Starkweather Religious Center - Ypsilanti, MI - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Student Christian Association was organized in 1853, the same year EMU opened. Over the next forty years, the SCA continued to grow. By 1892, its members were looking for a building of their own and asked local philanthropist Mary Anne Starkweather for financial assistance. Mrs. Starkweather had planned to donate $10,000 to Normal for a new science facility in her will. Following the appeal of the Student Christian Association, however, she offered to provide the funds to erect a building for the Association. Normal was the first teachers college in the United States to have a building designated for religious activities. Starkweather Hall, as it came to be known, was fully outfitted for the students. The first floor contained rooms for receptions or dining, a dressing room, a library, and a few classrooms. These rooms were separated by rolling partitions that could be opened to enlarge the space. A kitchen was also installed so that students could cook meals for the dining area. Upstairs, plans called for a large assembly room and a keeper's room rented to a student who looked after the building. All of the hardware was custom made for the building. Today original doorknobs remain in certain parts of the building, bearing the in initials of the Student Christian Association (SCA). The building housed the Honors College until December 2015.-Starkweather Hall

Street address: 901 W. Forest Ypsilanti, MI USA 48197 County / Borough / Parish: Washtenaw County Year listed: 1977 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Education, Architecture, Religion Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1875-1899 Historic function: Education, Religion Current function: Education, Religion Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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