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Page 8 text:
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Western State Normal School — administration building — 1904. 1 903 - 7 958 Historical data for this article obtained from an article by Winston Wessels; Charles Starring and Dr. James Knauss ' book, The First Fifty Years 1903-1953. The history of Western Michigan University is one of continual growth from the time of its birth by legislative enactment on May 27, 1903 until the present day. The functioning institution of Western Michigan Normal School did not start until June 2 7, 1904. At that time the school opened for a six week session with an enrollment of 117 students. To guide these students Dwight B. Waldo, former principal of Northern States Normal, had the assistance of eleven faculty members. There were not any new buildings and so the classes were held in the city high school, the Methodist Church, the Y.M.C.A. and the old Kalamazoo College building between Lovell and South Streets. This latter building hous- ed most of the classes and the administration which consisted of President Waldo and his secretary. The first full session began on September 26, 1904, with an enrollment of 107 students and seven new faculty members. President Waldo saw that the chief function of the school was to prepare people for rural education and selected to head that de- partment, Dr. Ernest Burnham, a valuable man until he left the faculty in 1940. The idea of a rural education department was unique among normal schools at that time.
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Page 9 text:
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mMi L The start of Western Michigan University — shown from Prospect Hill, 1901. tion building and the library, a symbol of old Nor- mal School days. In 1927 legislative enactment made Western State Normal Western State Teachers College. The building and acquistion of further land stopped for a while, but the curriculum continued to grow. In 1936, Dr. Paul V. Sangren was appointed president upon the retirement of Dr. Waldo. Under Dr. San- gren the building again started. In December, 1936, the construction of Haymes field and Waldo sta- dium was begun and completed in 1939. By 1938 Western had its first dormitories, Walwood (girls) and Vandercook Hall for men. The Union building was also completed then. In 1940 Lavina Spindler Hall for women was finished as was the Student Health and Personnel building. This was also the year that Western State Teachers became Western Michigan College. The administration building on top of Prospect Hill was the first building to be completed and the administrative offices were moved in on Sep- tember 1, 1905. Under constant prodding by Dr. Waldo, the state appropriated more funds and in 1908 the gym and additional classrooms were add- to the main building. These additions were the first under President Waldo ' s administration. By the time he retired, in 1936, the campus had grown from 107 students, twenty acres and no buildings to 1800 students, fifty acres and seven buildings including a training school, science building, library, gymnasium (on Oakland Drive), manual trades building and a central heating plant. There were also some temporary buildings built during WWI that were kept in use until they were torn down in 1953. Since there were no dormitories, students had to live in rooming houses and climb Prospect Hill to attend classes. The Normal Railroad, built in 1908, was used to make this climb easier. This service was discontinued after WW II, but the pow- er plant still stands between the old Administra- The business office about the year 1907.
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