Eastern Michigan University Historic District
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Eastern Michigan University Historic District
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McKenny Hall, Welch Hall,
Starkweather Hall, Sherzer Hall |
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Map of the Eastern Michigan University Historic District
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| Location | Ypsilanti, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°14′44″N 83°37′29″W / 42.24556°N 83.62472°WCoordinates: 42°14′44″N 83°37′29″W / 42.24556°N 83.62472°W |
| Area | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | Ernest W. Arnold, Frank Eurich Jr., Malcomson and Higginbotham |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Romanesque, Tudor Revival, Collegiate Gothic |
| NRHP Reference # | 84000017 |
| Added to NRHP | October 4, 1984 |
Eastern Michigan University Historic District is an area of land on the very south end of the Eastern Michigan University campus. Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan in Washtenaw County. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School. Several buildings since its founding have achieved historical significance and eventually establishing it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The district was established in 1984.
The Eastern Michigan University Historic District is set on an "L-shaped parcel" of land across from the Ypsilanti Water Tower (also on the NRHP). The EMUHD area contains Welch Hall, Starkweather hall, Sherzer Hall, and McKenny Hall. All four buildings are unique in their design and make up.
The four buildings are all substantial structures. Each building has a unique style and structure design. Beyond this each building was built at different times to serve unique purposes for the campus. The district was established in 1984.
Previously called McKenny Union and Charles McKenny Union, was the first student union on the campus of a teachers' college when it opened in 1931. McKenny hall was designed by Detroit architect Frank Eurich Jr. of Detroit. The building, in the collegiate gothic style with some art deco features. Today the building is known as McKenny Hall and is home to veteran services, human resources, and career services. After The EMU Student Center opened, McKenny closed in 2006 for renovations to preserve the building's age. Since then the university uses the historic building as office space for various departments.
Sherzer Hall is classroom building, which currently also houses Art Department studios. Sherzer Observatory, an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, was established in 1878 with a gift from the citizens of Ypsilanti of a four-inch (102 mm) refractor. The observatory, originally located on Pierce Hall, was hit by a tornado and destroyed in 1893. It was then relocated to the roof of the new Natural Science Building in 1903. The architect of the building was E. W.. Arnold of Battle Creek. The building has survived two fires, in 1973 and 1989.
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