1925Maps

In 1924-25, under Dwight B.Waldo (President from 1904 to 1936), the Western State Normal School enrolled 2,235 students - doubling its 1918 enrollment of 1017 - and employed ninetyeight faculty. The Michigan Legislature gave recognition to this success by authorizing a name change. On May 12, 1927, the School became Western State Teachers College. Although enrollment declined during the Great Depression, it returned to the 1924 high during World War II. (In 1946, returning servicemen would produce an enrollment surge that almost doubled the student body.)

Campus and facility growth kept pace with enrollment. By 1924 the campus included almost a dozen structures and had expanded west across Oakland Drive from the original Prospect Hill site. The grounds now included football and baseball fields, tennis courts, and a playground for the Training School students. The 1906 gymnasium addition to the Administration Building became the Ladies' Gymnasium when the Men's Gymnasium was built on the other side of Oakland Drive in 1925. Eames Mill, at the "point" between Michigan Avenue and Oakland Drive, was purchased in 1917. It was home to the Manual Arts programs until their building was completed in 1921. The Mill then served as the School's theatre or playhouse. When the Mill was condemned, around 1940, a new theatre was completed in 1942, on the corner of Oliver Street and Oakland Drive.

A barracks building (residence for the Student Army Training Corps during the war) was acquired in 1918 and served as a "temporary" classroom building until it was finally demolished in 1948. The Campus Map also depicts three unlabelled structures: a greenhouse, next to the Science Building, and two power plants.

Looking at the Location Map, note that Stadium Drive is not indicated. At this time the artery along the railroad tracks was highway U.S. 12. The main thoroughfare east and west through the City was (West) Michigan Avenue.

	In 1924-25, under Dwight B.Waldo (President from 1904 to 1936), the Western State Normal School enrolled 2,235 students - doubling its 1918 enrollment of 1017 - and employed ninetyeight faculty. The Michigan Legislature gave recognition to this success by authorizing a name change. On May 12, 1927, the School became Western State Teachers College. Although enrollment declined during the Great Depression, it returned to the 1924 high during World War II. (In 1946, returning servicemen would produce an enrollment surge that almost doubled the student body.) Campus and facility growth kept pace with enrollment. By 1924 the campus included almost a dozen structures and had expanded west across Oakland Drive from the original Prospect Hill site. The grounds now included football and baseball fields, tennis courts, and a playground for the Training School students. The 1906 gymnasium addition to the Administration Building became the Ladies' Gymnasium when the Men's Gymnasium was built on the other side of Oakland Drive in 1925. Eames Mill, at the "point" between Michigan Avenue and Oakland Drive, was purchased in 1917. It was home to the Manual Arts programs until their building was completed in 1921. The Mill then served as the School's theatre or playhouse. When the Mill was condemned, around 1940, a new theatre was completed in 1942, on the corner of Oliver Street and Oakland Drive. A barracks building (residence for the Student Army Training Corps during the war) was acquired in 1918 and served as a "temporary" classroom building until it was finally demolished in 1948. The Campus Map also depicts three unlabelled structures: a greenhouse, next to the Science Building, and two power plants. Looking at the Location Map, note that Stadium Drive is not indicated. At this time the artery along the railroad tracks was highway U.S. 12. The main thoroughfare east and west through the City was (West) Michigan Avenue.


Location Map Campus Map
Development of Prospect Hill: Comparison of 1904 Olmsted Brothers' Planting Plan and 1925 Campus Map

1925 Campus Maps