Starkweather Religious Center

Eastern Michigan University's Starkweather Hall, bequested by Mrs. Mary Ann Starkweather in 1895, has been continuously used as a religious affairs center since its completion in 1896. The parcel of land on which the building stands was originally titled to the city of Ypsilanti and later transferred to the State Board of Education. It was soon after leased to the Students' Christian Association at the University for ninety-nine years, the lease commencing May 24, 1896. The lease stipulated that the land be used exclusively for the erection of a building for the S.C.A. Renewal of the lease was provided for, as was a revocation clause, were the land or building not to be used for the aforementioned purpose. The origin of the S.C.A. is traceable to the early 1850s when it was noted as providing assistance to new students in becoming accustomed to campus life. The name Students' Christian Association was officially adopted in 1881. The association sponsored for many years a lecture series of philosophical and sociological interest. Topics included the slums and their cause and cure, Oriental castes, and Christian citizenship. The Michigan State Normal College continued to grow as did the S.C.A., causing the college in 1891 to assume the occupancy of the conservatory which housed the association. Mrs. Mary Ann Starkweather, a local philanthropist, had made provision in her will for a bequest of $10,000 to the Normal College, 'for scientific objects and purposes.' The S.C.A. approached Mrs. Starkweather with the proposal that the money be re-allocated for the construction of a building to house their organization. Mrs. Starkweather was agreeable, stipulating that the association was to raise the money for furnishing the interior. Several subsequent activities produced the needed funds for the furnishings. Mrs. Starkweather, satisfied that the S.C.A. had fulfilled their portion of the agreement, transferred $10,000 to the association on November 11, 1895. Starkweather Hall was dedicated on October 24, 1897, and a representative of the Building Committee made the following statement: 'It typifies the ethical and spiritual in our composite humanity. In an age much given to the material and temporal it means the distinct recognition of the authority of conscience, of the fact of human responsibility, or a guiding force of a law higher than the constitution or the enactments of legislative bodies.'

Starkweather Hall, built in 1896, is the oldest and most architecturally significant building on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. Although several similarly historic buildings now stand, they are slated for destruction or alteration soon, leaving Starkweather Hall as the University's only connection with its nineteenth century heritage. The building stands on the original State Board of Education land grant of approximately six rods by six rods. Designed by the Detroit-based architectural firm of Malcomson and Higginbotham, Starkweather Hall is of the Richardsonian Romanesque mode, which typified the firm's designs during the period. The body of the building is constructed of squared fieldstone. The second story, with the exception of the front and the tower, is covered with rich orange tile shingles, as is the roof of the tower. The tower is itself constructed of Ionia sandstone surrounded at the top by a band of diagonally patterned ornamental brick. There were originally two fieldstone chimneys, of which one was removed during an interior renovation in 1961. The building is entered from the east through a double archway which leads to a spacious waiting room. Original materials for the interior construction were of the highest quality, as specified by its contributor. Hardwood floors and frames, high ceilings, tinted and plastered walls, and ornate hardware, such as brass doorknobs with the original occupants' initials, typify the building's interior. In 1961 a substantial interior renovation was undertaken to provide more efficient spatial use and to comply with safety regulations. The removal of one chimney, the re-shingling of the roof, and the closing of the north entrance and addition of an exit on the west, were the only modifications to the exterior. The interior remains in the main as it was in 1896, although complete utilization of the basement was effected and partitioning of several rooms was deemed desirable to accommodate increased student use. The ivied walls of Starkweather Hall provide a pleasant contrast to the modern designs which now predominate on the Eastern Michigan University campus. Its uniquely nineteenth century design will soon represent the only tangible architectural link to the past, as the several other historic buildings on the campus will soon be razed or altered. The University's prudent decision to renovate the building in 1961 has guaranteed the presence of Starkweather Hall on the campus for many years to come.