12 Milestones for the Memorial Union
Pictured is the west side of the Memorial Union in 1953. ISU students in the early 1920s raised support for the construction of the Memorial Union to honor students who died in World War I.
September 22, 2014
12 Milestones for Memorial Union
1919: Concept for a memorial at Iowa State discussed & planned.
1920: Project launched to be privately funded; donation pledging began in June with campus rallies
1927: Mortgage obtained: ground broken on April 26.
1928: Opened September 23 when there were 4,000 students enrolled at Iowa State.
1929: Construction finished in January.
1939: Addition of South Ballroom
1955: Completion of Browsing Library and Chapel
1957-58: Covering south terrace to provide space for Book Store
1966-67: Parking ramp to the east of the building
1984: Names of Iowa Staters who perished in World War II, Korea War and Vietnam War engraved in walls of Gold Star Hall
2003: Memorial Union becomes department of the university
For the full story on the Memorial Union’s 86th birthday bash, click here.
