Items
Template
Buildings
-
Downing Residence Hall Part of the four-building complex of Best, Buell and Wise Halls; surrounding the dining commons. Originally Downing Residence Hall was an all-female dormitory. Today, the residence hall accommodates male and female students which are divided into same-gender suites. Eastern's enrollment grew rapidly in the post-World War II years, resulting in high demand for more on- campus housing. Goddard Residence Hall opened in 1955, and construction began almost immediately on a new housing complex. This time, plans called for four buildings surrounding a central dining facility. When completed, the new housing would contain space for approximately 1,200 students in the geographical heart of campus. The new housing was originally intended for women. Builders hoped to complete the complex by 1958. Downing first opened to students in 1957 and Buell followed in 1958. Best and Wise did not open until the early 1960s. Buell and Downing could each house approximately 300 students. Wise, when it was completed, included recreation, laundry rooms, and meeting rooms, as well as housing for 322 students. Each of the buildings was named for an influential professor at Eastern. Estelle Downing taught English, 1898-1938; Bertha G. Buell taught History, English Literature, and Political Science 1899-1937; Margaret E. Wise, first grade teacher-trainer during her tenure from 1893-1939, and also served as Director of Placement 1927-39; and Martha Best who was a professor of Biology and Bacteriology 1924-1952.
-
Eagle Crest Golf Club The golf club features an 18-hole championship golf course overlooking the picturesque Ford Lake in Ypsilanti Township. The par 72 course provides any golf enthusiast with one of the most challenging courses in Southeastern Michigan. The layout of the course - designed by Karl Litten of Boca Raton, Florida - challenges both novice and seasoned golfers with several holes bordering the banks of the lake. The clubhouse was designed by Wakely Associates of Warren, MI. The golf course has four sets of tees that provide a variety of choices for all golfers, stretching 6,750 yards from the championship markers. The Eagle Crest Golf Club possesses a USGA course stroke rating of 72.9 and a slope rating of 140 from the championship tees. The golf course is owned by Eastern Michigan University and is open to guests of the adjoining Ann Arbor Marriott Hotel, Eagle Crest Resort, the university community, as well as the golfing public. This multi-dimensional golf operation offers all the luxuries of a resort facility - a full service golf shop, a spectacular practice range, The Grille providing food and beverage, expansive locker rooms for both men and women, and private dining rooms with a view which are available for group meetings, banquets and social functions.
-
Everett L. Marshall Building Architects designed the new building for the College of Health and Human Services to be environmentally friendly. Tables are made of soybeans, newspapers, and wooden pallets. Chairs and fabrics are made from recycled pop bottles; floors from straw cork, recycled tires and bamboo; ceiling tiles inhibit harmful molds; and low-odor, solvent-free paints help ensure air quality. Following the principles of universal design, the building has wider doors and adjustable desks among other modifications to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, size or disability can be comfortable in the building. The building was funded by state and university matching funds, including a donation from Professor Emeritus Everett L. Marshall.
-
Fletcher Building Built in 1963, the 40,000 square-foot building houses the Autism Collaborative Center and EMU's Children's Institute. Originally an elementary school adjacent to the EMU Campus; EMU purchased the school from city of Ypsilanti in 2009 for $2.2 million. When fully operational, the program will be the only one in the state with a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to assessment and the provision of a full range of interventions. The EMU Children's Institute offers early childhood education for the children of EMU students, faculty, staff and surrounding communities. The Institute serves approximately 150 children ages 18 months to six years old. Originally, the Fletcher Building was known as Elizabeth Fletcher Elementary School housing grades Kindergarten through 5th.
-
Ford Hall Ford Hall opened as the first college library back in 1929. Normal College had grown considerably since its founding in 1849. The small collection of books housed in one room of the Old Main Building no longer served the needs of the college community. President Charles McKenny (1912-1933) recognized the profound need for a larger library. Under his guidance, the school had become the largest teacher training program in the United States. A one-room library was no longer sufficient. Originally called The Library, it was later renamed Mark Jefferson Library in honor of the head of the Geography Department, 1901-1939. In 1967, when the second library (now Porter College of Education) opened, it became a classroom building. On May 17, 1967, it was rededicated as Richard Clyde Ford Hall. Ford had been head of the Modern Language Department from 1903-1940. In addition to his academic duties, Ford wrote articles for magazines, edited French and German school texts wrote young peoples' histories of Michigan and of the northwest, was a popular speaker and lecturer. He was an authority on the life and culture of Native Americans. The rededication took place on the 90th anniversary of Ford's birth.
-
Gary M. Owen College of Business Beginning in 1911, the Board authorized a Business Education Degree at the Michigan State Normal School. By 1929 the school offered a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. The College of Business (COB) moved to its current location in 1991. Today, the COB serves approximately 3,400 students. The COB offers thirteen majors and minors and five graduate degrees, and thirteen graduate certificate programs. The OB is located south of the main campus closer to downtown Ypsilanti. Students are able to take a shuttle from the main campus to the COB one way in under five minutes.
-
Geddes Town Hall School The Town Hall School, built on the Geddes farm, carries with it a rich family and educational tradition. The first Geddes came to this area in 1824 and the family possesses the 1827 deed to the farm signed by President John Quincy Adams. In 1852, William Geddes leased land for a term of 99 years at the corner of Morgan and Thomas roads to build a school. The Pitt (now Pittsfield) district paid six cents per year for the lease. The first Town Hall School was a brick building constructed in 1852. The existing wooden structure was built in 1895, at a cost of $677.50. This one-room school served as a social center for families in the community. Holiday celebrations were highlights of the year for all. From the 1880s, until its doors closed in 1957, student enrollment remained in the 30-40 range. One year, during the Depression there were only two students in attendance. At least 97 teachers taught here during the 105 years that the school was in session. Michigan State Normal School, as originally named, was one of the first public teacher training institutions west of the Allegheny Mountains. As Eastern Michigan University’s official Michigan sesquicentennial project, the Town Hall School was moved to the campus on July 7, 1987, and dedicated on October 22, 1988. It stands as a symbol of the University’s commitment to teacher education. The Town Hall School brings history to life for current and future generations of students.
-
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.