Map of campus State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash. (1950)

Map of campus State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash. (1950)

Washington State University--Maps<br>Pullman (Wash.)--Maps

1 map; 23 x 31 cm.<br>The campus of the state's land grant school--Washington State College in Pullman, Washington.<br>By 1950, WSC had developed into an institution claiming over five thousand students. Four major changes took place in the five years following the war. An increase in enrollment due to the G.I. Bill, caused an urgent need for temporary housing. The Army responded by donating a number of surplus living quarters and furniture left over from wartime cantonments. While other units were placed on campus elsewhere, the main area of growth sprung up along the boundary of the WSC golf course and were appropriately named North, East and South Fairway. Peacetime also signaled the arrival of a new president. E.O. Holland, following a stint of ill health, stepped down from the position he had held for three decades and took an advisory position in the library. He was replaced by Wilson M. Compton, who sought increased faculty satisfaction and student physical and mental well-being. The latter goal resulted in more campus activities, counseling services, and the construction of a student union building in 1951. Up until this time, students used the old women's gymnasium, but that building was razed to make room for another major addition soon to arrive on campus--a state-of-the-art library. Plans for an improved library facility had been in the works since 1937. By the time funds became available after the war, it was apparent to all that an architectural "monument" as originally slated under the Holland administration would no longer suffice. With the appointment of Dr. G Donald Smith as library director, the designs were re-drafted to reflect modern needs. This meant not only space for microfilm and movies, but also the centralization of the library's entire collection into one building. Before, the collections were held in a variety of short-term repositories beyond that of Bryan Hall because of lack of storage space. Among these included the Home Economics Building, the Women's Gym and even the Rifle Range. On this map a building marked "library storage" attests to this practice. The improved library increased the viability of a competitive graduate program and, along with President Compton's efforts to establish WSC as a center for technological and industrial advancement, easily placed the college in a position to obtain university status in 1959.

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, WSU Libraries

Pullman (Wash.) : Washington State University

1950

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections

Contact Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, for copyright information 509 335-6691

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English

Maps

WSU 123

United States--Washington (State)--Whitman County--Washington State University--Pullman