The Michigan Union is a
student union
A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social ...
at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. It is located at the intersection of South State Street and South University Avenue in
Ann Arbor, Michigan. The building was built in 1917 and is one of several unions at the University of Michigan.
History
The Michigan Union was at first a
student group rather than a building.
[History of the Michigan Union](_blank)
. The Michigan Union formed in 1904 as "an 'all-inclusive organization' focused on providing feelings of unity for men on campus."
Its first meeting, at Waterman Gymnasium, drew more than 1,100 students.
The founders of the Michigan Union soon desired a home for the organization. In 1907, they purchased the former house of Judge
Thomas M. Cooley, a longtime
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MC ...
professor on State Street at the end of South University Avenue.
[History](_blank)
Cooley's home was a "spacious, rambling
fieldstone
Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...
structure, with pointed
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...
s."
After the Michigan Union acquired the Cooley home, Professor
Emil Lorch of the Department of Architecture made alterations for adaptation as a
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album '' kelsea''
Brands and enterprise ...
house.
On the first floor was a large dining room, a smaller dining room, a large lounge, a game room, and a kitchen; on the second floor was a
billiard room
A billiard room (also billiards room, or more specifically pool room, snooker room) is a recreation room, such as in a house or recreation center, with a billiards, pool or snooker table. (The term "billiard room" or "pool room" may also be u ...
, a reading room, a
directors' room, and an apartment for the
steward
Steward may refer to:
Positions or roles
* Steward (office), a representative of a monarch
* Steward (Methodism), a leader in a congregation and/or district
* Steward, a person responsible for supplies of food to a college, club, or other ins ...
.
The Union soon outgrew the building, and in 1910, the Michigan Union hired the
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
brothers
Irving Kane Pond and
Allen Bartlit Pond to design a new building.
The Union acquired two adjacent lots, one of which was owned by the Pond brothers.
In 1916, the Cooley house was demolished and construction began.
Funds for the building's construction were collected by collecting financial pledges.
The progress of construction soon lagged, however, due to the
American entry into World War I
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
While still unfinished, the building was used as a Students' Army Training Corps
barracks
Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are ...
and
mess hall.
After the end of the First World War, the Union interior was finally completed, and the building officially opened in 1919.

The original Union building included a variety of facilities: a basement
bowling alley
A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a clubhouse or dwelling ...
, a groundfloor
barber
A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
shop and cafe, and various "lounges, reading rooms, committee rooms, dining rooms, a
billiard and games room, an assembly room, and accommodations for returning alumni."
A
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
, planned for the building since its design, finally opened in 1925 after sufficient funds were collected to construct it.
The Michigan Union originally was organized as a
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album '' kelsea''
Brands and enterprise ...
with yearly dues of $2.50; the club was run by a
board of directors with representation of students, faculty, and alumni.
"By 1914 there were over 4,000 members, which was a considerable portion of the University student body and indicative of the strength of the organization."
In 1918 the Regents authorized that the membership fee, then $3, be collected from all students.
The same year, the fee was increased to $5, and all male students automatically became Union Members.
Originally, women were only allowed to enter the building through the North entrance and when accompanied by a male escort, due to the founders' belief that the women's center at that time was in "the parlors of the Barbour Gymnasium."

In 1929, the Michigan League, designed by the Pond brothers, was built on North University Avenue as the women's union.
In 1956, the policy of requiring escorts and of requiring women to enter through the North entrance was finally dropped.
In 1968, the last place in the Union to have such a policy, the Billiards Room, ended its policy and admitted women on an equal basis.
Today, the Michigan Union houses restaurants, student organization office space, conference rooms, study areas, and other student resources. The Union is also an
election precinct
A precinct, voting district, polling division, or polling district, is a subdivision of an electoral district, typically a contiguous area within which all electors go to a single polling place to cast their ballots.
Canada
In elections in Can ...
in state elections.
At the front steps of the Union, just above the main entrance, two statues stand on the left and the right. On the left is the athlete, facing towards south campus, home of the athletic fields and
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third largest stadium in the world, and ...
. To the right is the scholar, looking towards Central and North Campus, home of the student life of the University of Michigan.
In a speech delivered on the steps of the Michigan Union October 14, 1960 at 2:00 a.m., presidential candidate
John F. Kennedy announced his
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...
proposal.
A plaque at the steps now commemorates the event.
Notes
External links
Michigan Union
{{coord, 42.27523, N, 83.74123, W, source:placeopedia, display=title
University of Michigan campus
Student activity centers in the United States
1919 establishments in Michigan