- 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 Vandercook Hall was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant money (PWA Docket No. [X]1590). The PWA supplied a grant of $128,160; 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)Site originally submitted by Evan Kalish on November 28, 2014.
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Keith D. Vandercook
Nancy
Henry B. Vandercook was my Great Grandfather and I was with him at the dedication of Vandercook Hall in 1940. I have photos and Kalamazoo Gazette articles of the event.
Now at age 84, I would like to offer what I can for the preservation of Vandercook Hall.
In 1955, I graduated from WMU and was a member of the Men’s Union Board and also Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.
If I come to WMU (from Grand Rapids) I would like to talk the President et al.
Vandercook Hall was my home away from home whilein college in the Chi Omega house. I have such warm
Memories of my corner room on the third floor. Wish I could go back and see it.
But I saw a disturbing video on YouTube of some teens who broke in and it was so trashed inside. Very sad