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The total value of physical properties at the University has grown eleven times that recorded in 1940. This period is very significant for its growth in fixed assets. Notable additions were the North Campus in Ann Arbor and the Dearborn and Flint Campuses. The table below indicates this growth over ten-year increments since 1939-40:
State appropriations for the University of Michigan's building program are shown in the accompanying table. These appropriations include Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint. The first appropriations for the Dearborn and Flint Campuses occurred in 1970-71 and through 1976-77 have amounted to over $20,000,000.
| 1939-1940 | $ -0- |
| 1940-1941 | -0- |
| 1941-1942 | 25,000 |
| 1942-1943 | 25,000 |
| 1943-1944 | 220,000 |
| 1944-1945 | -0- |
| 1945-1946 | 1,500,000 |
| 1946-1947 | 3,300,000 |
| 1947-1948 | 3,200,000 |
| 1948-1949 | 3,969,500 |
| 1949-1950 | 100,000 |
| 1950-1951 | 3,000,000 |
| 1951-1952 | 3,000,000 |
| 1952-1953 | 2,376,203 |
| 1953-1954 | 2,182,000 |
| 1954-1955 | 3,392,000 |
| 1955-1956 | 5,641,460 |
| 1956-1957 | 9,190,000 |
| 1957-1958 | 8,599,000 |
| 1958-1959 | 1,996,606 |
| 1959-1960 | 1,320,983 |
| 1960-1961 | 2,350,000 |
| 1961-1962 | 2,700,000 |
| 1962-1963 | 3,850,000 |
| 1963-1964 | 4,947,000 |
| 1964-1965 | 5,755,000 |
| 1965-1966 | 4,283,893 |
| 1966-1967 | 5,425,000 |
| 1967-1968 | 7,400,000 |
| 1968-1969 | 6,870,000 |
| 1969-1970 | 4,940,000 |
| 1970-1971 | 3,380,845 |
| 1971-1972 | $724,252 |
| 1972-1973 | 5,100,000 |
| 1973-1974 | 14,988,000 |
| 1974-1975 | 3,647,500 |
| 1975-1976 | 6,244,000 |
| 1976-1977 | 6,166,000 |
On June 30, 1940, the University owned 10,102 acres of land, 291 acres in the Ann Arbor area and 9,811 acres located elsewhere in the state of Michigan and outside the state. By June 30, 1955, the University owned 18,576 acres of land at original cost value of $9,023,879. Of these, 1,007 acres were in the Ann Arbor area and the rest were in out-state Michigan and at Camp Davis near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Significant among the out-state holdings were the Biological Station near Cheboygan - 8,809 acres; the Edwin S. George Reserve in Livingston County - 1,335 acres; the Chase S. Osborn Preserve on Sugar Island in the St. Mary's River - 3,144 acres; and the Willow Run Airport in Washtenaw and Wayne Counties - 1,972 acres.
Total land holdings at June 30, 1977, amounted to 20,090 acres at a cost of $21,640,857. Of these lands, 2,582 acres at a cost of $17,486,697 are located in the Ann Arbor area, and of these 1,562.17 acres are within the city limits of Ann Arbor, including the North Campus holdings acquired in the 1950s. Occasionally individual city lots with houses on the campus perimeter became available for sale. Where these benefited the University's campus plans, purchase agreements were negotiated. In some cases these scattered lots were held as income properties for a short time until the land could be used for campus building purposes.
Two significant acreages in the Ann Arbor area, but outside the city limits, are the Botanical Gardens on Dixboro Road, acquired in 1957-58, and Radrick Farms on Dixboro and Geddes Roads, acquired in 1961-62.
A gift of 70.346 acres in Dexter, Michigan, including the former home of Judge Samuel William Dexter, was received in December of 1950 from the granddaughter Mrs. Katherine Dexter McCormick.
Important changes in out-state land holdings include the acquisition of the Willow Run Airport property in 1947 by transfer from the Federal Government as war-surplus property and the later transfer of Willow Run Airport to the Wayne County Road Commission in 1977, a reduction of 1,957 acres from the University land records. Additions in out-state holdings since 1955 include:
Significant building additions are described in the following paragraphs by campus areas (Central, North, Medical, Parking Structures, South, Dearborn, Flint, and Off-Campus). Building projects totaling 155 are reported here, representing 114 new projects (actually encompassing 491 different structures), 23 major building additions, 11 remodeling projects where the housed activities were changed, and 7 major renovation projects.
This updating of building activity reports the major part of the postwar building program. Buildings added since 1940, as described in Volume IV, pages 1569-1744, are listed below:
An addition to the Law Library for stack areas and offices was completed in 1955 and is described in Volume IV, page 1673 . This was funded by state appropriations and private gifts for a cost of $687,000. Planning was completed
by York and Sawyer Company, and Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. was the contractor.
An addition to Couzens Hall at 1300 East Ann Street, mentioned in Volume IV, page 1797 , was completed in 1956 at a cost of $2,100,000. This addition increased capacity by 272 students and was financed by bonds paid from operating revenues. R. A. Calder Company was the planner and Spence Brothers were the contractors.
In September of 1954 the Regents approved a contract for an addition to the Michigan Union at 530 South State Street and a comprehensive renovation of the kitchen area. The project was completed in 1956 at a cost of $3,000,000, which was financed partly from funds on hand and the balance from a bond issue secured by future student fee allocations.
A new building for the University Press was constructed at 412 Maynard Street in 1956 from University sources at a cost of $130,000. It included 7,583 gross square feet. Douglas Loree designed the two story structure, and it was completed by the Henry deKoning Construction Company to provide a central campus location for the various publishing offices of the University Press previously scattered about the campus. The cost was met from alumni contributions and University funds. By 1951 the Press had outgrown the building and was moved into rented quarters at 615 East University Avenue. Renamed Extension Service Building, it became the headquarters of the University Extension Service formerly housed in the Administration Building.
The Undergraduate Library at 919 South University Avenue was completed in 1957 at a project cost of $3,076,500, financed from state appropriations. Planning began in 1953 for this unit and Albert Kahn, Associated Architects were appointed as architects. The construction contract was awarded to Spence Brothers of Saginaw, and the structure includes 136,820 gross square feet. It was designed to house reference books, frequently used current periodicals, and all reserved books, formerly housed in scattered campus libraries, which were especially used by undergraduates as well as a large collection of basic source books for undergraduate courses. To provide reader spaces for approximately 2,500 students, large study halls were designed for each of
the four levels of the building. Special features include typing rooms, record-listening rooms, a large multipurpose room and special provisions for blind students. Books are arranged in open-shelf collections and the total floor space is designed to be rearrangeable for any library purpose. The library is unique in that it is only the second of its kind to be built in the United States, and at the time of construction the library was the largest of its kind in the world.
The Regents first discussed the acquisition and prospective uses of the Ann Arbor High School building and land at 105 South State Street in May of 1954. In November purchase was authorized at a cost of $1,400,000, including 2.112 acres valued at $244,000. The structure was built in 1905. In February of 1956 the building was renamed the Henry S. Frieze Building, after a University Latin professor who twice served as acting President, and in July a contract was awarded to the Spence Brothers Company for a significant addition and modernization project amounting to $2,436,000, financed primarily from state appropriations. After lengthy City-University discussions, Thayer Street between East Huron and East Washington Streets was closed permitting an extensive addition to the original building. This Colvin & Robinson designed addition, plus extensive remodeling in the existing facility, included removal of the heating plant and connection of the entire facility to the University's central heating system. The project was completed in December of 1957. The new space was used for certain departments of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and the School of Social Work. This facility now provides a total of 197,920 gross square feet of space for these activities.
Mary Butler Markley Residence Hall at 1425 Washington Heights was first planned as a residence for 1,200 single women but is now occupied by both men and women. The construction contract was awarded to George W. Lathrop and Sons, Inc. in March of 1957. The project totaled $6,060,631 and was financed by a loan from the Housing and Home Finance Agency and a term loan secured by future revenues from student housing. The building was completed in February 1959 and includes 283,888 gross square feet. Harley, Ellington & Day, Inc., designed the "H" shaped dormitory, sited on Washington Heights, which contains nine houses in
four wings accommodating 1,200 students. An innovation at the time of completion was a telephone in every room. The dormitory was named to honor Mary Butler Markley, a faculty widow, who had been extremely active in alumnae affairs for many years.
An addition to the Henry Frieze Vaughan Public Health Building at 109 South Observatory Street was completed in 1959 at a cost of $1,700,000. The addition was designed by the architect of the original structure, Lewis J. Sarvis, and constructed by Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. The project was financed by a Kellogg Foundation gift, a federal grant, and University funds. Regental action in October 1971 named the structure the Henry Frieze Vaughan Public Health Building in honor of the first dean of the School of Public Health, who served from its organization in 1943 to 1960.
Planning for a Pharmacy Research Building, at 428 Church Street, began in January of 1959 when the firm of Bennett and Straight was approved to draw up architectural plans. A. Z. Shmina and Sons were awarded the construction contract in July of 1959, and the building was completed in December of 1960 at a cost of $1,100,000. This was financed by a federal grant, gifts, and University funds. It provided 36,600 gross square feet for teaching and research activities. The facility is devoted almost entirely to laboratories, most of which accommodate two to four researchers, for both faculty and graduate students. The few offices in the project have laboratories attached. At the time of the building's dedication, it was the nation's largest college building for pharmaceutical research. While many research areas remain, renovations in subsequent years, plus use of spaces in the adjoining C. C. Little Building by pharmacy units, have led to a usage change for the structure reflected in the change of name in 1971 to the College of Pharmacy Building.
During 1959-60 over $600,000 worth of renovations were made to the Michigan League which resulted in an all new cafeteria and serving area with new equipment and furnishings. A 10,000-square-foot area beneath and adjacent to the Mendelssohn Theater was excavated and made into a combined theater workshop and multipurpose area. Opening into an area beneath
the theater's stage, the workshop permits sets and other stage equipment constructed there to be put in place directly on the stage. The renovation project also included minor remodeling of the snack bar, installation of new dishwashing equipment, modernization of the ballroom, serving kitchen, and heating and lighting improvements on the first floor.
In May of 1960 a remodeling project for the West Medical Building was approved with a budget of $850,000 and the contract was awarded to the Kurtz Building Company of Ann Arbor. Colvin, Robinson, Wright and Associates provided architectural services. The building became available for alternative use because of the initial move of the Medical School to its first new building on the Medical Campus. The $925,700 project was funded primarily by state appropriation and was completed in June of 1961, at which time it was renamed the Natural Resources Building. In April of 1973 it was again renamed the Samuel Trask Dana Building, honoring the former Dean Emeritus of the School of Natural Resources.
Planning began in 1954 for the Student Activities Building at 515 East Jefferson Street. In January of 1955 the project was approved. Swanson and Associates were architects, and in November a construction contract was awarded to George W. Lathrop and Sons of Detroit. The project budget was set at $1,750,000 to be financed from borrowings secured by future student fee allocations and University sources. The building was completed in 1957. This is one of few American college structures designed primarily to house student organizations, activities, and services. It houses student organizations on three floors, plus a one-story workshop area at the rear. A Class of 1957 Memorial gift provided for a Memorial Court dedicated to Hank Borda, an active Student Government Council Member of the Class who died of leukemia prior to graduation. Original first floor occupants were the major student activities of the Student Government Council, Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils, Interhouse Council and Assembly Association, Building Administration Committee, and the offices of the Dean of Women. The second floor provided spaces for the Glee Club, Wolverine Club, International Student Association, Alpha Phi Omega, and similar student activities, plus offices of the Dean of
Men. On the third floor, in addition to large meeting rooms, were Joint Judiciary Headquarters and projection rooms. Basement spaces housed the Student Book Exchange, Art Print Loan Collection, student files, and a mimeograph room. The building had been assigned a site on Jefferson Street which allowed for expansion, and three years after its completion that expansion was begun. Swanson and Associates were appointed as architects in 1959 to plan an addition. A. Z. Shmina and Sons were awarded the construction contract in July of 1960 and it was completed in June of 1961, also financed from student fee allocations. The addition provided spaces for the Office of Admissions, the Student Employment Office, the Office of Veteran Affairs, the Cashier's Office, the Bureau of Appointments and Occupational Information, and an office for the Coordinator of Student Religious Affairs. The present building carries a book value of $2,500,000 and provides 93,193 gross square feet of space for student organizations and administrative offices. A 1968 Union Study by Consultant Douglas Osterheld of the University of Wisconsin recommended a transfer of all student services from offices in the Student Activities Building to the Michigan Union. In 1970 and 1972 the Regents approved a two-phase program moving toward a centralized student center in the Michigan Union and establishing the Student Activities Building as primarily an office building.
The David M. Dennison Building at 500 Church Street was named in May of 1976 in honor of the late physics professor who was a researcher of international stature and a widely respected member of the faculty. It was first known as the Physics and Astronomy Building for which plans began in May of 1960. In July of 1961 construction began and the building was completed by A. Z. Shmina and Sons Company in April of 1963 at a cost of $3,200,000, financed from state appropriations. It was designed by Albert Kahn Associated Architects and Engineers, Inc., who won two awards for excellence in design, one from the Michigan Society of Architects in 1965 and the other from the American Institute of Architects in 1963. The building encompasses 129,669 gross square feet. Offices and laboratories constructed in 1910 and an 1854-vintage library previously served the Astronomy Department with extremely overcrowded and obsolete spaces. Although not entirely housed in such antiquated space, the Physics Department also was in extremely crowded facilities
due to the tremendous growth of the department. For example, a 32 percent growth took place in the period 1956-1960. Research developments in both fields made it most desirable to effect a physical union of the two departments, and a merging of both the Physics and Astronomy libraries and shops was beneficial to both departments.
Planning for Oxford Houses in the 600 block of Oxford Street began in December of 1960 when Stickel, Moody and Associates were appointed architects for the project. The project was approved at the level of $2,500,000 to be financed from future housing revenues. The construction contract was awarded in May of 1962 to Erickson and Lindstrom Construction Company and the project was completed in August of 1963. The facility consisted of eight structures, including 117,778 gross square feet. It provided space for 420 women students and eight house directors in a cooperative system of living for single students. In October of 1964 the Regents accepted the Community Facilities Administration Honor Award for its Oxford Houses. In 1967 a two-story addition, also designed by Stickels and Associates, was completed by Richard Wagner - Builder. Enabled by a $100,000 grant from the Max Kade Foundation, this new 2,230-square-foot facility provided living quarters for 30 coeds, where only German was to be spoken, and was named the Max Kade German House.
A 33,125 square-foot addition to the Alexander G. Ruthven Museums Building was approved in March of 1963 when a construction contract was awarded to Darin and Armstrong Co. and a project budget was set at $1,200,000. Financing was from a large National Science Foundation grant of $1,000,000 and University sources. The project was completed in March of 1964. It was designed by the Architects Collective, Inc. and provided accommodations for a program of research in animal biosystematics for the Museum of Zoology to serve both visiting and resident scholars. In December 1968 the Regents approved naming the building to honor the zoologist who had served on the faculty as Director of University Museums for seven years and as University President for 22 years.
In March of 1965 the Regents authorized acquisition of the Perry Building and land at 330 Packard Street from the Ann Arbor School District. The $350,000 purchase price was
financed from University sources. This added 48,738 gross square feet to the instructional space of the central campus.
A proposed Administration Building at 503 Thompson Street was authorized for detailed plans and specifications for bids in June of 1965. The original design was prepared by Alden Dow and Associates. Construction contracts were awarded to the Spence Brothers of Saginaw in May of 1966 for a project budget of $2,900,000. The project is financed by a continuation of the loan agreements for the Student Activities Building. The building was completed in August of 1968 and provided 78,944 gross square feet for central administrative functions.
Butcher and Willits, Inc. completed construction of the Nu Sigma Nu house at 1912 Geddes Road at a cost of $361,500 in 1970. Designed by Robert Metcalf, the 14,410 square foot project was financed by gifts, a property exchange, and income of the property. In January 1966 the Regents authorized an agreement with the Nu Sigma Nu Fraternity "to assist duly recognized fraternities and sororities in improving and providing appropriate housing for such organizations as qualify for such assistance under rules and regulations of the offices of the Vice-President for Student Affairs and the Vice-President in charge of Business and Finance." The terms of the agreement with Nu Sigma Nu included the transfer by the fraternity to the University of land which it owned at 1015 E. Huron Street. The University established a fund designated as the Nu Sigma Nu Building Fund and deposited all contributions for this purpose. When sufficient assets were received, the University was to construct and lease to the fraternity a house on Fuller Street on land owned by the University. The site was subsequently shifted to one on Geddes Road. Rental paid by the fraternity was to be sufficient to pay all costs of maintenance of the house and also to provide for repayment over a 15-year period of the amount advanced by the University for construction over and above amounts received as gifts. The University will retain ownership of the house and will rent it to the fraternity for short-term periods.
The Parking and Publications Building at 409-411 E. Jefferson Street, a former grocery store and small restaurant,
was purchased in 1969 for $85,000. Financed from University funds, the facility was remodeled into office spaces for Parking Operations and for University Publications.
The University had rented office space in the Benz Building for two public health research projects prior to January 1969 when the owner contacted the University regarding purchase of the red brick building located at 122 S. First Street. The 46,791-square foot structure had office and storage areas on four floors of an L-shaped building and also a 9,000-square foot parking area. In May 1969 Regental approval was given for purchase of the building from Mr. Carroll Benz to aid in meeting substantial research space requirements of the University and to enable consolidation of some units in other rental spaces. It presently houses the Institute for the Study of Mental Retardation and Related Disabilities. Financing of the $284,000 purchase was from University sources. The purchase price and remodeling cost resulted in a book value of $464,000. Renovations and a firestair addition added 1,290 square feet to the structure.
Extensive remodeling of the East Quadrangle student residence hall at 701 East University Avenue was authorized in April of 1969 for a Residential College division of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. The concept of a Residential College developed through a series of faculty committee studies begun in 1963. Associate Dean Burton Thuma was appointed the first director of the Residential College and worked to develop a comprehensive plan and program for both education and facilities. Upon his 1967 retirement, just prior to admission of the first freshman class in the fall of 1967, Dean James H. Robertson succeeded him. The original site for the facility was on University land on the north side of the Huron River along Fuller Road. Placing the College in two remodeled houses of the East Quadrangle was only to be an interim arrangement for two years while the new facility was under construction. Financial restrictions, however, led to the 1967 decision to expand the temporary facilities in the East Quadrangle into a permanent home for the Residential College. Remodeling and renovation was undertaken in three phases. The first phase included renovating mechanical systems, improving handicapped access, and remodeling the former men's
dormitory rooms into classrooms, administrative spaces, library areas, and living units for men and women in the south wing of the Quadrangle. The second phase consisted of similar work in the north wing, while the third phase included a 30,000-square-foot addition, including a 250-seat lecture hall, plus lobbies connecting the north and south wings along the East University and Church Street sides. Swanson Associates provided architectural services for the project. The Henry deKoning Construction Company of Ann Arbor finished its work in August of 1970 at an added capitalized cost of $2,000,000, and this was financed by borrowings secured by residence halls revenues and some University funds.
Growing pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the North University and Forest Avenue area raised serious safety problems at the intersection and along Forest Avenue. The State Highway Department declined signaling at the intersection because of the complexity of signals required and the fact that signaling would significantly slow traffic on Forest. A University study of the problem showed that the physical characteristics of the area would permit a stepless overpass with only a slight grade to be built over Forest Avenue, running from near the North University Building to the vicinity of the Stockwell Hall steps. Such an overpass would eliminate this major traffic hazard, and the Regents approved proceeding with the project. Prior to construction the City of Ann Arbor agreed to close North University Avenue from Forest to Washtenaw which also aided in safety improvement in the area. The Forest Avenue Overpass was completed by the Argersinger-Morse Company in the fall of 1970, financed by University funds in the amount of $482,968.
After the Medical School completed its final move from East University to its second new facility near the Hospital, the old East Medical Building became available for alternate use. In March of 1968 it was approved for remodeling for use by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and the College of Pharmacy. A contract was awarded in July of 1969 to Butcher and Willits Company of Ann Arbor for the remodeling project and the building was renamed the Clarence Cook Little Science Building to honor the renowned cancer research scientist and former University
President. The project was completed in April of 1971, financed from state appropriations and University sources.
In August of 1954 the Regents were notified of the need for additional space for training of dental students. Requests were made for state support for the new Dental Building at 1011 North University Avenue, and the firm of Smith, Hinchman and Grylls was appointed as architects for planning in April of 1963. When completed in 1971, this 307,156-square-foot addition to University facilities was believed to be the most modern and completely equipped structure of its type in the world. Its construction contract was the largest single such contract let by the University. The building is in the form of a hollow square with an attached eight-story research tower and with one wing devoted to one of the most complete professional libraries in existence. It is also attached to the W. K. Kellogg Institute Building on the west. Built in two phases by A. Z. Shmina and Sons Company, classes were able to continue during the period of its construction and the demolition of the 1908 dental building. The new building has increased floor space nearly five times, has allowed a 70 percent enrollment increase, and inauguration of an entirely new individualized curriculum in both dentistry and dental hygiene. The $16,889,845 construction cost was met by federal grants and state appropriations while the additional $395,000 cost of renovations to the adjoining W. K. Kellogg Institute Building were met by a gift of that amount from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
Planning for the Thomas Francis Jr. Public Health Building at 1420 Washington Heights began in July of 1964 when Albert Kahn Associates were employed for architectural services. A project budget of approximately $7,000,000 was approved in June of 1966. With two federal grants, a gift from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation of $2,500,000, and funds from University sources, the final cost of $7,240,000 was realized when the building was completed by the Sorenson Gross Company in September of 1971. The seven-story structure includes 169,597 gross square feet and was designed to connect to the original building via a pedestrian walkway at the third level. The new facility provided consolidation within the School of activities previously scattered in 13 different locations. Acting on the recommendation of the
Dean and faculty of the School, the Regents at their October 1971 meeting approved naming this new addition the Thomas Francis, Jr. Public Health Building to honor the late renowned epidemiologist, who had served the School as Professor of Epidemiology from 1941 to 1968.
The Modern Languages Building at 812 East Washington Street was first approved for planning in January of 1965 and construction contracts were awarded in June of 1969. It was completed in October of 1971 at a project cost of $5,766,000, financed mainly from state appropriation and partially from a federal grant. It provided 129,491 gross square feet of added space for instructional activities. Sorenson Gross Construction Company built this four-story structure. Designed by Albert Kahn Associated Architects and Engineers, Inc., the building helps to meet a critical need for classroom and office spaces on the central campus. The basement contains classrooms and a reading room. On the first floor are two auditoriums and two large lecture halls. Entrances are at the four corners of a peripheral corridor. The second floor contains a large language laboratory plus seminar and classrooms. The third and fourth floors contain offices and conference rooms which were planned around two open courts to provide natural light in each office.
The Power Center for Performing Arts at 121 Fletcher Street was first planned in 1964. An offer from Regent Emeritus Eugene B. Power to provide the major source of funds for this project was accepted in November of 1968. Contracts for construction were awarded to the O'Neal Construction Company in March of 1969 and the project was completed in November of 1971 at a cost of $3,600,000, funded by gifts. The facility includes 1,110,630 cubic feet and 58,532 gross square feet. The 1,420-seat structure is sited in Felch Park. Highlights of its Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo and Associates design are an advanced lighting system, a stage convertible from proscenium to a thrust stage, and the promenade lobby faced with reflecting glass which mirrors Felch Park and features twin glass-enclosed spiral staircases.
In the last twenty-five years, the Heating Plant at
1120 East Huron Street has undergone several significant improvements. In 1954 a fifth boiler was added, financed by state appropriations. In 1961 the Regents authorized an additional boiler, fired by gas. This was completed in 1964, funded by state appropriations. Further expansion and modernization was authorized in 1967 for a complete conversion to gas fuel, and in 1972 two turbine generators were acquired to produce added electricity, financed by University funds.
The Alpha Chi Omega sorority house at 1735 Washtenaw Avenue was purchased for $225,000 in 1972 for the School of Business Administration and renamed the Kalmbach Management Center. This purchase was financed from gifts and University sources and provided 22,970 additional gross square feet to the Business Administration facilities.
In May of 1970 the Regents authorized remodeling of the former University School building areas for the School of Education Building at 610 East University Avenue. Colvin, Robinson and Wright were appointed as architects for the project and Saline Construction Company was awarded the construction contract. The work was completed in 1972 at a cost of $1,200,000, financed from University sources.
On October 2, 1972, the former Zeta Psi fraternity house at 1443 Washtenaw Avenue opened as The William Monroe Trotter House, replacing former quarters at South and East University Avenues seriously damaged by fire the previous May. Named for the editor of the first black civil rights newspaper, the Boston Guardian, the 12, 913-square-foot facility is a completely different innovative concept providing coordination of a positive social and cultural environment for black students on the campus. The facility also provides a comfortable environment for black students to seek and receive information from peers and professional staff to aid in their adjustment in the University setting. Purchase and renovation costs of $110,000 were met from University funds and from insurance on the burned building.
The Argus Buildings and land at 405-416 South Fourth Street were acquired from Sylvania Electric Products, Inc. in 1963 at a cost of $1,256,000, financed by University funds.
The three buildings included 2,312,889 cubic feet and 195,353 gross square feet which provided flexible space for storage and service functions. Building Number I was remodeled to provide space for an expanded Amphibian Facility, headquarters for the Alumni Records Office, the Bureau of School Services, as well as storage and service areas for the Library system. Building Number III provided expanded facilities for all units of the Audio-Visual Education Center. When Building Number II was vacated by Argus Optics in 1971, extensive renovations, totaling just over $1,000,000 in University funds, were undertaken to convert the area into office, service, workshop, and studio areas for the Television Center. Ceremonies on September 19, 1974, marked completion of the new Center and the introduction of the Center's new color equipment.
The Business Administration Assembly Hall project at 901 Hill Street was approved in January of 1970. Construction contracts were awarded in May of 1971. The building was completed in November of 1972 at a cost of $1,270,000, financed from gifts and University funds. This two-story building offers year-round facilities for conference and teaching activities of the School of Business Administration, particularly the management and executive training programs conducted by the School. Designed by O'Dell, Hewlett and Luckenbach, construction of this 26,136-square-foot facility was completed by the R. T. Mitchell Construction Company. A 500-seat auditorium within the building is named for Clayton G. Hale, a former Business Administration School faculty member and major donor to the project's funding. First floor facilities also include case discussion rooms and quarters for the executive-in-residence program. On the second floor are conference rooms and offices and a walkway to the main School of Business Administration Building.
The Plant Services Building, a 14,473-square-foot industrial-type building at 1111 Palmer Drive, was designed by Engineering Services to house, in a consolidated area, the Building Service Department Offices and Training Facilities, a Central Campus base of operations for the Elevator Repair Unit, and the Preventive Maintenance Unit, and a small repair area. It was completed in 1973 by the Saline Construction Company at a cost of just under $200,000, financed by University funds.
The Health Service Building at 207 Fletcher Street was renovated by the E. E. Kurtz Construction Company during 1973-74 at a cost of $428,000. Renovations to update facilities, make handicapped provisions, and to allow use of 10,000 square feet not otherwise usable were completed in 1974. These renovations and some of the fire protection projects undertaken at the same time were funded from University sources, while state funding supported other of the fire protection projects.
The Chemistry Building at 930 North University Avenue was approved for significant renovation in December of 1972. The program was undertaken in a three-phase plan to allow continued use of the building during construction. Charles Sherman Associates provided architectural services for replacement of major mechanical systems, updating of fire exits, improvements for handicapped accessibility and laboratory modernization. R. T. Mitchell Company was the contractor for the project. The first phase was completed in October of 1975, financed from University sources.
In the last two decades the University Library at the center of the campus has undergone two renovation projects. In 1956 and 1957 state appropriations funded a remodeling project of $700,000 at the time the new Undergraduate Library was constructed. A two-floor stack addition was added to the east and west stacks of this structure in 1957 by utilizing space under the roof and in light wells. This addition of 28,046 square feet was designed by Colvin, Robinson and completed by Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. The Harlan H. Hatcher Graduate Library (South) was in planning for several years while funding from several sources was acquired. With support from a federal grant, a federal loan, some gift support from the "55 Million" campaign, and pledged student fees, a financing plan was approved in November of 1966. The project was designed by Albert Kahn Associated Architects and Engineers, Inc. A construction contract was awarded to the Lathrop Company in August of 1967. The eight-story building was completed in June of 1970 at a cost of approximately $5,000,000 adding 142,502 gross square feet to the library facilities. The addition provided space to accommodate some 800,000 to 900,000 additional volumes in airconditioned stacks, plus 532. carrels on the second through
sixth floors. One thousand twenty-four book lockers, 200 typewriter lockers, and 10 typing rooms are also located on the second floor. The seventh floor houses the department of rare books and special collections, and on the eighth floor are a map room, a room for papyrology and manuscripts, a 30-seat classroom for teaching, and administrative offices for the library system. This new addition to the south became known as Hatcher-South, while the original structure became known as Hatcher-North. When the Harlan H. Hatcher Graduate Library, South was built, the former library area was badly in need of major rehabilitation. As early as 1965 Albert Kahn and Associates were hired to plan this rehabilitation. State funding was sought and finally obtained in the early 1970s. Work was begun by the Saline Construction Company in 1974 and the project was completed in February 1976 at a cost of just under $4,690,000. This older part of the library was then renamed the Harlan H. Hatcher Graduate Library, North.
Planning for the Institute for Social Research Building, at 426 Thompson Street, began in November of 1959 when additional space was requested of the Regents for this unit. Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. was awarded the contract for construction in April of 1964. A unique feature of the floor layout, designed by Alden B. Dow Associates, Inc., is the arrangement of offices in clusters or modules around a central open space lighted by large window walls. This arrangement provides discrete areas for different programs and yet permits easy communication among staff members of a particular research area. Individual offices are small in order to provide privacy for more staff members. Stairs, elevators, and rest rooms are centrally located, therefore, less space is used for hallways, creating additional laboratory and office space. This arrangement yields an extremely efficient use of space - 74 percent - a high ratio of net to gross space for an office building. The building was completed in December of 1965, and it was financed from federal grants, gifts, and University sources for a total cost of just under $2,000,000. An addition to this building was requested and authorized in July of 1970. In December of 1972, 52,100 additional square feet were authorized for the addition, also designed by the Dow firm, and a construction contract was awarded to the R. T. Mitchell Company of Ann Arbor in April of 1974. The addition was completed in April of 1976,
financed from gifts and University sources. The building now encompasses 133,723 gross square feet at a cost of $4,500,000.
The William A. Paton Accounting Center at 951 Hill Street was completed in April of 1976 at a cost of $1,200,000, financed from private gifts. The building project was first approved by the Regents in June of 1973. In November of 1973 the O'Dell, Hewlett, and Luckenbach architectural firm was authorized to complete plans, and in November of 1974 the construction contract was awarded to the R. T. Mitchell Construction Company of Ann Arbor. This excellent and compact facility added 15,239 gross square feet for the teaching and research in accounting programs in the School of Business Administration. Named to honor Michigan's distinguished emeritus Professor of Accounting, this brick two-story air-conditioned structure is sited between the Business Administration Assembly Hall and the Hill Street Parking structure. It contains case discussion rooms, seminar rooms, faculty offices, and television studios and control rooms and support facilities.
In April of 1973 the Regents approved a student fee allocation to finance two new recreational buildings, the Central Campus Recreation Building at 401 Washtenaw and the North Campus Recreational Facility. An increased demand for modern recreational facilities led to this approval of new recreation buildings for both the Central and the North Campuses. The two buildings were authorized for construction in June of 1974, at a combined cost of $7,700,000. The Central Campus building was connected to the Women's Swimming Pool building which was built in 1954 and renamed the Margaret Bell Pool in May of 1966. The Central Campus facility was completed by Spence Brothers Construction Company in July of 1976 at a cost of $4,800,000 and with the pool building provides 182,088 gross square feet of excellent intramural sports space. The aging and inadequate Women's Athletic Building was demolished in 1974 to clear a site for the 132,956-square-foot Central Campus building which would allow it to be built adjacent to Palmer Field and to connect with the Margaret Bell Pool. Alden B. Dow Associated, Inc. designed the facility, available to both men and women. It includes 11 handball and 6 squash courts, a large gymnasium with a one-eighth-mile jogging track,
exercise rooms, sauna-equipped locker rooms, handicapped facilities, plus physical education areas and administrative offices. Another interesting feature of the building are two brightly colored leaded glass windows on the west side of the main lobby portraying Olympic sports symbols in a predominantly maize and blue color scheme. The will of the late Ruth Hooke of Cincinnati provided for and directed that windows in her memory be placed facing the sunset in a suitable location on campus. Designed by Ralph S. Stevenson from an idea developed by Kathleen Segat, the design was executed by Ann Arbor artist Bob Vavrina in hand-blown, full antique glass and opalescent glass.
A Dance Building at 1310 North University Court was added to the Central Campus Recreation Building in 1977. To replace its former cramped and inadequate quarters in Barbour Gymnasium, this 11,493-square-foot specially-designed facility was constructed for the School of Music's Dance Department by Spence Brothers Construction Company. The three-story structure has four large dance studios on the first and third levels. Offices, conference rooms and administrative spaces occupy the second level. The project cost of approximately $500,000 was met from University funds.
The Regents approved plans for the Library Central Service and Stack Building at 2360 Bonisteel Boulevard in September of 1953. To cope with the problems of expanding facilities of the library system, this four-level structure was designed as an economical storage annex by Albert Kahn Associates to house 400,000 older periodicals and books with a limited circulation. The building includes a bindery and a reading room which is available for student use, or materials can be sent to central campus libraries for use there. A construction contract was awarded to Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. in March of 1954. The building was completed in 1955 at a cost of $480,000, which was financed from state appropriations and University funds. This facility added 213,925 cubic feet and 20,077 gross square feet for library functions.
The Aeronautical Engineering Laboratory at 2515 Patterson Street was authorized in August of 1954, and the
construction contract was awarded to Sorenson Gross Construction Company in February of 1955. The Department of Aeronautical Engineering was severely handicapped by its scattered Willow Run facilities in attempting to keep up with the growing research and teaching needs of a rapidly developing field. Regental approval was granted in 1954 for three departmental projects to be sited in the new engineering complex on the North Campus. It was of great importance for both teaching and research purposes that these structures, a low-turbulence wind tunnel, a high-speed wind tunnel, and an aircraft propulsion laboratory, be grouped together and that they be sited near other engineering facilities. Colvin, Robinson and Associates designed the facilities. The project was completed in December of 1955 at a cost of just under $700,000. A total of 524,092 cubic feet and 23,317 gross square feet were included. In 1961 another structure, the Plasma Research Building, was added at a cost of $100,000, including 6,521 gross square feet. Funds for these projects were provided from University sources.
The Printing Service Building at 1101 Beal Avenue was authorized in February of 1955 and completed in 1957 for a cost of $450,000 provided from University sources. This structure contains 354,040 cubic feet and 29,504 gross square feet. Douglas Loree designed the structure and Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. completed the construction. It provided space for printing and binding operations, and related storage.
Smith, Hinchman and Grylls designed the 17,958-square-foot Ford Nuclear Reactor which was completed in 1956 by Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. as a wing addition to the Phoenix Memorial Laboratories. This additional facility provided further support for research in the field of atomic energy as well as support for the University's teaching program in nuclear engineering. The $952,000 building cost was financed by the generous gift of the Ford Motor Company Fund.
A project, originally constructed as a Civil Defense and Disaster Training Center and changed in 1977 to the Fire Service Instruction and Research Center at 1946 Beal Avenue, was completed in 1959 at a cost of $473,000, financed by a federal grant and state appropriations. The facility was designed by James H. Livingston Associates to provide
better preservice and inservice training opportunities for Michigan firemen, both paid and volunteer. Expansion of the firemanship training program was jointly conducted by the University Extension Service and the State of Michigan Office of Vocational Education, Department of Public Instruction. Development of this program also increased overall fire protection to the University of Michigan. Perron Construction Company completed the facility in 1959. Prior to construction, the Ann Arbor City Council agreed that when the facility was needed as an operating fire station for the area, it would be manned by the Ann Arbor Fire Department. An engine company of the Ann Arbor Fire Department moved into the facility in 1967.
The Cyclotron Building at 2590 Patterson Street was originally planned in April of 1956, contracts for construction were awarded in July of 1960, and the project was completed in October of 1961 at a cost of $1,219,725, financed from state appropriations and University funds. Giffels and Rossetti, Inc. designed this facility specifically to accommodate the cyclotron and synchrotron adequately and safely and to provide office and support areas for the operating staff. Previous quarters in the Randall Laboratory Building not only limited use of the machines but also constituted an exceptionally high radiation hazard in the area. The North Campus site was selected because it offered not only increased safety but proximity to other associated research units. The Henry deKoning Construction Company was the contractor. With the deactivation of the cyclotron, the building became available for other usage. The site was ideal for the 1977 relocation of the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from their former West Engineering Building spaces. The function of this facility was changed and it was renamed the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Building in April of 1977.
The Research Activities Building at 2450 Hayward Avenue was completed in the spring of 1963 at a cost of $390,000, financed from University sources. Since the prime use of space in this structure was to be by units undertaking research in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics, the building was sited adjacent to the wind tunnels. Designed by Eberle M. Smith Associates, Inc., the 17,186-square-foot building was constructed by the Perry Construction Company.
A 1964 remodeling project added 369 square feet to the structure.
The Research Administration Building at 1205 Beal Avenue was completed in the spring of 1963 at a cost of $746,000, financed from University sources. The expanded activities of the Office of Sponsored Research Administration led to the development of a program of space needs covering sponsored-research project work and administrative operations by staff members. Since there would be suitable linkage of service areas with the Cooley Building and since the planned building would conform to the Saarinen plan for the North Campus area, it was decided to site the structure immediately north of the Cooley Building. Designed by Swanson Associates, the 32,488-square-foot building was constructed by the A. Z. Shmina and Sons Company.
A North Campus site was selected for the Institute of Science and Technology Building at 2200 Bonisteel Avenue in May of 1960. Smith, Hinchman and Grylls were appointed architects in July. Spence Brothers were awarded the general construction contract in January of 1962, and the project was completed in October of 1963 at a cost of $3,116,000, financed from state appropriations and a federal grant. The facility includes 1,191,083 cubic feet and 83,350 gross square feet. In March of 1966 the Regents were informed that the architects received a First Honor Award for this building from the Michigan Society of Architects.
Planning for the School of Music facility on North Campus began in September of 1952. Eero Saarinen and Associates were engaged as planning architects. Construction contracts were awarded in May of 1957, contingent upon availability of state financing. Work finally began in September of 1962 and the building was completed by Darin and Armstrong in May of 1964 at 1100 Baits Avenue at a cost of $4,182,000, financed from state appropriations and University sources. The School of Music moved from 13 scattered campus locations into this new 110,000-square-foot building. The structure was designed to accommodate 1,000 music majors in 150 individual practice rooms, 40 applied-music teaching studios, 20 classrooms, rehearsal and recital halls, electronic listening and recording rooms, as well as 40 faculty offices, a library, and workshops. In March 1975 the Regents named
the building the Earl V. Moore Building honoring the School's former director and dean who served from 1923 until his 1960 retirement.
Planned originally in 1955 and 1956 as the Fluids Engineering Laboratory units I and II, this project, located at 2350 Hayward Avenue, was renamed in September of 1957 the George Granger Brown Memorial Laboratories to honor the former Dean of the College. The construction contract for the first unit was awarded to Spence Brothers Construction Company in October of 1956, and it was completed in August of 1958 at a cost of $2,000,000 provided by state appropriations. Construction contracts for the second unit were awarded also to Spence Brothers Construction Company in September of 1963, and it was completed in November of 1964 for a cost of about $2,400,000 provided in major part by state appropriations. This large complex contains 2,967,702 cubic feet and 156,797 gross square feet.
The Space Research Laboratory at 2455 Hayward Avenue was financed by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Application for this grant was made in September of 1962. Construction contracts were awarded in March of 1964 to Spence Brothers Construction Company and the building was completed in June of 1965 at a cost of $1,400,000. It contains 56,163 gross square feet. Completion of this two-story building has enabled the University to house its growing space-research activities under one roof on the North Campus near the Aeronautical Engineering, George Granger Brown Memorial Laboratories, and other related facilities. It has also enabled the undertaking of a broad program of space-related research activities in a multidisciplinary research center designed by Architects Collective, Inc. Among those participating in the dedication of the building were U. S. Astronauts Edward White and James McDivitt.
The North Campus Commons at 2101 Bonisteel Boulevard was financed by student-fee allocations and other University revenues. Construction contracts were awarded to A. Z. Shmina and Sons Company in February of 1964 and it was completed in June of 1965 at a cost of $1,565,000. This building contains 44,046 gross square feet. The facility was designed by Swanson Associates to include cafeteria
service area, private dining areas, a machine food-vending service area, and to serve as a student center on the North Campus.
The North Campus Service Building at 1655 Dean Street was designed by Jickling and Lyman Architects, Inc. and constructed in 1965 by the Perry Construction Company from University funds at a cost of $469,000. This facility, which contains 393,831 cubic feet and 14,514 gross square feet, was constructed as an incinerator for waste materials and to house boiler services for this area of the campus.
Vera Baits Housing I at 1210-1320 Hubbard Avenue and Vera Baits Housing II at 1421-1440 Hubbard Avenue were planned to meet special needs of certain students on North Campus. These were primarily graduate students who wished housing accommodations only. The project was first known as Cedar Bend Houses I and II and plans were first approved in January of 1964. The project was renamed Vera Baits Housing in July of 1966 to honor the late University Regent. Construction contracts were awarded to A. Z. Shmina and Sons Company for Unit I (5 buildings) in December of 1964 and for Unit II (5 buildings) in July of 1965. Unit I was completed in August of 1966 at a cost of $3,400,000, and Unit II was completed in June of 1967 at a cost of $3,600,000. Financing of these structures was from University housing revenues. They provide 295,882 gross square feet of space, and were designed to house 1,206 students.
Bursley Hall at 1931 Duffield Street was completed in April of 1968 at a cost of $7,500,000, financed from University housing revenues. This facility was first planned in November of 1956. Construction contracts were awarded in February of 1965. It provides 339,608 gross square feet for housing and dining services. Designed by Swanson Associates to accommodate 1,180 single students, the dormitory was constructed by the Miller Davis Company. In February of 1958 the project was named for Joseph Aldrich Bursley and Marguerite Knowlton Bursley to honor the late University Dean of Men and his wife.
Construction of the Chrysler Center for Continuing Engineering Education at 2121 Bonisteel Boulevard was made possible by a gift of $1,250,000 from the Chrysler Fund as
part of the $55M Campaign. Personal gifts from several Chrysler Corporation executives aided significantly in furnishing the facility. The total project cost was $1,513,742. Designed by Swanson Associates, the Center is used primarily for continuing-engineering-education conferences, short courses, seminars, and degree-oriented graduate courses for practicing engineers. When unscheduled for engineering uses, the facility is also available to other University units. The building includes seven classrooms, three laboratory-demonstration rooms, two conference rooms and an auditorium. The classrooms are equipped with audio-visual facilities including closed-circuit television. Construction contracts were awarded in July of 1966 to Spence Brothers of Saginaw, and the building was completed in November of 1967. The facility contains 42,262 gross square feet of space.
The North Campus Storage Building at 3241 Baxter Avenue was designed and constructed in three phases by the University's Engineering Services in 1967, 1968, and 1975. This 44,892-square-foot structure, funded from University sources for just over $350,000, was built to provide bicycle storage for the Office of Student Community Relations, Plant Department storage on the North Campus, and office and storage space for Property Disposition, the University unit charged with aiding departments in the disposition and reuse of surplus property items.
The Highway Safety Research Institute at 2901 Baxter Avenue was planned for research and testing of vehicle and road relationships. It was funded by gifts from the General Motors Corporation, the Ford Motor Company, the Automobile Manufacturer's Association, and the Fruehauf Corporation. The general construction contract was awarded to A. Z. Shmina and Sons Company of Dearborn, and the project was completed in June of 1969 at a cost of $4,073,000. It includes 1,124,859 cubic feet and 77,082 gross square feet. The building was designed by Harley, Ellington, Cowin and Stirton, Inc. to serve a continuing education program in a new and emerging curriculum and to train graduate students in the area of highway safety.
The Laundry Building at 1665 Dean Road was constructed at a cost of $1,300,000 from University funds. Work began
in March of 1969 and was completed in November. The building includes 1,016,446 cubic feet and 47,250 gross square feet. This structure was completed by Cunningham-Limp Company and replaced a Central Campus building in continuous operation since 1916 which was obsolete and worn out. While not only insuring more effective and efficient operation, siting this facility in the North Campus service area freed valuable Central Campus space for part of the site of the new Dental School complex.
The Computing Center at 1075 Beal Avenue was completed by the E. E. Kurtz Construction Company of Ann Arbor at a cost of $1,300,000. Construction began in October of 1969 and was completed in April of 1971. The project was funded by University sources and private gifts. It houses a large computer facility for academic teaching and research functions. Tarapata, MacMahon, Associates designed this three-story building to provide both reliable environmental controls and flexibility in use of space. Elevated "false" floors, raised approximately two feet from the actual floor, form a reservoir for distributing air through the total building thus eliminating conventional ductwork in a facility that would equal the capacity needed to air-condition 40 to 50 homes. This feature also permits readily accessible storage areas for computer cables and electrical and telephone lines serving the building. It is "ready-made" for expansion of the rapidly growing computer field. The University Computing Center, first established in 1959, has had a fantastic growth which is expected to continue. Long-span construction was used throughout the entire building. Since the walls and unusual beams are weight-bearing, the interior space is entirely free of support columns and was completed with easily movable interior partitions to facilitate space relocation. Computer components are located on all three floors to eliminate transmission lag. Elevator, mechanical, and electrical service areas are masonry cores placed at the sides of the building. The first floor is primarily a public service area, seminar rooms, and key punching and terminal rooms. On the second floor is the main computer room and adjacent open-office work areas, while the third floor houses computer-systems research areas, a library, and administrative offices.
The Northwood Apartments on the North Campus were constructed over a number of years, from September of 1955 to
October of 1972. Planning for North Campus married-student housing was first approved by the Regents in February of 1954. In May of 1955 the name Northwood Apartments was authorized. A minor part of the apartments was reserved for staff members in need of short-term housing. Units I, II and III (of efficiency, 1- and 2-bedroom size) are apartment-complex type structures, while Units IV (of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom size) and V (of 2-and 3-bedroom size) are of townhouse design. All units are financed by Housing Revenue Bonds retired by rental income from the units. Northwood V also received a federal interest-subsidy grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Descriptive data about the five projects are included in the table below:
| NW-I | NW-II | NW-III | NW-IV | NW-V | |
| Completion Date | Sept. 1955 | Dec. 1957 | Dec. 1958 | Feb. 1969 | Oct. 1972 |
| Cost | $1,000,000 | $3,400,000 | $2,900,000 | $5,300,000 | $6,000,000 |
| No. of units | 100 | 296 | 288 | 400 | 400 |
| No. of bldgs. | 7 | 40 | 11 | 83 | 79 |
| Cubic feet | 752,592 | 1,863,592 | 1,900,797 | 5,214,756 | 4,679,617 |
| Gross sq. ft. | 66,104 | 184,759 | 169,900 | 528,110 | 559,838 |
The Aerospace Engineering Building at 2508 Patterson Street is a 18, 188-square-foot, three-story building connecting the wind tunnel and the propulsion laboratory and serves to centralize the Aerospace Engineering Department on the North Campus into a more effective teaching and research department. Its completion in 1972 also served to release academic spaces on the Central Campus. This University-financed $456,000 project was a design/build structure completed by the Cunningham-Limp Company.
The Bentley Historical Library at 1150 Beal Avenue was built to house the Michigan Historical Collections. In December of 1971 the Regents named the facility in honor of former Regent and Congressman Alvin M. Bentley and Arvella D. Bentley, the major donors to the Library. R. T. Mitchell Construction Company of Ann Arbor was awarded the contract to build in July of 1972, and the building was completed in September of 1973 at a cost of $1,200,000, financed by gifts
from the Bentley family and others. The 32,315-square-foot building designed by Jickling and Lyman Architects, Inc. coordinates a three-level stack area with offices arranged in a ring around the main reading room which is glass-walled and overlooks a landscaped garden and sculpture court. Many of the Library rooms stand as tributes to Michigan people and institutions. A multi-purpose assembly hall just off the main entrance serves for special meetings of groups up to 125. Among the Library's important collections are the papers of 19 Michigan governors and other major public figures, plus papers of University Presidents dating from the first President, the Rev. John Monteith, and documents related to communities in Michigan.
The need for the Architecture and Art Building at 2000 Bonisteel Boulevard was first presented in December of 1954. While the building was designed originally for the College of Architecture and Design, it is now shared by the two separate colleges of Architecture and Art. It is a large structure containing 2,590,539 cubic feet and 221,220 gross square feet. Construction started in September 1972 and the project was completed in August of 1974 at a cost of $8,500,000, financed by state appropriations. Replacing a 1927 structure which was designed for an enrollment of less than 400, this North Campus facility allows for a student body capacity of 1,200. Structurally composed of three rectangular units, two stories high, connected by two corridors, this basic inexpensive loft-type building, designed by Swanson Associates, Inc., has an interior which can be modified to service the changing needs of various programs. Flexibility is achieved by movable furniture and partitions, enabling faculty and students to subdivide areas to meet changing requirements. Spaciousness is achieved through use of inexpensive materials, simple detailing, and open planning. Studios and workshops comprise 80 percent of the interior space. A major building innovation is the built-in interior sprinkling system for fire protection. Constructed by Spence Brothers Construction Company, the new facilities increase options available to larger numbers of students, such as: visual studios laboratory, new computer facilities, weaving looms, ceramic kilns and wheels, metal casting furnaces, jewelry forges, sand blasting equipment, 30 photographic dark rooms, and 18 painting and design studios.
The Automotive Laboratory at 2320 Herbert Avenue, described in Volume IV, pages 1589-90 and completed in 1956, was renamed the Walter E. Lay Automotive Laboratory to honor the late Professor of Engineering at the Regents meeting of September 1974.
The Engineering Building I-A project at 2351 Herbert Avenue was funded by state appropriations at a cost of $2,250,000. The Saline Construction Company was awarded the construction contract in July of 1973 and work began in September. The building was completed in January of 1975, and contains 421,440 cubic feet and 37,667 gross square feet. Swanson Associates designed this facility to bring together the programs in water resources conducted by the Departments of Civil and Chemical Engineering and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. Sited near the G. G. Brown Laboratories in the Engineering College's North Campus complex, the structure contains instructional and research laboratory facilities for both graduate and undergraduate programs, classrooms, faculty offices, and supporting areas. The building also provides facilities for sanitation engineering, pollution control, and water analysis.
In April of 1973 the Regents approved a student-fee allocation to finance the North Campus Recreation Building at 2375 Hubbard Street, as well as a central campus facility. The two buildings were authorized for construction in June of 1974 at a combined project cost of $7,700,000. The North Campus facility was completed by the Saline Construction Company in July of 1976 at a cost of $2,800,000 and included 970,806 cubic feet and 61,470 gross square feet. Included in this modern facility, available to both men and women in the North Campus area, are five handball and two squash courts, a large gymnasium, a 7,000-square-foot natatorium, weight-training and exercise rooms, administrative offices, and locker and shower facilities, complete with saunas. Facilities for the handicapped have also been incorporated into this structure designed by Colvin, Robinson Associates.
The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house at 2005 Baits Avenue was renamed the Frederick Stearns Building when it was acquired for the School of Music in June of 1972 at a cost of $215,000. It houses the Stearns Collection of
musical instruments, a world famous collection which had been displayed in Hill Auditorium since 1914. The remodeled 18,021 square-foot building also provides 29 faculty offices and rehearsal facilities for medium-sized musical groups.
Funded by a $600,000 gift from the Kresge Foundation and University funds, a 38,848-square-foot addition to the Kresge Medical Research Building, designed by Giffels and Vallet and Skidmore and constructed by Jeffress-Dyer, Inc., opened in January 1956 as a new Medical Library. This four-stack level structure, with a reading room, a conference room, a rare-book room, five group-study rooms and 60 carrels, enabled the Medical Library collection to move from its former inadequate space in the Central Campus General Library. It also permitted combining the Medical, Nursing, and Hospital Libraries.
In July of 1952 the Regents first approved planning for the Medical Science Building I, eventually located at 1335 East Catherine Street. Site selection was made in May of 1953. In January of 1955 it was determined that the Medical School departments of Pathology, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology and the School of Nursing would be housed in the structure. The project was completed in September of 1958 at a cost of $8,494,373, financed from state appropriations, and included 262,810 gross square feet. The building design is innovative in medical instruction; the familiar bowl-shaped amphitheater where students surrounded the instructor has been replaced by a closed-circuit color television system which medical educators believe to be an immense teaching improvement.
The Mental Health Research Institute Building project at 205 Washtenaw Place was completed in December of 1959 at a cost of $1,326,700. This was financed by state appropriations and a federal grant. Planning began in February of 1956, and Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. was authorized for general construction in October of 1958. The structure includes 49,840 gross square feet.
Architects for planning the Kresge Hearing Research Institute Building at 1301 East Ann Street were appointed
in July of 1960, and the firm of Holabird and Root received the contract. The construction contract was awarded to A. Z. Shmina and Sons Company in July of 1961, and the project was completed in September of 1962 at a cost of $1,742,136. The building was financed by a gift from the S. S. Kresge Foundation and included 37,537 gross square feet. This generous gift made possible a building devoted to research on hearing and causes of deafness. It was organized with the two-fold purpose of furnishing further knowledge of the hearing process in both health and disease and of training investigators in the knowledge gained and techniques developed.
The Animal Research Facility at 1335 East Catherine Street was financed by a federal grant matched by funds from University sources for a total cost of $500,000. It was designed by Kenneth C. Black Associates, Inc. and the construction contract was awarded to Barton-Malow Co. in March of 1962 and the building was completed in early 1963. It includes 15,473 gross square feet.
The Lawrence D. Buhl Research Center for Human Genetics at 1141 East Catherine Street was constructed by A. Z. Shmina and Sons for a cost of $560,000, financed by federal grants and a private gift from the Buhl Foundation. Since this research function closely related to departmental activities planned for the new Medical Science Building II, it was recommended and approved that the two structures be considered as a unified architectural project (both phases designed by Holabird and Root) to insure coordination of the two units. The building was completed in October of 1963 and includes 16,146 gross square feet.
The Victor C. Vaughan House at 1111 East Catherine underwent extensive renovations and remodeling in 1963, which added 41,113 square feet to the building. Designed by Colvin, Robinson, Wright and Associates and constructed by Perry Construction Company, these changes allowed conversion of the former dormitory to facilities for the Speech Clinic and spaces for some units of the School of Public Health. Formerly located in an old house, the Speech Clinic now had 100 rooms for educational and service activities, including dormitory facilities for about 20 adult aphasic patients, making the University of Michigan Speech Clinic the first
university speech clinic in the nation to offer a residential treatment program for adult aphasics. The $848,735 project cost was met by University funds.
Planning architects Holabird and Root were approved for the Kresge Medical Research Building Addition at 1299 East Ann Street in July of 1961. Spence Brothers Construction Company of Saginaw was awarded the construction contract in April of 1963. The project was completed in September of 1964 at a cost of $1,570,749, financed by a federal grant, and included 40,106 gross square feet.
The 30,419 square foot Parkview Medical Center and an adjacent acre of land were purchased from a group of local physicians in 1967 to provide additional patient service and training facilities. The $1,100,000 purchase price was financed by a loan to be repaid from new revenues of the facility. In 1976 the Scott and Amy Prudden Turner Memorial Clinic was completed as an added wing of this structure.
The Towsley Center for Continuing Medical Education at 271 East Hospital Drive was completed in February of 1969 at a cost of $1,900,000, financed by gifts from the Towsley and Dow Foundations and University funds. Alden Dow and Associates of Midland were the architects and the Henry deKoning Construction Company of Ann Arbor was awarded the construction contract. The building contains 52,207 gross square feet. The facility has a 518 seat auditorium and a 144 seat lecture hall, as well as departmental offices, the Medical Center Alumni Society Office, and the editorial rooms of the Medical Center Journal, plus smaller classrooms and seminar rooms.
The Medical Science Building II at 1137 East Catherine Street was completed in July of 1969 at a cost of $12,700,000, financed by state appropriations, federal funds, private gifts, and University sources. Holabird and Root were assigned as planning architects for this project in June of 1961. Construction contracts were awarded to Spence Brothers of Saginaw and Hydon-Brand Company in November of 1965. The building contains 4,550,853 cubic feet and 333,038 gross square feet. This unit houses the departments of Anatomy, Genetics, Microbiology, and Physiology and also provides
instructional facilities to meet the needs of increased enrollment, plus research areas for both faculty and students. This brought together for the first time all of the Medical School departments in one area. Both Medical Science I and Medical Science II are connected by bridge to the Main Hospital. Remodeling of the lower level for the Furstenberg Student Center was approved in May of 1971 and completed in May of 1974 at a cost of $1,100,000, financed by private gifts and a federal grant. Named for former Medical School Dean, Dr. A. C. Furstenberg, this thoroughly modern facility contains classrooms, audiovisual study areas, and a commons for both students and faculty. The heart of the Center is its audiovisual study area which includes 37 multimedia carrels, all equipped for sound/slide presentations and 10 equipped with videocassette players. There are also 18 microfiche stations and two computer-assisted instruction rooms, plus several class and multipurpose rooms for use by faculty and student groups, and an informal commons with tables, chairs, and vending machines.
In April of 1964 the Regents accepted a gift of $6,000,000 from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation of Flint for the C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, constructed at 1430 North Hospital Drive. The project, designed by Albert Kahn Associates and constructed by Miller-Davis Company, was completed in September of 1969 at a cost of $9,458,000, financed by the Mott gift, other gifts, and federal funds. The structure includes 2,440,896 cubic feet and 184,461 gross square feet. The unit is a 200-bed, eight-story structure and contains its own pediatric x-ray facilities, operating rooms, anesthesia unit and technical services but, for the sake of economy, does obtain a number of supportive services from the main hospital. There is a special area for teenage patients and, when the hospital opened, its 26-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was believed to be the only one of its kind in the Midwest. A major new feature is a window seat in each room which converts into a bed, allowing a parent to spend the night with the child to aid the child's adjustment to the strange medical environment.
The Upjohn Center for Clinical Pharmacology at 1310 East Catherine Street was completed in March of 1970 at a cost of $1,200,000 from gifts and University sources. Holabird and Root were the architects and Jeffress-Dyer, Inc.
was the building contractor. This facility provides 17,880 gross square feet. The Center's main purpose is to study effectiveness in drugs and safety in man, to train physicians in the advanced skills needed for such study, and to provide a base for patient care related to the research and training. It is the focal point for the total University of Michigan Medical Center's concern with the value and safety of drugs.
Following completion of a new Food Service Facility in 1969, studies determined that the former Food Service Building located at 1103 E. Huron was particularly suitable as a neuroscience research facility because of its unique location between the Central Campus and the Medical Center. Extensive remodeling, designed by Harley Ellington Associates, Inc., was undertaken by the R. T. Mitchell Company to develop wet and dry laboratories, animal quarters, offices and related spaces for neuroscience activities which had previously been scattered in both Medical Center and Central Campus areas. Upon completion of this remodeling in 1971, the structure was renamed the Neuroscience Laboratories Building. University funds supported the $1,369,760 project.
The Holden Perinatal Research Laboratory at 250 East Hospital Drive was provided by a gift from the James and Lynelle Holden Fund. Approval was given in June of 1969 for site selection and for Kenneth Black Associates, Inc. as architects. In December of 1970 Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. of Ann Arbor was selected as general contractor. The facility was completed in May of 1972 at a cost of $1,500,000, and provides 19,350 gross square feet. It is the first high-risk-pregnancy patient care and research center in the state of Michigan, and is dedicated to saving the lives of critically ill infants and their mothers. It offers the newest medical facilities and equipment and the highest level treatment available. It is a highly specialized hospital within the huge University Hospital complex. Facilities for both pregnant women and critically ill newborn infants are concentrated on the third level of this compact three-story structure which is attached to both the Mott Children's Hospital and Women's Hospital.
Following completion of construction of the C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, planning was begun on two projects
which would occupy an unfinished area of the first level. To be financed by gift, Medical Center/School and Hospital funds, the James L. Wilson Pediatric Laboratories and the Mott Cardiac Care Study Unit projects were combined to realize architectural and construction cost savings. Prior to construction, these Albert Kahn and Associates Architects and Engineers, Inc. projects were incorporated into the Outpatient Addition project to effect further savings on these $500,000 projects. Also designed by the Albert Kahn firm, the Outpatient Addition spans the corridor areas between the Outpatient Building and C. S. Mott Children's Hospital. Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. was the general contractor and completed the structure in 1973. The five-story addition connects the two units by ramp and stairway, facilitates movement of patients between the buildings, and provides much needed expansion room for 10 clinics. The fourth level expansion is particularly significant since it allows consolidation on one level of Emergency Services, the Adult General Medicine Walk-In Clinic and the Pediatric Walk-In Clinic. The 17,523-square-foot, $817,517 structure also enabled extensive remodeling to enlarge the capacity of the Emergency Suite, and was financed by a federal grant of Hill-Burton funds and University Hospital funds.
The former University Motel, now known as Riverview Building, and the former Alpha Epsilon Iota Sorority House, now known as the Hospital Education Center, were purchased in 1974 for Hospital activities at a combined total cost of $420,000. The purchase, renovation, furnishing, and equipping of the two buildings was funded by a loan with repayment from Hospital funds. The former motel facility provided 20,136 square feet of critically needed space for the Psychiatric Adult Ambulatory Care Program while the 8,383 square-foot former sorority house provided facilities for a new program of education and training laboratories for the Physical Therapy Program, and office space for other units of the Medical Center and Medical School.
The Scott and Amy Prudden Turner Memorial Clinic at 1010 Wall Street was provided in a bequest from the will of Amy Prudden Turner. The facility was designed by Warren Holmes Company and Kenneth Black Associate Architects, Inc. Work started in April of 1975 and was completed in August of 1976 at a cost of $1,300,000. The building was constructed
by Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. and includes 24,653 gross square feet. This structure is a wing connected to the Parkview Medical Center devoted to the study of gerontology, to the degenerative diseases affecting elderly people, and to providing hospital space for the study, treatment, and healing of people suffering from such diseases.
The Hospital Finance and Personnel Building at 102 Simpson Street was approved in January of 1975 and construction was completed in December of 1976, financed from University sources at a cost of $1,600,000. The structure was built as an addition to the East Medical Parking Structure and provides 35,730 gross square feet for administrative activities, thus allowing re-allocation of Hospital spaces for more clinical and patient services.
The University Hospital - Main Building at 1405 East Ann Street has experienced a large number of renovation and remodeling projects over the years. In recent years, there has been a continuous round of activity of this nature, averaging over $1,000,000 of project volume each year. Improvements to the facility resulting from these projects have caused increases in capitalized value in the building, which on June 30, 1977, stands at the level of $23,045,790. The Hospital was built in 1925 at a cost of $7,048,395 and has seen extensive use in all its years. It contains 7,776,389 cubic feet and 607,389 gross square feet. A new hospital is presently being planned.
The Ann Arbor campus Parking Structures have been built from 1957 through 1976 from revenues obtained from charges for parking and from other University fund sources and have provided adequate parking for University staff in seven strategic locations on the campus. The University faculty and staff parking program was established in 1955 with the advice of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, Sub-Committee on Campus Planning and Development. The plan for parking facility development was launched in 1956 and in 1958. The firm of O'Dell, Hewlett and Luckenbach prepared a general study of parking structure locations based on sub-campus areas and peripheral sites to provide
convenient access to collector streets. The plan concept was later enlarged in both the Central Campus and Medical Center Planning Studies prepared by Johnson, Johnson and Roy, Inc. The following table provides descriptive information about the structures:
In 1956 the Hoover Ball Bearing Plant was acquired at a cost of $1,800,000, financed from University sources. This facility became the Plant Service Buildings at Hoover and Greene Streets. The complex included eight structures containing 3,904,252 cubic feet and 174,813 gross square feet and approximately 13 acres valued at $188,000. These buildings provided a very suitable facility for plant shops, storage, and vehicle service areas, allowing a significantly expanded space for these functions in their move from the previous location at Forest and North University.
The first new administrative office building built at the Hoover and Greene Street location was the Data Processing Center, constructed in 1963 at a cost of $310,000, financed from University sources. This was also the first campus building specifically designed for the use of a major-size computer. In 1966 it was connected with the new Administrative Services Building. It was designed by Charles W. Lane Associates, Inc. and constructed by Spence Brothers Company.
Following the move from the Central Campus to the Hoover Street complex, Transportation Services continued to grow. In 1969 E. E. Kurtz Company completed a 19,060-square-foot Transportation Services Building at 326 East Hoover Street. Design of this $285,698 University-funded project was by Engineering Services. The unit continued to grow and after detailed studies and exploration of alternate sites on the North Campus and in the South Campus area in 1975, it was determined that further expansion of the present service facility in the Plant area on Hoover Street was the most practical solution to the needs for additional space. Hillyer Construction Company completed a Colvin, Robinson Associates-designed $460,000 expansion and renovation program in 1976. The project was funded from University sources. The facility now contains 586,692 cubic feet and 34,120 gross square feet.
A relocation in an expanded facility was approved in May of 1968 for the Food Stores Building at 3600 Varsity Drive, south of the 1-94 expressway along the Ann Arbor Railroad right-of-way on a 26.59 acre parcel acquired for $60,000. Cunningham-Limp Company, of Birmingham, Michigan, constructed the facility. Work began in October of 1968 and was completed in July of 1970 at a cost of $1,900,000, financed from University sources. The new structure includes 2,245,370 cubic feet and 83,178 gross square feet. The old Food Service Building on Glen Avenue was remodeled for the Neuroscience Laboratories.
The Madison Building at 109 East Madison Street was built about 1900 and formerly housed the Nelson Plumbing Company. This three-story brick structure had been completely rehabilitated in 1968-69, and when it was offered for sale in 1970, the Regents approved purchase at a project price of $415,000. Financing was from University sources, and the 21,731-square-foot addition to University facilities was assigned to the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching and to other academic units which had been housed in overcrowded and leased spaces.
The Administrative Services Building at 1009 Greene Street was approved for construction in February of 1964, and at that time Colvin, Robinson and Wright were approved as architects. The Perry Construction Company was awarded
the construction contract in November of 1964. The building was completed in February of 1966 at a cost of $1,000,000, financed from University sources. It was built contiguous to the Data Processing Building and both structures were combined as the Administrative Services Building at a value of $1,327,000. In October of 1969 approval was given to build an addition and this was completed by the Saline Construction Company in 1971 at an added cost of $800,000, financed from University sources. The present structure includes 1,145,343 cubic feet and 89,745 gross square feet and houses several administrative offices (purchasing, personnel, payroll, staff benefits, audits, and accounting, as well as data processing).
The Regents, in October of 1974, approved the relocation and construction of an enlarged facility for the Chemistry Stores at 3580 Varsity Drive south of the I-94 expressway. Cunningham-Limp Company was engaged to build the facility and work began in December of 1974. It was completed in October of 1974 at a cost of $1,200,000. Funded from University sources, it contains 991,137 cubic feet and 47,711 gross square feet of space.
The Mail Service Building at 1032 Greene Street was acquired in May of 1975 when the Regents approved purchase of the former American Rug Cleaning Works on Greene Street for $77,000. University-funded renovations, totaling $59,922 in this one-story, 5,850-square-foot structure, provided an ideal facility for relocating the University Mail Services in the Plant Service area and away from the Central Campus. The spaces released in the Literature, Science, and Arts Building by the move of the Mail Service were reassigned for academic uses.
The Matt Mann Pool at 616 East Hoover Street was completed by the Henry deKoning Construction Company in March of 1956 at a cost of $828,000, financed from funds made available by the Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics. It includes 725,440 cubic feet and 29,407 gross square feet. The pool is sited between the Athletic Administration Building and the Intramural Building. It was designed by Giffels and Vallet and allowed the former Intramural Pool to be used totally for intramural swimming. Complete with locker and training rooms, the new facility provided
spectator seating for 3,000 on three sides of the pool. Special radio and television facilities were also provided. The pool's novel design of a special 20' X 40' diving pool adjacent and connected to the varsity pool resulted from an idea projected by the late Matt Mann, who served as Michigan's swimming coach for many years and for whom the pool was named. This design enables both swimmers and divers to work out simultaneously. An additional feature is a three-elevation diving board.
In September of 1956 the Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics financed an addition to the football stadium for a significantly improved Stadium Communications Center at 1201 South Main Street, at a cost of $520,000. It was constructed by the Henry deKoning Construction Company. The Center was designed by Osborn Engineering Company, the firm who designed the Stadium. This new facility replaced the original 1927 press box with a modern, triple-deck, 16,978-square-foot communications center. Situated at the top of the west side of the bowl, between the 20-yard lines, the overhanging structure permitted seating underneath and raised the Stadium's seating capacity from 97,239 to 101,001. The lower deck was designed to accommodate 203 sports writers in three rows of seats. The unenclosed middle deck is reserved for photographers, and the top deck contains 18 radio and television booths. An elevator, lunch room for the working press, as well as such support service areas as dark rooms, duplication machines, and wire service facilities are also provided. Projecting from the center of the first deck on the west side is a private dining room with kitchen, seating approximately 75 persons, for use by the University President for special parties of visiting dignitaries. A private box for use by the President and his party is adjacent.
The Crisler Arena at 333 East Stadium Boulevard was first known as the University Events Building. It was designed by K. C. Black and D. L. Dworsky. First plans were approved by the Regents in February and site selection was made in March of 1964. Work began on the structure in September of 1965 and it was completed by the Spence Brothers Company in June of 1968 at a cost of $6,500,000, financed from gifts and University sources, including student-fee allocations. In February of 1970 the building was renamed in honor of Herbert O. ("Fritz") Crisler, Michigan's former
football coach and long-time athletic director. It contains 8,469,365 cubic feet and 201,127 gross square feet. Sited next to the Michigan Stadium, this arena serves not only as "home court" for varsity basketball and other athletic teams, but also provides assembly facilities for educational, cultural, and entertainment opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. A press box and other support facilities are also provided in the project. Comfortable permanent seating is provided for over 13,000 spectators and, since its completion, the arena has been the site for University Commencement Exercises.
The Sports Service Building at 1200 South State Street was constructed in September of 1971 at a cost of $500,000 from funds furnished by the Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics. It was designed by Colvin, Wright and Robinson, Associates, and constructed by the Henry deKoning Construction Company. This 19,709 square foot facility on Ferry Field contains locker, exercise, equipment, and training rooms as well as classrooms which are primarily used by the football program.
The William D. Revelli Band Rehearsal Hall at 350 East Hoover Street was approved by the Regents in July of 1972. Work began on the structure in October of 1972 and the project was completed by Cunningham-Limp Company in July of 1973 at a cost of $475,000, which was financed by gifts. Locating the structure in the athletics area facilitated access for the marching band to its main performance areas. Located directly across from their Elbel (Wines) Field practice areas, this 10,558-square-foot structure serves as headquarters for the Michigan Marching Band. The building was named to honor the man who served as conductor and then director of the University's bands for 36 years. Facilities include a large rehearsal hall, offices, a music library, storage rooms for uniforms, instruments, and property, as well as locker areas for band members.
The Field House at 1116 South State Street was remodeled in November of 1973 and renamed the Yost Ice Arena. Funds for this project were furnished by the Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics. Charles R. Beltz and Company provided engineering services for this $555,134 project. Upon completion of the remodeling, the facility's name was
changed to Yost Ice Arena to better reflect its new usage. It was named in honor of Michigan's famed football coach of early years.
The Track and Tennis Building at 1150 South State Street was approved by the Regents in April of 1973. It was completed by the Henry deKoning Construction Company in May of 1974 at a cost of $1,000,000 which was provided by the Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics. It contains 1,985,334-cubic-feet and 69,580 gross square feet and provides space for indoor track, tennis, and various other sports. Locker and shower facilities and the equipment and training rooms in this facility are reserved for Intercollegiate Athletic use. The five indoor tennis courts and the six-lane tartan surfaced running track are at times available for use by townspeople, students, faculty, and staff and their spouses at regularly scheduled hours for minimal fees. The Colvin, Robinson Associates designed the building. It also contains two indoor batting cages and has folding bleachers seating 1,500 to 1,800 for track meets. During vacation periods, the facility has also been used for such events as the Ann Arbor Builder's Show.
The Dearborn Campus was originally a gift from the Ford Motor Company of the Fairlane mansion and accompanying out-buildings and 210 acres of land, and from the Ford Motor Company Fund of $6,500,000 to provide an initial complement of buildings. These gifts were gratefully accepted by the Regents in February of 1957. Preliminary planning was provided by Barr and Linde, architects. In July of 1957, Hubbell, Roth and Clark of Birmingham, Michigan, were employed to design roadways, utilities, and parking areas, and Giffels and Vallet, Inc. of Detroit were employed as architects for the buildings. The general construction contracts were awarded in April of 1958 to Spence Brothers of Saginaw. The first buildings were completed by the fall term of 1959 and consisted of a classroom and administration building, engineering laboratory, and faculty office building.
Student housing facilities at Dearborn were first discussed by the Regents in April of 1962 and construction was
authorized in September of 1962. Work began in the fall of 1963 on the Dearborn Fairlane Apartments and they were completed in February of 1965 at a cost of $700,000 to be financed by unit revenues.
Additional buildings have also been constructed. The Dearborn Classroom and Office Building was started in May of 1972 and completed in December of 1972, financed by state appropriations. The Dearborn Student Activities Building addition was completed in May of 1975, financed by University sources. The Dearborn Engineering Laboratory renovations were completed in December of 1975, financed from state appropriations. A Dearborn parking Structure was completed in November of 1976, financed from University sources.
The Dearborn physical Activities and Recreation Complex - Phase I was begun in March of 1977 and was scheduled for completion in December of 1977. This is financed from University sources.
The June 30, 1977, records for the Dearborn Campus show assets at $1,680,079 for 196.0168 acres of land, and $9,322,580 for thirty-nine buildings.
During 1955-56 planning was under way for the Flint Campus. First classes were held in September of 1956 in temporary spaces while the Mott Memorial Building was under construction, a gift from the Charles S. Mott Foundation. This building was owned by the Flint Board of Education but dedicated for use by the University of Michigan. An agreement between the University and the Flint Board of Education concerning the shared use of facilities was formalized in May of 1959.
Expansion of the Flint Campus facilities was not long in arriving. In February of 1965 the firm of Nurmi, Nelson and McKinley Associates was hired as architects for the expansion program. In March of 1970, 17.27 acres were purchased. A gift of Mr. and Mrs. Colman J. Ross was accepted in November of 1971 for a Chancellor's residence, and this was named the Ross House.
In October of 1972 the Regents adopted a resolution to relocate the campus from Court Street to a riverfront location near the center of Flint. State financing was sought and obtained for this move.
The Flint Court Street Building, financed by gifts, was completed in December of 1973 by the Cunningham-Limp Company. This served to supply additional needed space pending the move to the new location.
A large classroom and office building was built on the riverfront site, financed by state appropriations. This structure was begun in June of 1974 and completed in January of 1977.
The June 30, 1977, records for the Flint Campus show assets at $1,123,942 for 52.94 acres of land and $10,350,623 for ten buildings.
The Speech Camp near Northport in Leelanau County was acquired in early 1949, largely through a gift from the S. S. Kresge Foundation, and supplemented from University sources. It is described in some detail in Volume IV, pages 1601-03 . The initial cost for 26.1 acres and the various buildings was $7,700 for land and $75,000 for buildings. Additions to the structures have resulted in a June 30, 1977 over-all book value for buildings of $144,000. There are 27 buildings presently in use.
Two private residences, one frame and the other brick, originally known as the Dexter Faculty Houses, were constructed by E. R. Young Company in 1956 on property next to Gordon Hall in the village of Dexter. These were financed primarily from a private gift from Mrs. Katherine Dexter McCormick and supplemented by University sources. These houses were designed by Colvin, Robinson Associates as rental units for faculty occupancy.
The Matthaei Botanical Gardens at 1800 Dixboro Road in Washtenaw County are comprised of 241.75 acres and 16 structures containing 1,481,690 cubic feet and 90,866 gross square
feet. The book values as of June 30, 1977, are $485,656 for land and $1,792,068 for buildings. These facilities were made possible originally by a private gift of the land (and two barns) from Frederick C. Matthaei in 1958. Since that time, buildings have been constructed and land improvements have been made, all financed by additional private gifts, federal grants, and University sources. By the late 1950s it was determined that industrial and traffic development, University growth, and the changing needs of the plant sciences necessitated the search for a new and larger site for the University's Botanical Gardens. Phase I construction consisted of an administration building, two greenhouses, and some research space totaling 29,778 square feet. Alden B. Dow, Inc. furnished architectural services for this and all other phases of the gardens' development. A. Z. Shmina and Sons Company completed the construction of this $576,372 project which was funded from gift and University monies. Phase II of the development added a 12,360-square-foot laboratory project in 1961 which totaled $328,866, funded from a National Science Foundation Grant matched by University funds. An additional part of Phase II development added two more greenhouses totaling 12,360 square feet. Completed by the Perry Construction Company in 1962, the $71,084 greenhouse project was funded from gift and University funds. Also finished at this time was a Superintendent's residence of 2,928 square feet. Built by Ray F. Daum Company this $31,581 structure was financed from University sources. Phase III, completed in 1966 by the Henry deKoning Construction Company, saw the addition of a permanent plant-collection greenhouse, in addition to classroom and office spaces totaling 31,600 square feet. This $884,273 project was funded by a federal grant and by University funds. The Gardens are located in an unusually attractive setting and provide an excellent laboratory for instruction and research.
The Willow Run U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Facilities are located contiguous to Willow Run Airport, primarily east of Beck Road. They consist of 156,229 acres and 39 structures at June 30, 1977, with a book value of $151,300 for land and $1,046,000 for buildings. These properties were acquired through a grant from the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1961 and supplemented by improvements and other additions
from University sources. These facilities are used for research purposes.
As of June 30, 1977, Radrick Farms, at Dixboro and Geddes Roads in Washtenaw County, comprised 654.78 acres and 20 structures with book values of $1,343,198 for land and $393,682 for buildings. The acquisition of these facilities was made possible by an original gift in 1962 from Frederick C. Matthaei and an additional gift in 1965 from the same donor. An additional contiguous 15.89 acres were purchased by the University in 1967-68. Land value was increased in 1967 by construction of an excellent golf course, also with funds provided by Matthaei. The course was designed by the nationally recognized golf course architect Peter Dye of Indianapolis, Indiana, and built by the Maddox Construction Company of St. Charles, Illinois. Construction on the 18-hole, par-72, 6,480-yard course was begun in the fall of 1964.
In January of 1964 the Regents accepted a gift from Calumet and Hecla, Inc. of 203.45 acres of land, valued at $21,392, at the far northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in upper Michigan. This is known as the Keweenaw Peninsula Rocket Launching Site and is used for atmospheric and environmental research purposes.
The Portage Lake Observatory No. 2 at Peach Mountain, in the Waterloo Recreation Area in Washtenaw County, was built by Butcher and Willits, Inc. in April of 1969 at a cost of $589,210. It was designed by Colvin, Robinson, Wright and Associates and contains 93,927 cubic feet and 5,514 gross square feet. It was financed from federal funds and University sources.
Three significant building additions have been constructed at the Biological Station at Douglas Lake near Cheboygan. The Alfred H. Stockard Lakeside Laboratory, a 24,943-square-foot laboratory, classroom, and research facility, was named to honor the late Director of the Biological Station, who had served from 1940 to 1966. It was designed by The Architects Collective, Inc. and was completed in 1966 by the Omega Construction Company. Funding for this $636,000 structure was from a National Science Foundation grant and matching University funds. Also designed by The Architects Collective,
Inc. and completed by Omega Construction Company in 1966 was a 6,299-square-foot residential unit. This $162,000 structure was also funded by National Science Foundation grant money and matching University funds. A new and efficient dining hall and kitchen facility, designed by David Trautman, was completed by Concrete Systems, Inc., in 1976. Replacing a small and outdated unit, this 12,371-square-foot $440,000 structure was funded from unrestricted gifts and University funds.
Occasionally, older buildings needed to be removed to make way for this program of extended development, and in some cases sold to help finance new acquisitions. Major removals are listed as follows:
Includes construction in progress
Willow Run Airport transferred to Wayne County Road Commission, December 1976
Includes an addition in 1963 for 148 cars.
Includes an addition in 1963 for 148 cars.
Includes an addition in 1963 for 148 cars.
Includes an addition in 1963 for 148 cars.
Includes an addition in 1976 for 297 cars.
Includes an addition in 1976 for 297 cars.
Includes an addition in 1976 for 297 cars.
Includes an addition in 1963 for 148 cars.
