Memorial Union (University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Memorial Union | |
Memorial Union facade in 2024 | |
| Location | 800 Langdon Street, Madison, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°4′35″N 89°24′0″W / 43.07639°N 89.40000°W |
| Built | 1928, theater wing 1938 |
| Built by | Jacob Pfeffer of Duluth, MN (central core and commons wing), Jacobson Bros. of Chicago (theater wing) |
| Architect | Arthur Peabody (exterior), Leon Pecheret (interior), Michael Hare (theater wing) |
| Architectural style | Neo-Renaissance (main building), Streamline Moderne (theater wing) |
| Part of | Bascom Hill Historic District (ID74000065) |
| NRHP reference No. | 15000255 |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 2015 |
Memorial Union is an Italianate Renaissance Revival-style complex built in 1926-28 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on the south shore of Lake Mendota as a social and recreational gathering place for all students, designed partly to break down socioeconomic barriers. Before Memorial Union, the UW had no union; at its opening in 1928, then-President Glenn Frank said, "The Union is a living room, which converts the university from a house of learning to a home of learning."
On the building's north side is the Terrace, a popular outdoor space overlooking the lake. The UW's Union has gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful student centers on a university campus.
In 2015, the Union was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, considered significant as an early American college union, which was ground-breaking in supporting ideas of Progressive Era education. It is also considered significant for its association with its first director Porter Butts, who guided the Union's development from 1928 to 1968, and was a thought-leader in college unions.