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Building Name
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Sherzer Hall
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Description
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This building was named for Dr. William H. Sherzer, professor of geology and head of Department of Natural Sciences (1892-1932), and construction was finished in 1903. According to legend, Dr. Sherzer sketched a plan for the new Natural Science Building on the back of an envelope based on the science buildings he saw when he studied in Germany. Sherzer Hall is one of four buildings that comprise the Eastern Michigan University Historic District, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Sherzer has survived two separate fires, a small one in 1973 that caused $10,000 in damages, and another in 1989 that nearly burned the building to the ground. The building was reconstructed in just eighteen months, and Quinn Evans Architects and EMU received recognition for reproducing the masonry techniques used in the original structure. Many scientific specimens and artifacts connected with the school’s early history were destroyed in the fires.
Sherzer was originally utilized as a Natural Sciences building, and while it does not hold many science classes today, it maintains its connection to the sciences with its rooftop observatory. The Sherzer Observatory was established in 1878, and moved from the top of Pierce Hall to the Sherzer building in 1903. In 1997, a radio telescope was installed on the roof to collect radio waves created by celestial objects. The observatory has been connecting the EMU community to the cosmos for over 100 years, and remains an important and popular fixture on campus.
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Namesake Biography
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William Hittell Sherzer, born September 6, 1860 in Franklin, Ohio to Jacob Weinland Sherzer and Mary Firman Sherzer. Prof. Sherzer received his education from the University of Michigan, including his Ph.D. in 1901, he also completed graduate work at the University of Berlin from 1900-1901, and completed a special study at the Smithsonian Institution in anthropology, 1927-1928. Prof. Sherzer's teaching career began in the rural schools of Ohio after his graduation from high school. He was also the principal of Saginaw (West Side) High School, 1886-1889; principal and science teaching at Houghton High School in the fall of 1891, then returned to the University of Michigan to become an instructor in geology, 1891-1892. Sherzer became a professor natural science at Michigan State Normal College in 1892 where he remained until his death in 1932. During his time at M.S.N.C., Sherzer was also a research associate at the Natural Science Camp, Canadigua Lake, New York, and Chautauqua, New York as well as an assistant for the Michigan State Geological Survey, 1896-1913. He also completed field studies in the Canadian Rockies and a special investigation on the Mt. Kilauea eruptions in Hawaii, 1920-1921. William Sherzer died at his home on Bass Lake, July 17, 1932
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Building Namesake
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William Sherzer, Professor of Geology Head of Natural Sciences Department, 1892-1932
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Year Constructed
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1903
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Date Dedicated
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1903
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Building Functions
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Art Department and Rooftop Observatory
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Natural Science Building
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Architect
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E.W. Arnold, Battle Creek, MI
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Builder
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Howind Construction, Jackson, MI
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Original Cost
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$55,000
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Architectural Style
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Richardsonian Romanesque with Georgian Revival Details
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Square Footage
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24,948
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Rights
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This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the owner, Eastern Michigan University Archives (lib_archives@emich.edu).
