Memorial Union serves as a community center for the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

by providing meeting rooms, technology centers, dining facilities, and playing host to many special events. The facility was built in three stages between 1923 and 1963. It was designed by

Jamieson and Spearl Jamieson and Spearl was a St. Louis, Missouri architectural firm that designed most of the buildings built at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Missouri in Columbia between 1912 and 1950. Biography James Paterson Jamieson ( ...

, which designed most of the campus buildings built between 1902 and the 1950s.

History

Walter Miller's 1919 commencement address called for a memorial to the University's lost soldiers in World War I. Fund raising began in 1921 for a "Memorial Union" and a "Memorial Stadium" to be constructed at the University. The names of the two projects were a tribute to Mizzou alumni who lost their lives during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. John Pickard, professor of art history led the campaign. Students were encouraged to pledge $100 toward the project, and alumni were encouraged to pledge at least $200. After more than $238,000 in pledges, the official groundbreaking took place in November 1921. University of Missouri - Memorial Union

Plans for Memorial Union called for one wing for men and one wing for women. Each of the proposed wings would cost $200,000, and the two would be linked by a Gothic tower. The Simon Construction Company began work on the tower in January 1923, and the first shipments of cut stone for the tower began arriving in 1924. Construction of the tower was completed after three years and dedicated in November 1926. Groundbreaking for the North Wing took place as part of 1930 Homecoming activities; however, the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

soon halted construction with only the foundation in place. The tower then stood alone for nearly twenty-five years. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, plans were revived for the North Wing, construction began in June 1951, and it was completed for occupation in September 1952. The next major addition to the still unfinished complex was the addition of the A. P. Green Chapel in 1959. The South Wing of Memorial Union was finally completed in August 1963.

Traditions

Memorial Union honors 117 MU men who lost their lives in service to the United States during World War I. Their names are inscribed on the inside walls of the tower archway. In a tradition that dates back to a time when most men wore hats, whenever one walks beneath the archway, they are to tip their hat as a sign of respect to their deceased brothers; in addition, every student speaks at a whisper under the archway. A plaque was later added inside the north wing in which the names of 338 MU men who lost their lives in World War II were inscribed.

Notes

External links

# Gigapan Hi Res Panoramic Imagehttp://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/190985 {{DEFAULTSORT:Memorial Union (University Of Missouri) University of Missouri campus Student activity centers in the United States Clock towers in Missouri

Buildings and structures in Missouri {{Commons category, Buildings in Missouri Missouri Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the nor ...

Gothic Revival architecture in Missouri Landmarks in Columbia, Missouri Towers in Missouri