The Purdue Memorial Union (PMU) is a student union building located on the

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

campus in

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister cit ...

, USA. It opened in 1924 as a memorial to the Purdue students who had fought in World War I. The building includes several restaurants, lounges, and student organization offices, as well as a bowling alley and a hotel.

History

In the early 1900s, Purdue was in need of a place for students, staff, and visitors to gather in the Purdue community. The Class of 1912 began collecting funds to build a union for Purdue. Funds were collected until the start of

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 ...

. Many men and women from Purdue had participated in the war, and some have died in it. It was decided that the union should be a memorial dedicated to those men and women. From then on, funds were collected to begin building the PMU.“History of the Union”, Purdue Memorial Union, 2011 http://www.union.purdue.edu/Home/

Building

The PMU was opened in 1924 before it was completely finished in 1929. In the basement, a bowling alley was built in 1936. The ground floor contains most of the Union’s restaurants and coffee shops. On the main floor of the Union, there are student services as well as some lounges. There are two ballrooms where large groups can gather for special events. Located on this floor as well is the Great Hall of the Union. This is the memorial for Purdue men and women that have fought in the wars. A scale model of Purdue is located in the Great Hall of the Union. The second floor of the PMU contains many lounges and private offices. File:Purdue Memorial Union Great Hall.png, Great Hall, looking north File:Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-10-15, DD 06.jpg, Great Hall, looking south

Union Club Hotel

The first part of the Union Club Hotel was built in 1929. Since then, it has grown into a full-service hotel.

Union Rack & Roll

The Union Rack & Roll is the bowling alley located in the basement of the PMU.

Services

The PMU offers a variety of services to students, staff, and visitors as well. There are financial offices, student services, as well as many restaurants.

Purdue Student Union Board

The Purdue Student Union Board (PSUB) is a student organization that provides programs and services for students, staff, and the community of West Lafayette. PSUB was an organization before the union was built and it helped fund the building. In 1920 when the organization started it had only a few members, but it now has over a hundred.“Purdue Student Union Board”, Purdue Memorial Union, 2011 http://www.union.purdue.edu/HTML/PSUB/

References

External links

PMU Official Website
{{Authority control Student activity centers in the United States Purdue University campus West Lafayette, Indiana Monuments and memorials in Indiana