Western Kentucky University

My family and I were passing through Bowling Green, Kentucky in the final days of long road trip. I had tried to keep myself on something of a work-like schedule in terms of when I went to bed and rose in the morning, and despite a long time on the road and in various hotels I was still getting up pretty early and before my sons who were very much enjoying their summer vacation. When we stopped in Bowling Green, we grabbed a room at a place near the Western Kentucky University campus, so I knew I would be getting up to take a walk around campus while my family slept. Despite my early rise and arrival on campus by 6am, it was hot and humid. In fact, it was a scorcher of a day. But the skies were clear, the sun was out, and the birds were singing. Thus, it was a perfect morning for a stroll on campus.
​
I started my walk around campus at the Eva and Jim Martens Alumni Center, seen in the set below. The building was constructed to become the first purpose-built home for the alumni association which had previously been in the former president’s home. Flooding in the area delayed the project and it opened a few months behind schedule in April 2013. Formally dedicated on April 12th, the building was designed by RossTarrant Architects of Lexington and comes in 30,421 square feet. It cost $8.6 million, or just over $12 million today, to construct. The Martens have given to WKU for many years. Jim is an alumnus (Class of 1972) and he and Eva own a real estate investment firm. The building opened with a different name, the Augenstein Alumni Center. It was named for WKU alumnus (Class of 1981) Dale Augenstein, a restaurateur who has been active in the alumni association. Mr. Augenstein donated $1 million to support the construction of the building. It carried his name from 2013 until 2022. I am not sure why his name was removed. If you know, please leave a comment. RossTarrant also did the design work for Ogden College Hall (see below), Music Hall (see below), and the most recent renovation and addition to the Downing Student Union (see below) on campus.

One of the things I really liked about the building was the nod to history you see in the first photo. As noted in the second photo, the two stones inlayed in the building's entryway are historic to the campus. I love when places incorporate pieces like this. The MCV campus at the Virginia Commonwealth University where I worked for many years has a long history of reusing elements like this. It is a great way to pay homage to the past. The center also uses several of the WKU identity branding elements in a good way. The water feature has the stylized WKU built in on the building's side as seen in the third photo, the university's graphic which incorporates the Cherry Hall cupola (see below) is embedded in the handrails in front, and the university seal is etched into the building itself as seen in the fifth photo. Despite having three different elements like this, it is not over the top. Each is relatively small and subtle. The seventh photo is a view from across the street and Augenstein Alumni Plaza. The plaza is named for Dale Augenstein. The plaque you see in the eighth photo notes that it recognizes donors who gave during a campaign ending in 2012. I am not sure when the plaza opened, but it was obviously after that date.

​The statue you see in the seventh and ninth photo is the WKU mascot, Big Red. Big Red dates back to 1979. The athletics programs at WKU are known as the Hilltoppers, owing to the geography of the region and to the fact that the original portion of campus sits upon a hill overlooking the adjacent area. Despite the fact that the teams had been known as the Hilltoppers for decades, the university was without a mascot. A number of things had been tried out as a potential mascot, but nothing took hold. In the fall of 1979, a group of administrators and athletics officials decided to come up with something. The group was not successful at coming up with something, and at that point they engaged the support of WKU senior Ralph Carey. Carey was from Cincinnati and had worked at the Kings Island amusement park where costumed characters strolled the grounds and entertained park goers. Readers who are old enough may recall a Brady Bunch episode where the family travels to the park for Mr. Brady’s work and Greg ends up donning such an outfit. Carey went in that direction and made a sketch of what would become Big Red. The team liked it and it became the choice for the new mascot on September 21, 1979/ The only name they thought fit was Big Red. The cost of the first costume was $900 (just under $4k today), which was jointly funded by the university, the athletics department, and the alumni association. The Hannah Barbera company in Los Angeles built the suit, and it debuted on December 8, 1979 in the first home basketball game of the season. The Hilltoppers beat Florida A&M that day 87 to 60 in front of a crowd 10,300.

The set below gives two views of Van Meter Hall as well as an indication as to why the university athletics teams are known as the Hilltoppers. ​The current Van Meter is the second structure to carry the name. It opened in 1911, the work of architect Brinton B. Davis. As originally constructed, Van Meter had an enormous auditorium capable of seating 2,000 people. For decades, it was the site of the required daily chapel for WKU students. I was not able to get into the building and cannot confirm it still has this space. The building cost $147,000 to construct, which is roughly $5 million in today’s value. The name is taken from Captain Charles J. Vanmeter, a Bowling Green native who donated funds for the creation of the original Van Meter Hall. Vanmeter’s father owned a store in town in which he worked in his earlier years. He went into business with his brother and a man whose last name was Leiter with a riverboat. The business flourished, eventually being named the Bowling Green Navigation Company. 

The set below begins with photos of Gordon Wilson Hall. The building opened as the WKU library in 1927 and would remain the home of the university’s collection until 1965. It was designed by architect Brinton B. Davis who designed Van Meter Hall. It cost $200,000 to construct (which is about $3.5 million in today’s money). The stone for the building’s façade was quarried in Warren County Kentucky. It didn’t get its current name until the library moved out and it was transitioned to its current state as an academic building. It is named in honor of Alexander Gordon Wilson. Wilson began teaching at WKU in 1912 after teaching in public schools for a number of years. He had arrived on campus in 1908 as a student, although he would complete his education at Indiana University while on the WKU faculty. Indeed, he had been on faculty for about seven years when he completed his baccalaureate degree from IU in 1919. He also completed his master’s degree (Class of 1924) and doctorate (Class of 1930) there. He advanced through the faculty ranks during this time and became chair of the Department of English in 1928, some two years prior to completing his doctorate. He would remain chair until 1959. One of his sons, Gordon Wilson Jr. also joined the WKU faculty and was also a department chair, in this case of the Department of Chemistry. One of the most touching things about life in higher education I have read was a quote of his appearing in Lowell H. Harrison’s book “Western Kentucky University”. About his life, Wilson remarked “When I try to separate my life from that of the college I have great difficulty, for both of them have run along together so long that they seem to be one instead of two” (p.25). WKU would rename the building in honor of Wilson on May 13, 1969. He passed away on April 12, 1970. 

The first four photos are of the front façade from a number of different angles. I love the classic look of the building and it looked remarkable in the early morning sun. I couldn't decide which of the many photos I took to use, so you get four of them. In the first two you can also see the university's entryway sign sign. I like the fact that it is not too big so as to not take away from the impressive view of the building. The fifth photo is the backside of the building. The statue you see in the sixth photo is called Trust. It shows two dancers in action, with the female figure being held in a position which requires faith in her partner to ensure her safety. It is the work of Arvada, Colorado based artist Kendra Fleischman. Another of her pieces is seen below. Trust was installed in June 2008. As you can see from the last photo, the site was the home of Fort Albert Sidney Johnston during the Civil War.

The next set of photos all center around Cherry Hall. Before getting into the building, a little history is in order. As is so often the case, the history of WKU is that of a meandering river, with various streams coming together to form the current flow. As an institution, WKU refers to 1906 as the date of its founding, but constituent elements of the current university go back much further. The oldest component of the current institution was the Glasgow Normal and Business College. Founded in 1876 in the eponymous town, it was one of several small schools of this type cropping up in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the late 1800’s. It moved to Bowling Green in 1884 and changed its name to the Southern Normal School and Business College. Meanwhile, in Bowling Green yet another institution was being formed. In 1877, Ogden College was created thanks to the bequest of Robert W. Ogden who provided his entire estate to form a school for the free education of the young men of Warrant County. The campus of Ogden , some seven acres, is today contained within the campus of WKU. In 1890, another private college was formed called Potter College. Potter would eventually close, and as such it was not a direct progenitor to WKU. However, years later the institution would close and in 1909 WKU bought the former college’s property and buildings. I will come back to that point in a moment. But first, I will go back to the history of the Southern Normal School and Business College by way of an introduction to Henry Cherry. 

Born on November 16, 1864, Cherry grew up in on a farm near Bowling Green. He was the seventh of nine sons. After writing that, I just have to say God bless his mother. I imagine she would have loved to have had a daughter in that mix. Cherry received a limited education in his early years, the family farm and the necessity to help his family limited his time in school when even then when the school year was shorter than today. He and one of his brothers sold potatoes and axe handles from an ox cart and thanks to these efforts he was able to enroll in the private Southern Normal School. He saved money by renting a room off campus and by cooking his own food. His older brother Thomas “T.C. Cherry” also attended the school, and they subsequently became teachers. In 1892, they purchased the school. Cherry would run the school as its chief administrator. As was the case at many institutions in those days, particularly normal schools, the institution offered both collegiate and high school-level training. The school would continue on its own for the next fourteen years and along the way the Cherry brothers sold off the business component of the school when Southern was acquired by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The business unit would continue as another private institution for decades to come alternately being called the Bowling Green Business University and Bowling Green College of Commerce. More on that below. 

Cherry was a major advocate for education at all levels and wanted to see improvements in both the K-12 and higher education sectors in Kentucky. Indeed, he would eventually serve two terms as president of the Kentucky Education Association. Part of this was his lobbying to create additional normal schools within the state. He sought to have the state over the training of teachers. Over time, the push to create more public normal schools took hold, and Cherry offered to sell the state the Southern Normal School and all of its buildings and properties which was then located in a different spot on College Street in Bowling Green. The state agreed and in 1906 acquired the Southern Normal School and subsequently renamed it Western Kentucky State Normal School. Classes would begin in January 1907 with the new name in Southern’s existing facilities. Cherry would become the new school’s first president. Two years later, it would purchase the former Potter College and relocate to what had previously been called Vinegar Hill. An aside here. The site was known as Vinegar Hill prior to Potter College’s creation thanks to a lady who made moonshine there in a clandestine still. She sold the stuff around town calling it vinegar to avoid the illegal aspects of her business. It would later take on the more acceptable College Heights name. 

Cherry would remain WKU’s president thirty-one years, dying while in office in 1937. Along the way, the institution changed names a few times. First, thanks to moving from offering two-year degrees to full-on baccalaureate degrees the name became Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College in 1922. In 1927, WKU merged with the Ogden College, which sat adjacent to the campus. In 1930, the name changed to Western Kentucky State Teachers College and the next year it began offering graduate study and the conferring of master’s degrees. In 1948, the name changed to western Kentucky State College. Long after Cherry had passed, the university would reacquire the part of the former Southern Normal School Cherry had sold. In 1963, WKU acquired the Bowling Green College of Commerce. By 1966, the institution had grown to offer many graduate degrees across numerous fields and hence the name was changed once again to its current Western Kentucky University.

Cherry is rightfully seen as the force behind the creation of the university. His impact was like no other, and he had his hands on the creation of much of what is the university today. The institution grew under his guidance and although not without setbacks it was generally a very prolific three decades under his leadership. It is only natural that at least one building on campus would bear his name.

The building was desperately needed. It was meant to be a replacement for a building constructed in 1888 called Recitation Hall. That former building was in heavy use, and even the attic was used for classroom space. It was so crowded during the day, the hallways were virtually impassable. In addition to being overworked, the old building was outdated having only two restrooms and no modern amenities. By 1933, it was in disrepair and considered a fire hazard. President Cherry sought funds for a new building from the Public Works Administration (PWA), the Depression era federal agency that funneled money to projects like this for the purpose of stimulating the economy. The university's first application was denied, leaving Cherry furious, particularly since other colleges in the state received PWA funding. He would not be deterred, and enlisted the support of the governor and Kentucky's federal representatives. By the close of 1935, funding had been secured. The cornerstone was laid in a ceremony on October 27, 1936 which was broadcast on radio. It would be completed in 1937 and would welcome classes for the first time on September 22, 1937. Cherry would not live to see it open. He passed away on August 1, 1937. Fittingly, the building would carry his name in tribute from the day it opened.

The first two photos are the front façade of the building. The third is a close up of one of the two bas-reliefs on that side of the building. The next five photos are close ups of the state of Cherry in front of the structure. The statue is the work of Chicago-based artist Lorado Taft. Taft was a prolific sculptor and his works can be found all around the U.S. Pertinent to this blog, readers may know his work at other colleges and universities. His statue of George Washington stands near the Odegaard Undergraduate Library at the University of Washington, and two of his pieces, the Fountain of Creation and Alma Mater both stand on the campus of the University of Illinois. The piece was, as such pieces frequently are, initially developed as a clay model in 1934. Charry did not want it cast in bronze or erected until after his passing. Both men passed away before its installation. Indeed, Taft passed away in 1936 before the clay model was used to cast the bronze piece seen here.

There is a time capsule enclosed in the base of the statue. What is interesting about it is that we know exactly what went in the capsule because the people at WKU decided not merely to keep a list, but to keep a set of duplicates in the Kentucky Museum. Among the items included are a 1924 WKU yearbook, various newspapers, photos, commencement programs, and university documents including the contract for the statue’s creation. The collection in the Kentucky Museum has all of these items in a copy of the copper box in which the documents are stored in the statue.

The last photo is the rear ​façade of the building.

Next are three views of College High Hall. ​The building, which was designed by the Nevin-Wischmeyer & Morgan architectural firm, was completed in 1925 at a cost of $243,678 (just under $4.5 million in today’s dollars). As the name suggests, it was the home of WKU’s training school. It served in that role from 1925 until 1969. It then underwent a renovation costing about $676,000 in 1972 (that would be about $5 million today). It was then named Science and Technology Hall. It underwent its most recent renovation in 2009 and was rededicated College High Hall in 2010.

The next set of photos are a number of buildings that are located on the former site of Ogden College. As noted above, Ogden was acquired by WKU in 1923. To this day, the sciences at WKU are housed in the Ogden College of Science & Engineering, and the buildings in this set all contain units which are a part of that college. 

The first four photos show different views of the Hardin Planetarium. Hardin was built as part of the Kelly Thompson Hall complex (see below) and was completed in 1967. It was formally dedicated on October 13, 1967. It is named in honor of Hardin Cherry Thompson, son of then WKU President Kelly Thompson (see below) and student at WKU who died during his senior year in 1963. He had been struggling with brain cancer and passed away on October 5, 1963, at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (then Vanderbilt Hospital) in Nashville. The planetarium can seat 200 people.

The fifth photo is a historic marker for the former Ogden College. The sixth photo is a relatively new Ogden College Hall. A groundbreaking ceremony for the building was held on April 5, 2016. It was completed in late 2017 and formally dedicated in early 2018. Designed by the architecture firm RossTarrant Architects of Lexington, Kentucky, the building has 82,500 square feet of space. It has dozens of wet labs, offices, and a 300-seat auditorium. It cost $40 million to construct. The building sits on the former site of one of the wings of Kelly Thompson Hall. It is a LEED® Certified Gold building. It was the first WELL V2 Gold educational laboratory in the U.S.

The seventh and eighth photos are of Kelly Thompson Hall. What you see here is part of a complex of two buildings constructed during the 1960’s. The original portion of the building was completed in 1960. This was razed in 2015 to make way for Ogden College Hall. The bit you see here was completed in 1967 and was originally known as the Central Wing of the complex. It was dedicated on October 14, 1967. It sits on the site of the old Ogden College Building. The building takes its name from WKU’s third president. Thompson first went to WKU as a student. In the fall of 1928, he matriculated on a football scholarship. A shoulder injury before the season even started meant the scholarship would be revoked and he anticipated dropping out of school. Coach E.A. Diddle (see below) found Thompson sitting on the stairs of a now razed building looking sad and asked him what was going. Thompson replied he was about to leave the school since he could not afford it. Diddle took him into downtown and personally signed a note for a loan of $25 so Thompson could stay in school. He worked for WKU in outreach to help pay back the loan and continue his studies. He excelled at this work, and over time became ingrained in the hierarchy of the school despite being an undergraduate. President Cherry became a mentor and a friend over the course of his studies. His work slowed his education, but he graduated from WKU with both his bachelor’s (Class of 1935) and master’s (Class of 1953). He would stay at WKU with a couple of exceptions for his entire career, working his way through the administrative ranks. His ascension to the presidency was not without some issue. He did not have a doctorate, and many believed that such a degree was a requirement for the position (he did have an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Morris Harvey College, now the University of Charleston in West Virginia). He was also Catholic, and some felt that this was not acceptable in a public college in 1950’s Kentucky. None the less, he took the reigns of the university and saw it well into the Baby Boom generation and the massive increase in the size of the university during a heady period in WKU’s history.

The ninth and tenth photos do not show what I wanted to photo very well. Behind the Hardin Planetarium is a feature in the ground that is made in the shape of Kentucky. You will have to enlarge both photos and view them together to get the idea. Thanks to my having only my phone with which to take photos and the fact it is in such a position that getting the correct perspective meant that you only get these poor views.

Finally, this set concludes with ​Snell Hall. ​This is not the first building to carry the Snell Hall moniker. The original Snell Hall opened in 1924 and would eventually be razed in October 2005. Both buildings take their name from Perry Snell, an alumnus of Ogden College who gave funds to construct the original building. I really like the fact that although the original building was scrapped the name remains. Colleges frequently get rid of names with buildings, opting to rename structures in honor of donors of the new building. It is natural to honor someone who donates large amounts of money, but the original names were given out of respect and honor of either donations or dedication to the place. It seems to me that someone worth recognizing is worth remembering.

The next set are of two buildings in the same area as those in the last set but for which I was unable to find out information. The first photo is the Engineering and Biological Sciences Building. I was not actually able to find out anything about this building.  The second photo is the ​​Environmental Sciences and Technology Building. Construction on the 102,000 square foot building was completed in 1976. It was designed by architect Frank Cain. The art piece you see in the third photo stands next to the building and, as noted in the fourth photo, is the work of WKU students. The last photo in this set shows a duo of greenhouses which stand behind the building.

The next two photos are of the E.A. Diddle Memorial Park. ​The park is named for Edgar Allen Diddle, long serving WKU men’s basketball coach for whom the WKU arena is also named (see below). Diddle came to WKU in 1922 as athletic director and the coach of several sports. He shed the other roles over time but led the basketball program until 1964. His overall record at WKU was 759 wins and 302 losses, a 72%-win rate. During his time as head coach, the Hilltoppers went to three NCAA tournaments, eight NIT tournaments, and ten Ohio Valley Conference championships. He passed away on January 2, 1970.

The set below is of a type of building I did not expect to find on the campus - a log cabin type building. In fact, there are two such structures on the WKU campus. This one is ​Faculty House, and it sits directly behind Cherry Hall. ​When I saw the Faculty House, I assumed it was much older than it is. It opened in 1921, and although that means the building is 103 years old, I had assumed it dated back to the 19th Century. The Senior Classes of 1920 and 1921 raised the funds for the construction of the building. The logs were harvested on campus and was built largely by the students and faculty members Billy Craig, L.Y. Lancaster, George Page, and H.M. Yarbrough. It cost about $6,000 to build, which is only $94.5k today. When it opened, it was called Cedar House. It was first used as a social center but only for two years before being tasked with being a library in 1923. In 1928, it was converted for use as the student center on campus and served in that role until 1959. It was renovated that year and was renamed Faculty House. It has had a variety of uses since, but as you can see is currently in a state of renovation.

The last photo in this set has something in it I have never seen before. If you enlarge the photo, you will just be able to make out an albino squirrel. Before the day was out, I would see two more on the other side of campus. I imagine the recessive trait has become more common as the families of squirrels living in the area intermingle.

The next set contains photos of the various sights you will encounter on the crest of the hill behind Gordon Wilson Hall and Cherry Hall. As you can see, there are various paths, adornments, and features in this area which add to the feel of the area. I will spend time on only one of these elements. The last three photos feature a monopteros. The neoclassical structure is reminiscent of the Old Well at the University of North Carolina and I imagine that is on purpose. A water tower once stood in this general vicinity.

The set below gives two views of the front of Potter Hall. ​Potter opened as a dorm for women in 1921 and stayed in that role with a few years serving male students until 1994 when it was converted into office space. Rumor has it that the building is haunted by a student who died by suicide in the basement in 1979. Her ghost would apparently communicate via a Ouija board to students living in the building when it was a dorm, and still roams the halls after its conversion to administrative space. The building was designed by the D.X. Murphy and Company, and Brashear and Cohill architecture firms. It cost $233,407 (about $3.7 million in today’s value) to build. It is named in honor of J. Whit Potter, a member of the WKU Board for sixteen years.

The next set are photos taken as I walked from the traditional core of campus to the Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center. The first and photo has the second of Arvada, Colorado-based artist Kendra Fleischman's art pieces on campus. The bronze casting is call Origin and it was installed in June 2008. I really like how they painted the crosswalk to include the WKU logo in it in front of this piece! The third and fourth photos are of a statue by Illinois-based artist Jim Budish called Chauncey Too. The piece was installed in October 2007.

When I saw first saw the William "Gander" Terry Colonnade, seen in the fifth photo, and the amphitheater beyond (photos seven and eight), I thought they were constructed as part of the building beyond. However, this is not the case. The area, once a limestone quarry, is the site of the university's former football stadium. The colonnade was one the entrance to the stadium. It was designed by architect Brinton Davis, the creator of many of the structures on campus. It was built in 1927 and formally dedicated on October 8, 1927. It cost $50,000 to construct, or about $906k in today's money. The seats in the amphitheater are the original football stadium seating. As you can see in the sixth photo, Terry was a WKU football player and coach. The colonnade was named in his honor on July 23, 2003.

The last four photos in this set show the front side of the ​Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center. Construction on the Wilson Center began in 1970, and it was completed in 1973. A formal dedication ceremony was held on October 13. 1973. The building is fairly representative of structures from that era in its use of bare concrete for the exterior. It is a large structure coming in at 174,000 square feet. Construction of the building, which was designed by the Ryan Associated Architects firm, cost about $4 million (that would be worth about $32.5 million in today’s value). You can view four of the original blueprints completed by Ryan Associated Architects in 1969 for the building here. In addition to the Wilson Fine Arts Center, the firm also designed the L.T. Smith Stadium (see below), the Hugh Poland Hall dorm (see below), and the campus master plan of 1973. The firm also completed a master plan for the campus of the University of Louisville in 1974. The building was damaged by two fires, one in 1978 and another in 1984. The first was accidental, but the second was set by an arsonist. Wilson was a WKU alumnus Class of 1931) who stayed on at the university as a faculty member until 1958. He was the first chair of the Department of Art. The fountain has been there from the beginning, but it looked quite a bit different in the past. It was redesigned as part of WKU's 2006 Centennial celebration. It is actually a piece of art that contains an element that will not reveal itself until 2106. The fountain is called Time and Place - Compass and Clock and it is the work of Kim Chalmers. Chalmers was head of the WKU Department of Art at the time, and he designed the piece to reflect the university in the past, the present, and in the future. It will be difficult to see, but there brushed aluminum dots throughout the piece. These dots will correspond with the alignment of the stars over the campus in 2106 when the university celebrates its bicentennial. I didn't know that during my visit, but loved the idea when I read about it later. I will not be around then, but it is really cool to think that the piece will mirror the stars' placement then. If they maintain it, it will be neat for future generations to refer to it as "once having matched" the placement of the stars.

The set below gives you views of two libraries on campus. The first five are of the Commons at Helm Library. Based on the outward appearance of this building, you might get the idea that it is relatively new. Looks can be deceiving and in this case very much so. The Commons opened in 1931, and it did not open as a library or study space. Indeed, it was a gym. You read that correctly. It was the Health and Physical Education Building when it opened and it was the home of the Hilltoppers basketball team until the Diddle Arena (see below) opened in 1963. It was then that the space was renovated and renamed the Margie Helm Library. Even then, it does not look like a building from 1963, at least to me. That is because the space recently underwent a significant renovation completed in 2022. The work completely changed the look of the building. The 1960’s era renovation blocked off the interior of what was the old playing court and divided the structure into three floors of space in a traditional layout. The renovation reopened the space, returned skylights that had been removed in the 1960’s, and added the glass façade you see in these photos. The design work was headed by the Luckett and Farley architectural firm in collaboration with the Gensler architect group. Both firms have designed many academic structures at colleges and universities all over the country as well as overseas. Gensler completed the most recent WKU campus master plan. Their combined work resulted in the Commons receiving the 2022 AIA Merit Awards for Excellence in Architectural Design. The total cost of the renovation came in at about $35 million. It was closed, so I am not able to show you what the inside looks like and that is a pity because it seems quite impressive. You can learn more about the project and see renderings of the inside here. 

As you can see in the sixth photo, the Commons is attached to another building. That building is the Raymond Cravens Library. Cravens opened in 1970 as the home to both the graduate library and the offices of the graduate school. The nine-story structure was designed by architect Frank Cain, who also worked on the Diddle Arena and the Environmental Sciences and Technology Building. There was once a swimming pool on this site. The building has 104,723 square feet of space and originally cost $2.4 million to construct (which is about $20.6 million in 2024 value). Its eponymous namesake was a two-time alumnus (Classes of 1952 and 1955) and long serving faculty member and administrator. After completing his doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky, Cravens returned to WKU to be on faculty in the Department of History where he taught classes in political science. He was named Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1959 and Dean of Public Service and International Programs in 1977. He retired from WKU in 1991. Interestingly, the building was named in his honor prior to completion and long before he left the university. Typically, places do not name buildings in honor of living employees despite the fact that they routinely name things for living donors. The last three photos of this set show the building from different angles. The tree you see growing between sections of the raised walkway has been there from the beginning. There was talk of cutting it down, but Cain simply designed the walkway around it.

The first photo in the next set is ​Music Hall. It is a LEED® Silver certified building. You can see photos of the interior of the building here. It was designed by the architecture firm RossTarrant. It was completed in January, 2012 and was formally dedicated that May. The remaining photos in this set are of Finley C. Grise Hall, home to the WKU Gordon Ford College of Business. Grise joined the faculty in 1913. He would become a dean in 1927 and continue in that role for thirty-two years. He would stay at the university until his retirement in 1959. Construction on the building began in late 1964 and would be completed in 1966. It was dedicated in his honor on October 14, 1967. It cost $1,778,000 to construct, which is roughly $17.8 million in 2024 dollars. The last photo is a statue in the trees near Grise. The name of the piece is Woman Walking, the work of Kansas City-based artist Tom Corbin. It was installed in 2006.

The set below begins with ten photos taken along the Centennial Mall. As one might expect, the mall is named for WKU's centennial which was celebrated in 2006. The information I will provide on many of these buildings is a bit muddled for a couple of reasons. First, the collection of buildings go back to the 1950's and at the time they were constructed they were connected. So, what appears to wings of the same building were from the beginning considered different structures with unique names. Second, over time, these buildings were renovated and as that took place names changed. Information available in the various sources I read in preparation for this post had varying information that was due likely both to the fact that the names changed over time and that people frequently use the common names for things and not the official name. I imagine some of the information I provide below is inaccurate for one or both of these reasons. As best as I can tell, these structures were four independent buildings carrying the names of their relative position on the quad: North Hall, East Hall, South Hall, and West Hall. All were designed to be dorms. At some point, the names were combined such as they are here as is the case with Southwest Hall. I believe Southwest is the current official name for what historical documents called South Hall and West Hall. Again, these are assumptions on my part.

None the less, I will present the information on these buildings as best as I understand it beginning East Hall/North Hall/Northeast Hall/Munday Hall which is seen in the first two photos below. East, along with North Hall, was completed in 1955 and 1957 respectively. It cost $1,350,000 to complete the combined structures, or about $15.1 million in today's dollars. At some point, it was renamed Munday in honor of Margaret Munday, the first African American student to take classes at WKU. Ms. Munday had previously attended Kentucky State University, but transferred to WKU for the Fall semester of 1956. She officially desegregated WKU on September 15, 1956. She was a music major and a member of the university's chorus. After graduating in 1960, she went on to teach in public schools in the state until her retirement in 1995. When it opened, East housed 222 people in 109 rooms. North was a bit smaller, having only three floors compared to East's four. It could accommodate 200 residents.
​
The next five photos are of the currently named Southwest Hall, which I assume is what historical documents called South Hall and West Hall. If I understand it correctly, the South portion opened in 1960 and the West portion in 1961. Both are four story structures which could accommodate 208 residents, although West was constructed with a small dining facility. The globe is the work of artist Roger Loyson of Bemidji, Minnesota. Called With International Reach, the piece was installed in 2008 and reflects WKU's commitment to have impact across the globe. The piece actually sits at the correct angle as the earth sits in the heavens. As you can see from the sixth photo, the area where the piece sits is dedicated to former Dean of Students Charles A. Keown.

The next three photos are of a building across the street from Centennial Mall and a relatively new addition to campus, the Honors College and International Center (HCIC) Building. As the name suggests, it is home to the international programs and the Mahurin Honors College. Designed by RossTarrant Architects, the building was completed in 2015 and officially dedicated on October 27, 2015. It cost just over $22 million to construct. It has a variety of classrooms, study spaces, offices, lounges, meeting space, and a coffee shop. 

The tenth photo is of Colonial Court. It doesn't look like a court in this photo because you can only see one building. A number of smaller structures were constructed in the area in 1936 (some sources say 1934) by none other than President Cherry. The bungalows were to be leased out and provide him with a source of income during his retirement and he was going to live in one. He called the development Colonial Court. Of course, he passed away in office and never had the chance to take part in the plan. The university acquired the various houses in 2009 after which they renovated and modernized them for use by visiting scholars, particularly those from abroad. The larger building you see in the photo houses the university's Confucius center hence the gate and bell you see in the eleventh photo.

Next door to Colonial Court is the ​Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Center. David B. Whitaker became the director of WKU's publications from 1970. He stayed at WKU until his retirement in 1984. Robert "Bob" Adams, also known as "Mr. A" worked at WKU as a faculty member in communications and was the director of WKU's publications following David Whitaker. He was also an alumnus of the university (Class of 1965). A groundbreaking for the building occurred in November 2006 and it was dedicated the following fall. It cost $1.7 million, or about $2.6 million today, to construct.

The set below begins with three photos of ​Jody Richards Hall. The building is the work of the Louisville-based architecture firm Arrasmith, Judd, and Rapp. The groundbreaking for the building occurred on April 6, 2001 and it was completed in the spring of 2003. The process was fraught with troubles and delays. It was to have started construction in 2000 and completed within two years. It was finally completed in 2003 and officially dedicated on October 22, 2004. The working name of the structure was the Journalism and Technology Building, but by the time construction began this had changed to the Mass Media and Technology Center or Mass Media and Technology Hall. It would not get its current name for over a decade. On April 28, 2017, the WKY board voted to name the building in honor of Richards and an official ceremony was held on May 4, 2017. Richards was a Kentucky native who was an English instructor at WKU. He was a member of the Commonwealth of Kentucky's House of Representatives from 1976 to 2018. The first photo is the front of the building and photos two and three are of the north side of the building.

Photos four through seven give you a number of views of the Academic Complex building. Construction on the building began in 1967. It was formally dedicated on October 10, 1970. It was designed by architects Ben Johnson and Frederick St. Clair of Owensboro, Kentucky. The building comes in at 118,728 square feet and cost $2.7 million (about $25.5 million today) to complete. The sculpture you see in the fifth photo is called Opening of My Soul, the work of Colorado-based artist David Norrie. The piece, made of steel, was completed in 2005 and installed on the WKU campus in 2007.

The last two photos are of Gary A. Ransdell Hall. The building, another of architects RossTarrant works on campus, is the home to the WKU College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Work on the building began in 2008 and it was completed in December 2010. It was dedicated the following spring. The structure comes in 120,000 square feet and cost $35 million to complete (just over $51 million in 2024). It was initially called the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Building. It received its current name in January 2011. Ransdell is the former president of WKU, serving as the institution's ninth president for twenty years from 1997 until 2017. He was also a two-time alumnus (Classes of 1973 and 1974). He went to Indiana University to complete an EdD. 

The first photo below is the Health Services Building. Just about all colleges and universities have one of these. You tend not to think about them that much unless you live on campus in which case it is the place where you get your primary care. I was not able to find out anything about the building, but it seems relatively new.

The last two photos in this set are of a new building that will soon grace the campus. ​As you can see from these photos, the new building is going to be the home of the College of Business. The building was designed the Gensler architectural firm which also did the Commons at Helm Library detailed above. It is going to be a large structure, with some 113,000 square feet of space. Costs could rise, of course, but it is anticipated that it will cost about $100 million to complete. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 14, 2023 and they hope to open the building in the fall of 2025. It sits where a former dorm, Tate Page Hall, once stood.

The following photos are of some of the dorms on campus. The first photo below is of ​Regents Hall, one of the residence halls on campus. It opened in 2021 and can accommodate 375 residents. It was designed by the architectural firm Sewell and Sewell of Bowling Green. It is actually two connected buildings. Together, they have some 231,554 square feet of space. 

The second photo has Regents Hall on the left and the Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center on the right. The building in the center of this photo is Hugh Poland Hall. It is a residence hall built to cope with the massive influx of students during the 1960’s. The nine-story building was designed by the Louisville-based architectural firm A.B. Ryan Partnerships. There are some 79,461 square feet of space in the building which can accommodate 440 students. Opening in 1968, it cost $1,486,238 to build (about $14 million in 2024). Poland was a WKU alumnus (Class of 1934) who went on to a successful career in Major League Baseball. He played with the San Francisco Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Boston Braves during his career. He finished his career as the manager for the Giants. He served on the WKU board from 1957 until 1969.

The third photo has captures three dorms. On the left is Regents Hall and on the right is Hugh Poland. The large tower you see in the middle of this photo is the Pearce-Ford Tower. It is a massive structure. Standing ten stories and coming in at a whopping 180,400 square feet, the building opened in 1970. As originally designed, it could accommodate 920 residents. It is the work of Ryan Associated Architects and cost $4.3 million to construct (that’s about $40 million in today’s value). The Pearce portion of the name is in honor of William Pearce. He was president of Ogden College from 1913 to 1920. He left that position to become the director of WKU’s extension program. He stayed with WKU until his retirement in 1959. He was also the father-in-law to WKU president Kelly Thompson. The other part of the name comes from Marion Conner Ford, a faculty member and department chair at WKU from 1913 until 1940.

The sculpture in the fourth photo is by artist Kevin Robb of Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Called Tango, the piece was installed in 2008. The building behind it and the last two photos of this set is the Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center. Construction on the building began in 1990 and was completed in 1992. It was formally dedicated on August 23, 1992. Designed by architect Rick Coltharp, the 112,000 square foot building cost $12 million to construct (nearly $29 million today). It takes its name from Raymond Bart Preston, a WKU alumnus (Class of 1940). He founded the chemical distribution company PB&S Chemical. He donated funds to help construct the facility. 

The next set is of Guthrie Tower and the statue of Robert "Bobby" H. Guthrie which sits adjacent to where the new Business Building is being constructed. The tower stands 125.5 feet and is a memorial to those veterans who have served in combat. Meant to be a place of contemplation and thanks to those who served in combat, the tower, statue, and plaza were made possible by a $1.8 million gift from Lowell Guthrie, Bobby' younger brother. Bobby joined the service in 1947 at age seventeen and was sent to Korea during the war. He was killed in action in 1952. The cupola at the top of the tower harkens back to the Cherry Hall cupola. In addition to have four clock faces, the tower has a forty-seven bell carillon. The bells were made by the Paccard Bell Foundary in Lac D-Annecy, France. The company has been in business for more than 300 years. The bells collectively weight around 25,000 points, the largest one has a 59-inch diameter and weighs 4,630 pounds. The bells can be played manually or by computer. One of the bells has Bobby Guthrie’s name etched on it, and the rest have the names of his buddies from the service. I love the images etched into the granite. It is a great memorial. The statue Sergeant First Class Guthrie was created by Russ Faxon, an artist based in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. The tower and all of its elements was dedicated on May 6, 2002.

The set below provides a number of views of the exterior and interior of the Downing Student Union. Originally opened in 1970, the Downing Union takes its name from WKU’s fourth president, Dero G. Downing. Downing was a two-time WKU alumnus (Classes of 1943 and 1947). He served in the Navy during World War II and returned to Bowling Green after the war to teach at the university’s training high school. He was named director of the school in 1956. He took his first role with the university proper in 1959 when he was named registrar. He moved up to be Director of Admissions in 1962, then Dean of Business Affairs, and then Vice President for Administrative Affairs in 1965. He was named president of the university in 1969 and held the position until he retired in 1979. 

The building was originally designed by Owensboro, Kentucky based architects Ben Johnson and Frederick St. Clair. It was formally dedicated on October 10, 1970. It came in at 172,000 in its original configuration and cost $4.1 million to build, which is roughly $35.2 million in today’s value. Some sources indicate that it carried the Downing name from the beginning, but this seems unlikely to me. The idea that a sitting president of a public university would have a building named after him doesn’t seem like something a state would allow. I am not familiar with the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky enough to say now, let alone back in 1970, but it seems suspect. I could be wrong, and if you know please leave a comment. It has been enlarged and renovated several times during its lifetime, including an addition in 2005 which brought the total square footage up to 193,547. The Student Success and Disabilities Services areas you see in the twelfth photo is located in the newer part of the building.

The first photo shows the university's seal on the front of the building. The second photo is a view looking away from the union across the Centennial Mall. The art piece you can just make out near the end of the mall is itself called Centennial. The piece is the work of Santa Fe, New Mexico-based artist Gino Miles. It was unveiled in a ceremony on November 18, 2006 during the centennial celebrations. It is made of steel. The third, fourth, and fifth photos show the front of the building as well as a sculpture of The Red Towel. Students and supporters of WKU wave red towels at all of the games. It is a tradition started by former basketball coach E.A. Diddle. The towel graces the uniforms of many of the athletic teams including the helmet of the WKU football team. The plaque you see in the sixth photo can be found just inside the main entrance of the building and the dedication plaque in the seventh photo hangs on the other side of the entryway. Photos eight through eleven are various interior shots where you will find, among other things, a statue of Big Red on top of a Red Towel. The newer part of the building, seen in the next three photos, holds various student services and a large lecture hall. They have even gone so far as to make doorhandles that are in the shape of the Red Towel. The last photo is an exterior shot of the rear of the building.

Across from the Downing Union is the building you see in the first photo below. Minton Hall is one of the residence halls on campus and it was designed by architects Frank Cain & Ben Johnson. Completed in 1963, the eleven-story structure was designed to accommodate up to 410 residents. It was built during the boom in higher education thanks to all of the Baby Boom generation students heading to college. Indeed, it was the tenth major building constructed at WKU during a seven-year period. It would not be the last. It cost $1.3 million to build, or about $13.6 million in today’s dollars. It was designed with the working title “Men’s Dormitory #5”. It did not receive its current name until 2002, and I am not sure what it was called in the interim. It takes its name in honor of John Minton who had numerous administrative roles over the course of nearly thirty years at the university. Among them, he was Dean of the Graduate School, Administrative Vice President, and Interim President. It was dedicated for him on October 25, 2002.

The next two photos are the front and back of Bates Runner Hall. It was completed in 1958 and was a dorm for women. Capable of housing 180 women, the building is the work of architects Robert & Johnson of Owensboro, Kentucky. It cost roughly $580k (about $6.3 million today) to construct. It opened with the name Regents Hall. It was renamed in 1969 in honor of Georgia Bates and Etta Runner. Bates worked at the university from 1956 until her retirement in 1980. Among her various roles, she the third Secretary of the WKY Board of Regents. Runner had received her teaching certificate from the university in 1916 and taught in public schools for a time. Among her roles at the university, she too was Secretary of the Board.

The next photo is the university’s Central Heat Plant. I took the photo simply because I like the way they wrote on the smokestack in brick. Factories of all kinds once did this and even as a kid I like that. It’s been added onto over the years, but the original portion opened in 1927. It is the work of architect Brinton Davis.

The fifth photo shows Gilbert Hall, another Baby Boomer era dorm. It was completed in 1964 and was the twelfth substantial building completed since 1956. Designed by Louisville, Kentucky based architecture firm Arrasmith and Wilk, it was originally called Terrace Hall. It was designed to accommodate 200 women and came complete with a sandwich shop on the first floor capable of seating 200 people. It cost $800,000, or about $8.2 million today, to construct. Its current name is honor of James T. Gilbert, a local physician who served on the WKU Board from 1963 until 1971. It was renamed in his honor in 1969. 

Next door to Gilbert is Hilltopper Hall which is the subject of the last photo of this set. When I saw it, I was a bit confused. As you can see, it is fenced off and appears to be in a state of construction. Yet, it looks like it has been completed for a time as well. As it happens, it is both. The building is another dorm and can accommodate 400 residents. It was completed in 2018 and in addition to residential spaces, has study rooms, game rooms, and a dining facility. It opened with great fanfare and high hopes. It was designed by architect Nick Sewell of the firm Sewell & Sewell Architect of Bowling Green and gas some 114,366 square feet of space. So why is fenced off? Well, in October 2023 the university found that the brick work and stone veneer on the south side of the building had issues. The veneer was starting to slip away from the building proper. Other issues with the brickwork were found, but students continued to live in the building. Subsequent evaluations prompted the university to close the dorm with little notice in January of this year. The university said the closure was done in caution not because of an imminent threat of collapse. A report by an engineering firm that indicated the veneer breaking was the result of the building having too much sway. All buildings sway in the wind, and the taller the structure the more it sways. In engineering terms, this is called drift. There are limits to how much a building can drift based on its construction and engineering. In the case of Hilltopper Hall, the drift was past allowable limits. Parts of the building exceed the legal allowance for drift by 600- to 900%, and the drift near the ends of the building exceeds the legal allowance by 1,300%. That drift put more pressure on the façade than the veneer could support, hence its detachment. The underlying issue was found to be the steel structure frame of the building. The construction had issues as well. There are plans to repair the structure, but I could not find out when and how that might be undertaken and completed. You can read the engineering reports here and here.

The next set takes us to the intercollegiate athletics side of things. The first four photos give you some exterior views of the Houchens Industries L.T. Smith Football Stadium. The stadium was completed in July 1968, and formally dedicated on October 26, 1968. It was designed by Ryan Associated Architects of Louisville, who designed so many buildings on the WKU campus during that period. The first part of the stadium was north/east stands which is what you see on the right in the forth photo below.  It opened with seating for 19,250. The Hilltoppers won their first outing in the new stadium, beating Butler University 35 to 0 on September 21, 1968. The current official capacity is 22,113 but five games have exceeded that limit. The largest crowd to date was a game against Indiana on September 25, 2021. Some 25,171 crowded the stadium that day to watch the Hilltoppers take on Indiana. WKU lost that game 33 to 31. 

The fifth and sixth photos are of the front of the E.A. Diddle Arena. ​Construction of the arena, which was developed with the working name “Academic-Athletic Building No. 1”  began on November 15, 1961. It was completed in late 1963 and was formally dedicated on December 7th that year. It cost $2.5 million, or roughly $26.3 million today, to complete. It was designed by architects Frank Cain and Ben Johnson. As originally configured, it held the basketball arena, a swimming pool, an auxiliary gym, locker rooms, and a variety of classrooms. They lost their first game in the arena to Vanderbilt 82 to 60. When it opened it could seat 8,500, but modifications over the years have seen the capacity fluctuate widely. It reached a peak capacity of 13,508 in the 1970’s. After a significant renovation in 2002 which saw the addition of more modern amenities, the capacity dropped to 7,381. Slight modifications since has it decreased to a current capacity of 7,326.

The statue of Coach Diddle seen in the seventh photo is also the work of Bell Buckle, Tennessee-based artist Russ Faxon. It was installed in 2005.

The first photo of the next set is Florence Schneider Hall, home of the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science. The building opened in 1929 as a dormitory for women and carried the name West Hall based on its location on campus. It was designed by Brinton Davis and cost $160,000 (about $2.9 million today). At some point, the name changed to Whitestone Hall, but I don’t know when that was or the significance of the name. Its current namesake came to WKU in 1910 and stayed until her retirement in 1953. She worked first as a stenographer (from 1910 to 1917), then as a bookkeeper (from 1917 to 1920), registrar (from 1920 until 1924) and finally as bursar. She was the university's bursar from 1924 until 1956. I was unable to find out when it took her name. If you know about the Whitestone name or when it received its current name, please leave a comment.

The second photo is the President's House, the historic home to WKU’s presidents which now serves as the president’s office. It was completed in 1931 and was also designed by Brinton Davis.

The next set is something you don't see too often on public college campuses, a chapel. My alma mater Texas Tech has one as does Montana State University. Despite my having covered two of them, you do not tend to see them at public institutions. This is the Chandler Memorial Chapel. ​It takes its name from David Chandler, a WKU alumnus (Class of 1982) who donated funds to help construct the building. A real estate developer, Chandler has been a philanthropist of note in Bowling Green and the general area. The building was completed in 2009 and I believe it officially opened in 2010. It was designed by the Everton Olgelsby Architects firm. The Nashville-based firm has designed buildings at Belmont University and Vanderbilt University. In addition to the chapel proper, the site has a memorial garden and a columbarium. It is interesting to think that you could have your remains inurned on a college campus. The 2,200 square foot facility can be rented out for weddings and other services.

Next is the Charles Hardcastle Kentucky Building which houses WKU’s Kentucky Museum. Construction on the building began in 1931 and it was ostensibly complete by 1936. I say ostensibly, because despite the fact that it entered use at that time, the interior would not be completed for another three years. It was designed to be a museum, but funding issues kept it incomplete during that time. The Great Depression was on-going, and the university decided to utilize the space for classrooms until such time as funds could be acquired to finish the space for its intended purpose. After some fundraising, architect James M. Ingram was hired to complete the interior (I assume to tone it down to fit a tight budget). As originally configured, it had some 45,000 square feet of space and came with a $300,000 price tag (about $5.7 million today). It was renovated and expanded in the late 1970’s and now comes in at about 80,000 square feet. It was initially called the Kentucky Building, with the Charles Hardcastle part being a later addition. Mr. Hardcastle, a WKU alumnus (Class of 1955) and his wife Carolyn donated funds to the university for several causes including the museum. 

After my initial visit to campus, I went back to the hotel where we were staying and checked in with the family. We had been travelling for some time and had been to more museums than we could count during our weeks-long trip None the less, she suggested we go to the Kentucky Museum and I am glad she did. It’s not terribly big, but it has a nice and varied collection of things. One of the things inside is the Lego Big Red seen in the third photo of this set. At one point in time, my sons would have been all over this thing and demanded a photo of them with it. I had to beg them to stand beside it to get photographed and they would only do it when the undergraduate docent in the room had turned her head to look in the other direction. It seems like yesterday that they were little, but now as teens being seen with something made of Legos while walking around with your mom and dad is apparently quite embarrassing, particularly to my oldest who thought the coed was cute.

The statue in front of Kentucky Hall is, of course, Abraham Lincoln. It is the work of Utah artist Gary Lee Price and it was installed in October 2008. The sculpture you see in the fourth photo stands outside the museum. The piece is called To the Point, and it is the work of Bowling Green-based artist Donnie Firkins. Firkins was a WKU alumnus (Class of 1975). The piece was completed in 1992. Firkins passed away on May 11, 2021.

Just outside of the museum is the log cabin you see in the last photo. It is part of the museum's collection and it is called the Felts Log House. ​The exact date of construction of the house is not known, but it is estimated that it was built around 1810. Archibald Felts built the house in Logan County, Kentucky for his family after their original home was burned down by Native Americans. His descendants continued to live in the structure until 1960! It was donated to WKU’s Kentucky Museum in 1979. The university spent about three years restoring the house back to its original configuration and condition.

Despite the extreme heat, I had a great visit to the campus. The people I ran into during my visit were quite nice. Bowling Green is just over an hour or so north of Nashville, and it is a pleasant town. I would recommend a stop there if you are in the area. I will close, as I so often do, with WKU's two versions of the campus lamppost sign.