Washington State University - Chinook Yearbook (Pullman, WA)

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Reflections 1 1

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The WSU campus itself is one thing that past and present students alike always share. Several of the buildings on campus have been here from the very beginning; for example the old Administration Building (Thompson Hall) which was constructed in 1894. In its time, this building has served as a laboratory, a library, classrooms, a museum, and a women ' s gym, and today it occupies a spot on the National Register of Historic Places and is the first building in Whitman County to be included in the official list of state historical sites. J. Fred Bohler Gymnasium has been the home of men ' s swimming, basketball and other sports since 1928. Named for coach Bohler in 1947, the gym has definitely taken its share of beatings by determined athletes and exhilerated fans. Twelve years after the completion of Bohler Gym, the women of the campus were presented with the Helen G. S mith Gymnasium, which was a welcome gift, for up to that time women ' s physical education had been taught in the Administration Building, Carpenter Hall, Duncan Dunn, and finally in the old Women ' s Gymnasium. Speaking of women, the first women’s residence hall and, in fact, the oldest residence still standing on campus is Stevens Hall, built in 1895 to house the 105 females of the campus at that time. With its Victorian atmosphere Stevens was a favorite dwelling place for coeds, even though it proclaimed some very strict rules. But rules didn ' t slow down young women who resented the 7 p.m. closing hours—thanks to the ground floor windows, which also provided an easy entrance to the women ' s residence for the energetic men of the 50 ' s who just “loved those Panty Raid! . Top left: Students of a short course in gas engine tractors, 1921. Top right: Men’s physical education class in the old gymnasium, 1922. Above: Winter activities on the campus, 1922. Opposite page, top: Construction of the Commons, a structure that has served as everything from a dining hall and coffee shop to a lab building for veterinary medicine, architecture, and interior design, 1924. Opposite page, bottom: Military exercise of ROTC students, c., 1924. 10 Reflections

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No discussion of the memorable buildings of the college campus would be complete, of course, without some mention of the infamous Ferry Hall. The original Ferry Hall, an ungainly five-story brick structure which stood on the same site as the more recent building of the same name, was constructed in 1892-93. Initially, it housed both men and women and, as such, became the first coed dorm in the United States. On Thanksgiving Eve of 1897, Ferry Hall was totally destroyed by fire. A number of students, awakened in the early morning hours by the breaking of windows and the ensuing flames, manned the fire hose in an attempt to combat the fire while others roused sleepers throughout the building. When faculty members reached the campus a hundred half-clad students surrounded the building or were attempting to salvage some of the property from within—a process soon stopped by the crashing in of the roof and upper floors. When it was over, many of the students were left only with what they were wearing. The homes of Pullman citizens and faculty members were thrown open to the homeless students for the remainder of the night, and on the following day the old Union Hotel, which had been closed for some time, was rented by the college and reopened as a college dormitory for those students who could not be cared for in private homes. It was nearly 2 years later before the “new ' ' Ferry Hall was completed and opened for occupancy. Top right: The second student bookstore, located on the same site as the present bookstore, c., 1924. Center right: Soda fountain in the old bookstore , c., 1924. Above: T he campus arch, main entrance to WSC on Oak Street near the present Albrook Hydraulics Lab, Morrill Hall in the background, 1925. Right: Soldiers Field, alias Rogers Field, alias Martin Stadium, c„ 1925. 12 Reflections