19 items

• 
  Munson Residence Hall
  Munson Residence Hall was built during the construction campaign of President John M. Munson. The new building was intended to be the men's residence hall and named for President Munson. Munson contained 200 student rooms when it was built and the adjacent residence hall, Brown, contained 250. In 1943, Munson began to house soldiers in the Army Specialized Training Program. These 300 soldiers, selected from camps around the nation, collected at Michigan State Normal College to form Company H of the 3651st Unit of the A.S.T.P. At Normal these soldiers were given basic academic training, called Basic I, which would allow them to enter more advanced leadership roles in the military. Munson was demolished in 2024, and is set to be turned into green space.
• 
  Normal Gymnasium
  The Normal Gymnasium was constructed in response to the 1871 fire of the school's original gymnasium and the formal addition of a department of physical training. The groundbreaking took place in October of 1892, after appropriations of $20,000 were used for the construction cost. The building was on a 250 x 275 ft lot on Cross Street across from Welch Hall. Originally built with two main rooms, one for men and another for women, one was equipped with a running track, the other with a gallery on three sides. The basement included a swimming pool and locker rooms equipped with showers.
• 
  Old Main Building
  Originally used for all administrative functions until Boone Hall was built, also provided classroom and library space. The original building was a brick structure three stories high, with a recessed front door and an ornamented cornice. All windows feature simple upper and lower pediments. The first floor provided a room for the model school, one for the department of Physics and Chemistry, a small reception room and library. The second floor features were the recitation rooms and the main school room. One large room and a number of smaller rooms were on the third floor.
• 
  Pine Grove Terrace Apartments
  President Eugene B. Elliott constructed Pine Grove Apartments as part of his expansion plans. The apartments were reserved for married housing, housing that would appeal to GIs with families returning from the Korean War (1950-1953). Pine Grove #1 opened with thirty-six completely furnished apartments earmarked for married students. A one-bedroom apartment cost $60 a month and a two-bedroom apartment cost $70 a month. Furnishings included a Youngstown kitchen in dawn yellow and meridian blue with a gas range and an electric refrigerator. A living room, bedroom, bathroom, and heating unit were all included in individual units.
• 
  Post Mansion
  The Old Post Mansion was built by Dr. Lewis H. Jones between 1899 and 1909. Dr. Jones purchased the property around 1900, from Samuel Post, a Detroit soup manufacturer. Dr. Jones lived in the home until the property was purchased by the state in 1915 to serve as the president's house. Dr. Charles McKenny, President 1912-1933, was the first and only president to reside in the home. McKenny died while in office, leaving his widow with out a home of her own. Incoming President John M. Munson, allowed Mrs. McKenny to remain in the house for the rest of her life. Munson chose to live in the Huron Hotel. Following Mrs. McKenny's death in 1939, Munson decided that the location of the president's house would be better used for residence halls, due to its central location.
• 
  Snow Health Center
  Snow Health Center replaced the old building in the context of a rapidly expanding university. The building cost $750,000 and was financed through funds the University borrowed against student fees. Architects designed it to facilitate the practice of preventative medicine on campus. Snow Health Center contained three times the number of beds as the old health center. In normal circumstances, it could house 30 patients in quarters on the third floor but it had space for up to 150 in a disaster situation. A brightly colored abstract mosaic decorates the entryway of the otherwise sober International style exterior. In 1958, the school held a competition in which it invited fine and industrial arts faculty to present ideas for a mosaic. The winning mosaic decorates the wall outside the main entrance to the health center and adds color to the stark international style building. After 60 years in operation, Snow Health Center officially closed on November 1, 2019. The same year, a private health center, IHA Health Center @ EMU, opened on November 4th.
• 
  Walter O. Briggs Field
  Work on the Walter O. Briggs Field began almost immediately after $150,000 was donated by Walter O. Briggs, a native of Ypsilanti and owner of the Detroit Tigers. Workmen revamped the ball diamond, erected two new grandstands, and added modern football bleachers to replace wooden stands on Alumni Field. Two wings were constructed which included on the west wing, lockers, showers, property rooms, and offices. Quarters are provided for men for both home and visiting teams, the accommodations were the same for both. The east wing contained a 50 x 110 foot practice room with a dirt floor. The roof was high enough for pole vaulters to not become tangled in the girders. Indoor practice would take place primarily in the winter months for track and field events. The entrance gates faced Forest Avenue, and also included ticket-selling windows and turnstiles. Also featured was a 3,000 person baseball grandstand which was covered to protect spectators from rain and overhead sun rays. The stands faced directly west. The revamping of the baseball diamond resulted in the construction of a ball park with home plate 370 feet from the left field fence at the foul line. Right and center field fences were about 300 feet from home plate. Construction was directed by the Barton-Marlow Company under the supervision of Walter O. Briggs. The improvements were fully funded by Mr. Briggs, whose gift of $150,000 was announced by his son Walter O. Briggs, Jr. at the Michigan Centennial Dinner which was held at McKenny Hall, January 8, 1937. Approximately, 3,000 people attended the baseball game dedication of Briggs Field on May 6, 1938, when Michigan State Normal College played the University of Michigan. The Huron's played their final season at Briggs Field in 1968, as Rynearson Stadium was completed the next year. The football and baseball fields were razed in 1972 to make space for new campus buildings.