's Brothers Bagels. -
Home Economics Practice House
Originally, this gable front Queen Anne home at 415 Perrin Street was used as the Health Cottage for ailing students. When the new health clinic opened the health cottage became a co-ed practice house where students were able to try their hand at home making. Under the direction of Miss Eula May Underbrink, associate professor in the Home Economics Department, students spent a semester living in (and caring for) the house . A group of six women resided in the home each semester, and the home duties were divided amongst the girls. With each woman fulfilling two weeks of service under each division. As an article in the Normal News (now the Eastern Echo) dated December 14, 1941 described: "The housekeeper is in charge of the lower floor and acts as the host at table, with the assistant housekeeper in charge of the upper floors and the bed-making duties. No one chances to offend the cook, for with her lies the control of the girls' appetites, and before a cook graduates from her position she must have successfully baked cakes, pies and yeast bread. The unpopular task tasks of washing dishes and making salads go to the assistant cook. To the hostess goes the cares and worries of shopping, keeping accounts, entertaining, and inviting for guest night once a week. The one remaining position is with the waitress who waits at table, dries dishes and does the ironing." -
Hover Building
Hover laboratory was built during the Munson era building project. Munson was able to use Works Project Administration (WPA) labor to build a new laboratory building for $53,000. The WPA was a Depression Era program run by the federal government in an effort to give jobs to hundreds of unemployed workers. Using his broad influence, Munson was able to get WPA labor to construct not only the laboratory, but also hundreds of miles of pipes under the campus of EMU. The building was designed to house the Department of Biology laboratories, a greenhouse, and a plant laboratory and Biology Career Center. The brick building had classrooms on either side of entrance, with workrooms behind them, and offices connected to the workrooms. A green house was connected to the back. -
Hoyt Conference Center
The Hoyt Conference Center and Towers Residential complex were constructed in 1969 to house ever-growing numbers of students at the university. The construction cost approximately $6.25 million to construct. The university financed the project through the sale of self-liquidating bonds. Like many of the other dormitories on campus, the buildings surround a courtyard. The fourth side of the court is closed by the Conference Center which at one time contained dining commons 3. Prior to 1976, Eastern had to apply for a 24-hour permit in order to serve alcoholic beverages. In 1977, the state legislature enacted a new law granting restricted licenses a measure championed by State Representative Gary Owen, (D) Ypsilanti. That year, EMU received the first Class C liquor license at a university in the state. Then new license allowed EMU to serve beer, wine and liquor at its regularly scheduled conference center activities. The University was enthusiastic about these possibilities, but was emphatic that the license did not extend to over the counter liquor sales. James Mathias, director of McKenny Union and University conferences explained, "An awful lot of business that the university may have had has traditionally been taken off campus because the sponsors wanted liquor. We'd be able to appeal to all kinds of potential convention planners who want liquor served at their activities." Attitudes about liquor on campus changed in the next two decades, and in September of 1996, the state attorney general ruled that it was illegal to grant such a license to an institution on state-owned land. Today, the conference no longer serves alcohol, but continues to host events and conferences. Today, Hoyt Conference Center houses a small grocery store for students as well as the Department of Public Safety. -
Hoyt Residence Hall
The complex was constructed in 1969 to house ever-growing numbers of students at the university. The three structures and the conference center were constructed at a cost of $6.25 million. The university financed the project through the sale of self-liquidating bonds. These 11-story structures stand taller than anything on or near campus except the city water tower at Cross and Washtenaw. Designers built the residence halls to house a total of 1,404 students in the three dormitories. Hill and Hoyt originally only housed women while the men resided in Pittman. Like many of the other dormitories on campus, the buildings surround a courtyard. The fourth side of the court is closed by the Conference Center which at one time contained dining commons 3, and conference center. -
Jones Residence Hall
As the student body continued to grow following the second World War, the University realized the need for more housing. At the same time, funding remained tight. A slight increase in rent would cover the building of new housing. Both buildings were built as part the college's self-liquidating campaign and intended to be paid for and sustained by the revenue from dorm room rental. Combined with King and Goodison, Goddard and Jones accommodated 1,200 women, enough to make the new payment program viable. Like other residence complexes on campus, two dormitories formed a square around an enclosed central courtyard; however the interiors were slightly different. The architectural team, based room designs in part on the preferences shown by students who viewed sample plans of dorm rooms on display the winter before. Each suite of rooms held four students and included a private bath for each unit along with wood paneling as ornamentation. On February 1, 1964, the University opened the Instructional Computing Center in Goddard Hall. By 1980, it also contained classrooms for Industrial Education. Goddard and Jones were both made honors dorms in the 1980s. -
King Hall
King Hall and its companion building Goodison (now demolished) were among the first dormitories built on Eastern Michigan's campus. Photographs of the work in process show that they were built with Public Works Association (PWA) labor. The PWA had been established as a method to bring the unemployed back to work during the Great Depression. These architects and laborers were instrumental in developing the brick and pale stone style popular on the southern side of the campus. These two dormitories, constructed as women's housing were designed in the shape of two opposing Us enclosing a private courtyard for recreation, similar to the one surviving in the Munson-Brown Apartments. In the ground-breaking floor plans, architects created the first two-room dormitory suites in the state. Each suite included a bedroom with an adjoining study. Furnishings included a twin-sized maple bed for each student with mattress, box spring, and pillow; a built in dresser and closet; a bedside rug; and dressing table. The study room contained a double desk with a shelf for a typewriter or books, a bookcase, study chair, and easy chair. Halls shared bathrooms that included an electric hairdryer. Other convinces included five date parlors, and a laundry room with tubs, ironing boards and clothes dryers. The complex included a cafeteria and dining room for meals. Lunch was served cafeteria style but dinner was a more elaborate affair with assigned tables and a student hostess to oversee the meal. The school attempted to create a sense of gentility in their dormitories. For all these amenities, room and board cost $144 per semester, payable in two installments of $72.00 each. -
Mark Jefferson Science Building
EMU's continued growth during the 1960s drove building projects under Presidents Elliott and Sponberg. In 1967, Sponberg arranged for the construction of a new science building. An appropriation from the state legislature provided the funds for the $8.25 million building. The new building contained 180,000 square feet of space divided among five stories plus a "penthouse" and basement. It was constructed of poured-in-place concrete with exterior walls of brick with stone trim. Inside, Mark Jefferson was fully air-conditioned, and the main floor contained four lecture halls and six large classrooms. Other floors had modern laboratories and facilities for research as well as faculty offices, reading rooms, and on the third floor, a museum. When it was built, the Mark Jefferson Science Building was intended to provide space for crowded departments. Initially, the building would house the Departments of Chemistry, Biology and Psychology. As more new buildings were completed, the Psychology Department would move to new quarters, leaving space that the Biology and Chemistry departments could use as they grew. -
McKenny Hall
Michigan State Normal College was the first teachers' college with a social center. In 1924, President Charles McKenny proposed the idea of a Union to student leaders. That year the Alumni Association set out to raise $500,000. For the first time the university funded a building campaign by soliciting money from alumni. Later on, money was pledged by the Student Council and by faculty. By 1928, the school had pledges for $350,000, unfortunately due to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the following Great Depression, the school had only collected $130,000 in cash by 1930. Construction began in 1931 with less expensive, plan. Difficulties in paying bonds on the building lead the state to take control in 1937, drawing the cost of the debts from the student programming fees. The building was named for Charles M. McKenny, President of EMU 1912-1933 and the man who first proposed the idea of a student union. During the housing crunch of the 1950s, the third floor and basement of McKenny became student housing, dorm rooms were set up for those who worked in the student union. -
Morrison Hall
Morrison Hall was a house left to the University through the will of Affiah J. E. Morrison in 1919. A condition of the will stated that Morrison Hall was only to be used as a residence hall for incoming female students who were unable to pay for suitable housing elsewhere. Scholarships were given to six students, allowing them to live in Morrison Hall free of charge. The University released Morrison Hall in 1953.