- City:
- Kalamazoo, MI
- Site Type:
- Education and Health, Colleges and Universities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Public Works Funding, Public Works Administration (PWA)
- Started:
- 1938
- Completed:
- 1939
Description
Western Michigan University’s Speech and Hearing Building, originally the Health and Personnel Building, was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant money (PWA Docket No. [X]1825). The PWA supplied a grant of $77,725; the total cost of the project was $165,681. Work occurred between 1938 and 1939.
“Western still had no dormitories, so it was decided to build a combination Union building and girls’ dormitory, which was finished by the fall of 1938 and named Walwood Hall. A men’s dormitory, Vandercook Hall, was also built plus a student health and personnel building. Both of these were partly built with Federal money as P.W.A. projects.” (Yearbook)
Source notes
National Archives: Record Group 135: Public Works Administration; Projects Control Division; Entry 52: Indices to Non-Federal Projects; Report No. 5: Status of All Completed Non-Federal Allotted Projects, page 63. Brown and Gold Yearbook - Class of 1954; Western Michigan University (page 12) https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/12/east_campus_speech_and_hearing.html (mistakenly calls a WPA project)Site originally submitted by Evan Kalish on November 28, 2014.
Contribute to this Site
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal site.
Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site
Join the Conversation