Download

Image

Presentation of General Service Building original plans

    The LSA Building has gone through a series of name changes and varying uses throughout the years. Originally, the building was introduced in November of 1943 at the meeting of the Board of Regents. Professor Lewis M. Gram presented this Postwar Public Works program for the university. The Works Progress Administration (WPA, which was renamed in 1939 to the Works Project Administration), was a part of the American New Deal. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration passed the New Deal legislation to stabilize the country after the Great Depression. The WPA was intended to decrease unemployment and stimulate the economy. In addition, these projects established new and updated infrastructure for the United States. Public works programs became an integral part of American society and universities to assist the workforce and development, in general. The Postwar Public Works Program for the Regents of the University of Michigan included 57 projects. These projects were separated into three groups: ‘present needs’, ‘postwar needs’, and ‘long range needs’. The General Service Building (the original proposed name for the LSA Building) was a part of the ‘present needs’. 

Download

Image

Demolition of Morris Hall

    The LSA Building replaced several houses, Morris Hall, a service station, and two other buildings. Morris Hall was originally a house for Professor G. Morris, the head of the Department of Philosophy. It was bought in 1915 to be used for a Catholic chapel. However, the Regents then purchased the site in 1922 for $118,950! It was headquarters for the University Broadcasting Service and the University Band until its demolition. 

    Professor Lewis M. Gram presented this project to the Board of Regents. It recommended the construction of a General Service Building. The building’s original intended use seemed pretty general. It was supposed to house business, administrative, and public service departments. The project’s aim was to put major offices and departments under one roof for closer contacts and more expeditious administration. The project was also justified because of the fire risk of University Hall, which was housing the larger departments at the time. Notably, it was also supposed to include the University Broadcasting Service. The University’s Broadcast Service’s vitality and significance especially in the postwar era was considered; disseminating educational information was also a basis for this program. 

    Two years later at another Board of Regents meeting, the building was designated as the Administration Building, instead of the General Service Building. The LSA Building is now the current name, as the services of the building are completely concerned with the College of the Literature, Science, and the Arts. The increase in the student body population and the services of the university played a role in this. In order to operate efficiently and effectively, more general administrative buildings were created to supplement the LSA Building.

Works Cited

The department in the New Deal and World War II 1933-1945. Department of Labor. (n.d.). https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/dolchp03

Gram, L. M., Christensen, J. C., & Roth, W. M. (1943). Postwar Public Works Program for the University of Michigan.

Public Works Administration & the New Deal . (n.d.). https://study.com/learn/lesson/public-works-administration-purpose-history.html

Wilson, H., Gjelsness, R., & Shaw, W. B. (n.d.). The University of Michigan, An Encyclopedic Survey. The University of Michigan, an encyclopedic survey ... Wilfred B. Shaw, editor. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/u/umsurvey/AAS3302.0004.001/1:2.8.1.1?rgn=div4%3Bview