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Concept
Memorial Union (Iowa State University)
Summary
The Memorial Union, or MU, at Iowa State University opened in September 1928, the building is currently home to a number of University departments, a bowling alley, the University Book Store, student organizations, and weddings.
The concept of a memorial to the Iowa Staters who had died in World War I was developed soon after the end of the war itself in 1918. After many ideas were proposed, a bronze plaque, a grotto, or a gateway arch, a group of students rallied for a living memorial, "a building that would provide service to the college and preserve the memory of those that were lost." In June 1920, students, faculty, and alumni, finally reached a decision and a campaign was started to raise the funds for the building. In 1922, the Memorial Union Board, which had been formed to oversee the campaign for the Memorial Union was incorporated under Iowa law.
From 1923 to April 1925, lengthy discussions were held regarding the choices for the building's location. Among the sites considered were the current sites of Friley Hall and Music Hall. Ultimately, the present location, previously home to the "Sanitary Building" and the early facilities of the College of Veterinary Medicine, was dedicated on April 22, 1925.
In 1926, the Des Moines, Iowa architecture firm, Proudfoot Rawson & Souers, was contracted and a basic design by William T. Proudfoot was accepted by the Memorial Union Board. The original design shows the north face of the building much as it looks today, however it was not completed until 1965. By April 1927, the Memorial Union Board had raised enough pledges to begin construction on the building and ground was broken.
On September 23, 1928, the first cafeteria line was opened. The next day, Memorial Union and Alumni Association administrators occupied their offices. The 1928 building consisted of the main five-story section, including the Great Hall, its adjacent east and west areas, and the Gold Star Hall to the north. Until 1936-37, the upper two floors were left unfinished.
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