Institution

This faded gem was
built by businessman and mayor, Clarence D. Martin in 1929, named in honor of
his mother, Philena. It was erected as housing for single faculty members of
the Cheney Normal School. 

Mr. Martin chose
Spokane architects Archibald and Roland Vantyne to design the 3-story building
in a Romanesque style. The brick building has striking arched windows and terra
cotta decoration. The front door was originally flanked by two concrete pedestals
that held decorative wrought iron lamp posts. 

The rich interior
originally had hardwood plank flooring and painted wood wainscoting. There was
a hanging, hexagonal light fixture made of wrought iron above the stairway
foyer. French doors lead off the main foyer. 

Philena J. Martin
was born in Ohio about 1861. She came to Cheney with her husband, Frank M.
Martin about 1883. She was an active clubwoman involved in several
organizations including the Rebekahs, and auxiliary of the Odd Fellows. Mr.
Martin was involved in a number of businesses before establishing his legacy
with the Frank M. Martin Grain &amp; Milling Company in 1907.&nbsp; 

Over time, the
Philena transitioned from faculty housing to housing female students, both
women and men, and finally was purchased by the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. 

<blockquote>Loved my apartment
there. When I was a kid, it was only grownups and mostly teachers or people
associated with Eastern living there. I had a studio apt on the 3rd floor when
I was going to EWU. Rent 75 bucks a month. (!) Built in bookcases, fireplace,
lovely. I barely turned on my heat (radiators) because the people below had
their heat on. - Suzanne </blockquote>

On the ground floor
facing College Ave there is a glass French door entry. That space has housed a
number of businesses in the past, such as the College Inn restaurant, Cheney
Public Employees Credit Union, JAAZ Hair Salon, the Martin family business office,
and ice cream parlor. 

<blockquote>My
sister lived there in the late '70's. One day I crawled through the mail /
newspaper drop next to her door and waited for her to get home. Needless to say
she was quite surprised having an unexpected visitor! - Anne</blockquote>

Normal [College] Avenue about 1935. The Philena apartments are at right.

Other

This faded gem was built by businessman and mayor, Clarence D. Martin in 1929, named in honor of his mother, Philena. It was erected as housing for single faculty members of the Cheney Normal SchoolIt is now home to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

1929 Philena Apartments

Director

The Benjamin P Cheney Academy was the seed that grew into Washington's first Normal School for training teachers, Eastern Washington College of Education, EWSC, to EWU. The central campus is a national historic district with it's fine brick buildings. We have included several iconic buildings that have now vanished from the campus. As you tour the campus, you can imagine student life of those eras.

As our town burst
into being in 1880 ahead of the construction of the cross-continental Northern
Pacific Railway line, the residents recognized the need for a proper school. A
committee of men gathered at the Northwest Tribune newspaper office, electing Daniel
F. Percival as chairman and newspaper editor, Lucien Kellogg as secretary. Alex
Abernathy, of the Northern Pacific Railroad land department, knew NPRR
director, Benjamin P. Cheney, and suggested that they write to Mr. Cheney for
aid in building a school. General John Sprague, the railroad superintendent,
offered his opinion that "Mr. Cheney might be agreeable to providing funds
to build a school as a monument to his memory." Through the committee's
correspondence, Mr. Cheney agreed to not only provide $10,000 to build a
school, he persuaded the railroad to donate 8 acres of land, and sent two
teachers, as well as crates of books. 

With money in hand,
workers erected a two-story wooden building that was 36 by 66 feet. Each floor
was divided into two classrooms with a hallway running the length of the
building between them. The Benjamin P. Cheney Academy opened April 3, 1882.&nbsp; 

The BP Academy
served as our public school until 1887, when the Cheney School District
established its own school. The academy continued as a subscription school
until 1890.&nbsp; 

It was in danger of
closing due to lack of students when politics stepped in to change its fate and
the character of Cheney. As a requirement of statehood, Washington needed to
establish a school for the training of teachers. Cheney offered the academy and
land to the state. Our local representatives used persuasion and political
maneuvering to make the school at Cheney Washington State's first Normal School
on March 22, 1891. 

What is a normal
school? The term comes from the French who created schools to formally train
teachers to a standard or "norm." The State Normal School at Cheney
set up a curriculum to train teachers for schools across the state.

Disaster struck
during the summer. In the early morning of August 27, 1891, the building was
destroyed by fire as new classrooms and a gymnasium were being constructed.
Undeterred, classes were conducted in other buildings in town, and the first
class of three teachers graduated from the Cheney Normal School on June 17,
1892.

Here stood the ghost of the beginning of our education legacy. Northern Pacific Railway director and our town's namesake, Benjamin P Cheney provided money and land for the building of a school at Cheney, the new Spokane County seat. The Benjamin P. Cheney Academy opened in 1882.

1882 Benjamin P Cheney Academy

After the Normal
School building, the former Benjamin P. Cheney Academy, burned to the ground in
August 1891, the community rallied to deal with the disaster. First, they found
space for temporary classes in time to open the fall quarter with a delay of just
one week. They also sent a delegation to the legislature in Olympia to secure
funding to rebuild. 

In 1893, the
legislature passed a funding bill for a new building. Back home there was a
celebration in honor of the work done by Daniel Percival, Stephen Grubb, and
William Sutton. But just two weeks later, Governor McGraw vetoed the
appropriation bill. 

Cheneyites were not
deterred, they voted to tax themselves to build a new public school that could
be used by the Normal School (read more about this story). Meanwhile, they
redoubled their lobbying efforts in Olympia and through the press. Two years
later, in 1895, funding for a new building was approved. 

The cornerstone for the new building was laid on October 15, 1895 during a grand ceremony attended by many dignitaries. The new Normal School opened for classes in October 1896. 

The brick clad,
wooden structure had a granite foundation and front entry that had been
quarried from Medical Lake. The building was furnished with all the most modern
equipment. In additional to classrooms and laboratories, it had a large library
on the first floor. The men's and women's restrooms were also on the first
floor. The tower held living quarters for a few of the teachers. 

At the back of the
building, attached by a corridor, was a circular gymnasium on the ground floor.
The second story of the addition held a 750 seat auditorium. 

In a second disaster
for the school, late in the evening of April 24, 1912, fire tore through the
school, trapping two teachers, Mr. Wert and Mr. Miranda, in their third floor
tower room. Firemen pulled a carpet from a nearby home and yelled for the men to
jump. Mr. Wert was safely caught by the men, however, billowing smoke obscured
the firemen's view and they were unprepared as Mr. Miranda jumped. He was badly
injured, but made a slow recovery. 

Senior Normal School
student, Harry Lindahl described the scene this way 

<blockquote>One morning
when I came to school, I found it in ruins, burned to the ground. When I came
to school that morning and saw the smoke rising up and small flickers of flame
with the firemen still playing their hoses on it, I thought - no school today.
But I was to be disappointed, because [President] N.D. Showalter had organized
….they had classes in homes, classes in churches, and in the Cheney school - so
school went on as usual. </blockquote><blockquote>All of the records
were burned in the fire, but they had a wonderful person in teacher, Ceylon
Kingston who remembered the names of the graduates and their grades. I know
from personal experience that he had all my grades exactly right. </blockquote><blockquote>I had the honor of
graduating in the Methodist Church. No other class can say that. </blockquote>

It took four years of lobbying and community activism before a new Normal School could rise from the ashes of the first building. It opened in the Fall of 1896, and served the community for just 16 years. This ghost building was beloved by its students and teachers.

1896 Normal School

On June 27, 1914,
some 2,000 dignitaries, teachers, students, and spectators gather for the
elaborate ceremony led by Senator William J. Sutton, grand master of the
Washington State Masonic lodges to lay the cornerstone for a new Normal School
administration building. Salvaged from the ruins of the old building, they also
set the 1896 cornerstone on the opposite side of the entry. 

The brick for the
new building came from a factory at Mica, Washington and the terra-cotta used
in the decoration of the building came from Renton, Washington. The interior of
the building was finished in oak with marble floors. It was built in an eclectic
style that includes elements of Classical and Renaissance Revival.&nbsp; It is three stories high, with basements and
a half story extension above the auditorium state in the rear wing.&nbsp; The frame was built of steel and reinforced
concrete.&nbsp; 

The use of stone and
steel for the frame of the building was to guard against fire after the loss
of the two prior schools. 

While the rooms
themselves have been converted for new purposes, the original doorways and
walls can still be seen in most of the building. 

Facing the front
entrance, the right wing of the first floor held the domestic sciences
department with a kitchen and dining room, as well as sewing and fitting rooms.
The agriculture and biology laboratories were in the left wing. 

The administration
offices and general classrooms were on the second floor, as well as a large
reception hall. 

The library was
located on the third floor above the reception hall. Skylights added natural
light to the 1915 era electric ceiling lights. This library served students
until 1940.&nbsp; The third floor also held
the chemistry and physical laboratories. 

The first floor of
the rear wing housed the gymnasium. It had a maple floor and concrete bleachers
on each side. At the rear of the gym there were dressing rooms, showers, and a
40 x 19 foot swimming pool. The gym area was later converted into a large classroom.
The pool has been covered. In the 1940s, there was a small bowling alley in
this section of the building. It was moved to Isle Hall in the 1950s. 

The upper level of
the rear wing housed the auditorium. It originally held 747 wooden seats. In
1968, they were replaced with wider upholstered seats, reducing the capacity to
627. The stage area looks much as it did in 1915. The classical motifs, the Ionic
pilasters with Corinthian capitals, Greek fret-work, swags, and garlands are
still there. Panels of elaborately molded plaster are still painted with the
original gold leaf color.&nbsp; 

Originally, there
was an orchestra pit in front of the stage, but now the stage extends over that
area. 

The ceiling is still
decorated with egg-and-dart molding, foliage brackets, and gold leaf
embellishments. The hanging gold leaf chandeliers are original, though
spotlights have been added. In the center of the ceiling, you can still see the
large round screened openings that constantly pushed fresh air through the
building. 

The formal
dedication took place on May 27, 1915. In another ceremony on June 14, 1940,
the building was named Showalter Hall in honor of Normal School President, Noah
D. Showalter, who lead the school during the years of disruption following the
1912 fire.

The third Normal School building officially opened May 27, 1915, two years after the destruction of the 1896 school building. The 3-story building held both the administrative offices and classrooms, as well as the school library. The building was renamed for former president, Noah D. Showalter in 1940. 

1915 Normal School - Showalter Hall

Soon after the 1896
Normal School building burned down in 1912, students and the members of the
Alumni Association came up with the idea to create a memorial to their beloved
school using the granite stones from the old foundation. By 1914, they had raised
over $1,200, and they hired builder, O.L. Hoof of Spokane to create the
entrance. The workmen finished the pillars in time for the May 1915 dedication
of the new Normal School administration building. 

At times the
entrance gate has been called the Gates of Knowledge, the Pillars of Hercules, and finally, the Herculean
Pillars. They still serve as the symbolic entrance to the university. Granite foundation
stones from the 1896 school were also purchased by the Women's Relief Corps for
the base of the veterans memorial that stands a block east in Veterans Park.

This granite structure was the grand entrance to the Normal School in the days when students and visitors arrived on foot from the railroad depot at the other end of College Avenue or from their residences.

1915 Herculean Pillars

The Normal School
Training School department was first organized in 1892 with Miss Nellie G.
Hutchinson as its first principal. The student-teachers observed classes being
conducted, then they would step in to teach themselves while being observed by
their instructors. By 1907, the department had outgrown its space in the main
Normal School building. 

Completed during the summer of 1908, the new 3-story
building allowed the training school program to expand. When the Fall quarter
opened, 178 students were enrolled. By 1912, the number of students had grown
to 257. 

As soon as the fire
alarm sounded in the early hours of April 24, 1912, the local fire department
responded promptly. By hard work, they saved the Training School building even
though the close-by Normal School building was destroyed. 

<blockquote>It is an undoubted fact that the fire boys were
instrumental in saving the training school, as continual streams of water were
plying on this building, although the heat was so intense as to blister the
window casings of the building. - Cheney Free Press&nbsp; </blockquote>

The next morning,
Normal School administrators scrambled to find accommodations for staff and
classes. The Training School building became the administration building, while
some of the training school students were moved to the 1893 Cheney public
school building and in other locations around town. 

That summer, Normal
School classes were held in the Training School building. The fall term opened
with the Normal School holding its classes in the Training School building, and
the Training School operating in the Cheney Public School building. 

Once the new Normal
School administration building was completed in 1915, regular class work and
administration moved into that building and all training school classes
returned to the Training School building. 

In 1917, during
World War I, students started little victory gardens in the garden area in back
of the school near today's 7th Street. Each grade was assigned a plot. This was
the students response to the general calls to save and be thrifty during the war. 

Music students were
sometimes asked to perform for events or clubs. Training School musicians were
included in the Children’s Musicale hosted by the Tilicum Club in December
1932. 

By 1935, the school
building was showing its age and the school trustees began planning for a new
training school with modern facilities and equipment. 

The old school was
demolished by the end of 1940.

The Normal School Training School served as a regular elementary school for Cheney residents, as well as a hands-on training facility for the student-teachers of the Normal School. This ghost once stood on the west side of Showalter Hall where the parking lot is today.

1908 Normal Training School

Women students had
always outnumbered the men in the early days of the Normal School. There were
enough male students by 1899 to field football and basketball teams, but their
numbers meant they could easily find places to live in boarding houses in town.
At the end of the first World War, the number of men enrolling at the school
grew rapidly.&nbsp; 

In order to respond
quickly to the need, a group of businessmen and the Board of Trustees came to
an agreement. The businessmen would provide the funds for building a men's
dormitory by issuing private bonds to the school that would be repaid later.
The building was completed in time for students to move in for the Fall quarter
of 1923.&nbsp; 

In those days,
dormitories had an adult, on-site, "director" to make sure the rules
for student behavior were followed. In 1930, Joseph and Winona Hungate, along
with their youngest son, moved into a comfortable apartment located next to the
formal lounge in Sutton Hall. Curtained, glass French doors from the lounge
were the entrance to their apartment. While Sutton Hall was a men's dorm, Nona
Hungate often entertained a group of married ladies who had a quilt club. The
big lounge made a perfect place to set up the quilting frames when the male
students were not using it. The ladies held many quilting bees there. Nona was
a mother and a friend to some 1,040 to 1,521 young men during her 13 years at
Sutton Hall. 

In the 1970s, Sutton
Hall housed male veterans, many of whom had recently returned from the war in
Vietnam. The building was extensively remodeled into offices in 1978. The
entire interior was dismantled in 1996 leaving no trace of the building's
original function as a dormitory. Another interior remodel took place in 2001.
Sutton Hall now serves as office space. The outside of the building looks very
much like it did back in 1923, with only minor changes. 

The building was
dedicated to William J. Sutton, who twice in his career saved the Cheney Normal
School from closure. He served as principal of the college from 1892-1897. In
those days a Principal not only oversaw the school administration, but was also
the head teacher. 

Sutton was born in
Michigan in 1865, and graduated from the Fenton, Michigan Normal School in
1886.&nbsp; The next year he moved to
Washington.&nbsp; Being a man of some charisma
as well as ability, he was soon elected principal of the Cheney Public
School.&nbsp; Sutton was chosen as Vice
Principal of the newly established Cheney State Normal School in 1890, and two
years later he was elected Principal. 

The original
building burned in 1891, but Sutton was able to prevent the Governor's efforts
to close the school. By the time he resigned from the Normal School in February
1897, the institution had a new building, funded by an appropriation from the
legislature.&nbsp; Soon after resigning,
Sutton married Nellie G. Hutchinson, who had been principal of the Cheney
Normal Training School, and he turned his focus on farming and breeding horses.&nbsp; He also served as president of the Security
National Bank of Cheney. &nbsp;&nbsp; 

William J. Sutton
returned to the political arena when he was elected State Senator in 1912,
shortly after the Cheney State Normal School building had once again burned. In
a singular effort against the odds, Senator Sutton pushed through passage of a
$300,000 appropriation, despite Governor Ernest Lister's veto. That money built
the Administration Building, later christened Showalter Hall, which is still
the most prominent building on the campus. Sutton went on to serve a total of
four terms in the Washington State Senate, during which time he chaired several
educational commissions. He was also instrumental in&nbsp; saving the State College (WSU) in Pullman
from being reduced to the status of a trade school. He retired from politics in
1929, and oversaw the farming operations on his land near Cheney, as well as
staying involved in local civic improvement projects until his death in
December 1940. 

The Sutton Hall
building is 3-stories that looks like the letter H, made of brick with a
concrete foundation and a flat roof. It is 133 feet long with two 111 foot
wings. Originally, there were sleeping porches at the rear of the building. The
only remaining evidence of them is an odd interior brick wall in the rear part
of the building that once enclosed those sleeping porches.

An influx of new male students after World War I, meant the Normal School needed additional housing for men. A group of Cheney businessmen used private bond funding to erect a new men's dormitory. In honor of the service William J. Sutton had given to the school and the community, they dedicated the new hall in his name on September 21, 1923.

1923 Sutton Hall

The building you see
today, barely resembles the original. The interior has been completed gutted
and remodeled, while the exterior has additional wings, as well as other
changes. 

You might expect
manual arts to include woodworking, but it also included needlework, basketry,
sewing, and drawing. 

Prior to 1915, the
Manual Training department had been located in the northeast wing of the 1896
Normal School building. With construction of the new Normal, the Trustees
decided that a separate facility was needed. This was both for expansion of the
Manual Training department and for safety concerns. The fire that had destroyed
the old school had started in the Manual Training department. From 1912 to
1915, the department had operated in the basement of the 1908 Training School
building. 

When the building
opened in 1915, it took the new name, Manual Arts. In 1933, the name changed to
Industrial Arts along with a change in the curriculum. With the completion of
Cheney Hall for Industrial Arts in 1969, the Maintenance Shop moved in. The new
Surbeck Services facility for the maintenance shop opened in 1981, and planning
began to turn the old Manual Arts building into a computer center. 

Construction of the
new Computer Center got underway February 1984. An old addition to the Manual
Arts building was demolished, and the interior was gutted. New wings were then
added on the east and north of the original building. 

The building was
renamed for former English professor and benefactor, Frances B. Huston in 2006.
It is currently used, in 2016, provides office space for Information Technology
Support staff.

This, very plain, functional styled building was erected in six months at a cost of $12, 295. It opened in the fall of 1915 housing the Manual Training department and Physical Training. From manual arts to maintenance, to Information Technology, the building has housed many unglamorous, but essential functions of the college.

1915 Manual Arts Building

The number of
students enrolled in the elementary grades at the Training School continued to
grow. By 1930, the Board of Trustees was looking for funds to replace the old
1908 school. However, the Great Depression meant there was no money available
from the state legislature. But in 1935, the federal Public Works
Administration approved the Trustees' proposal, and work began on a new school.&nbsp; 

Martin Hall was
dedicated to Cheney native, Governor Clarence D. Martin on April 6 1937 during
a two-day education conference held in the building. The hall contained the new
Laboratory School for teacher training. 

Each of the six
grades of the new Laboratory school was housed in a suite of four rooms, a main
room, workroom, supply closet, and office. The first three grades and the
kindergarten were on the ground floor, the upper grades and the library, on the
second floor. The large main room had a slate Blackboard, bulletin boards,
desks, and bookshelves.&nbsp; 

Each of the six
grades of the new Laboratory school was housed in a suite of four rooms, a main
room, work room, supply closet, and office. The first three grades and
kindergarten were on the first floor, the upper grades and library, on the
second floor. The large main room held a slate Blackboard, bulletin boards,
desks and bookshelves. The workroom contained materials for projects, and toys
for the lower grade students. The supply closet had a porcelain sink, stainless
steel work tables, plus shelves and drawers for supplies.&nbsp; Along with a desk, the office had filing
cabinets and bookshelves. This was the most modern of equipment and classroom
design for its time. 

The modern design of
the kindergarten included a large room with a fireplace, as well as small
chairs and rockers for the students. The play room had a large truck,
playhouse, rocking pony, and sand table that offered the youngsters a variety
of creative opportunities. Small folding cots were provided for the children to
rest during the afternoon. 

On the second floor
above the kindergarten, there was the spacious library. It also had a
fireplace. Also on the second floor, was the cafeteria which could be converted
into a banquet hall for community use. In the 1940s, the cafeteria was used to
hold the teachers' reception each fall as the new year began. Over 160 teachers
and community members filled the room, clubwomen providing the entertainment
and refreshments. 

Next to the
cafeteria were the domestic science rooms with electric ranges, a refrigerator,
and hotplates among the new modern equipment. The sewing room had electric
machines and fitting rooms. The entire department was lit by large windows
offering plenty of natural light and ventilation. 

Back on the ground
floor, beneath the cafeteria in the left wing, was a 400 seat auditorium. The
sloping floor offered excellent viewing to all, and a grand piano was available
for musical performances. Students had a large outdoor recess area behind the
hall. 

In 1938, a gymnasium
was added to the building. Williamson Hall was added to the north&nbsp; side of Martin Hall, dedicated in 1979.&nbsp; 

After the campus
school was completed to the west of Martin Hall in 1959, the hall was converted
to classrooms, lab space, and offices.

The new Laboratory School in Martin Hall was a cutting edge facility with the most modern equipment when it opened in 1937.

1937 Martin Hall/Laboratory School

The barn was built in 1887 or 1888 by William Bigham for David Hutchinson, the father of Nellie G. Hutchinson. She was a teacher at the Normal School who married William J. Sutton March 3, 1897. A month before their marriage, he had resigned as President of the Normal School and she resigned as head of the Training Department. 

The barn became part of their farmstead. Sutton had extensive land holdings and oversaw a large farming operation, as well as breeding race horses. Mr. Hutchinson continued to make his home with the couple until his death. 

William Bigham is known to have built the original Spokane County Courthouse at Cheney as well as a number of other buildings in town.&nbsp; Tax records from the county office in Spokane list the date of the barn construction as 1888.The barn sits on a split fieldstone foundation and originally had a cedar shake roof. The long side of the L-shaped barn is 90 feet. The most unusual feature of its construction is a mortise and tenon braced frame. The diagonal members are set into shoulders on the posts and nailed, while the horizontal timbers are mortised and pegged with hardwood dowels. 

The outside of the barn still shows evidence of the double sliding loft doors that were once used to load and access hay. There are also large sliding doors at ground level on each end of the barn, though they are not functional. 

An open shed-roofed shelter was added sometime after 1935 which filled in the inside corner of the L. This structure was removed during a 1979 remodel. 

Inside the barn, many of the rough-sawn planks are over 20 feet long.&nbsp; 

Eastern Washington State College acquired the barn and the remainder of the Sutton property at the western edge of Cheney in 1969. In 1974, a number of professors' wives rallied the community to convince the college not to tear down the barn. Instead, it became the meeting place for Ecological Lab Group. Cheney's first recycling center was located in front of the old barn. 

A new roof was put on the building in 1975, and a weather station was installed nearby. It was about this time that the barn regained its red color. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. 

In 1979, the barn was completely remodeled. It then became the home to the university police and parking services.&nbsp; 

In 2001, renovations on the barn replaced the siding and roof, but care was taken to match the appearance of original materials. Today, the Red Barn continues to house the EWU Campus Police department.

The barn was built in 1887 or 1888 by William Bigham for David Hutchinson, the father of Nellie G. Hutchinson. She was a teacher at the Normal School who married William J. Sutton March 3, 1897. A month before their marriage, he had resigned as President of the Normal School and she resigned as head of the Training Department.

1888 Red Barn

After World War II,
the government had surplus buildings available. One of those was a drill hall
at Camp Walgreen at Farragut Naval Training Base north of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Some local boys, including Chuck Shepard were stationed at Camp Walgreen for
training in the early days of the war. 

In April 1947,
Eastern Washington College of Education, as it was known then, acquired the
building. Gaasland Construction of Bellingham was contracted to disassemble and
move it to Cheney. A total of $650,580 was spent on remodeling the structure to
suit the needs of the physical education and athletics departments. 

The Memorial Field
House was dedicated October 30, 1948. The facility included a swimming pool in
the south end, a large area for physical education activities, a basketball
court, and practice floors, a gymnastics area, as well as a dirt floor track at
the north end. 

The following
September, the Southwest Spokane County Fair was held in the fieldhouse.&nbsp; Fair president Herman Willms, along with the
many granges in the area organized the event, that included a parade through
downtown Cheney. 

In the 1950s the
field house hosted high school basketball tournaments. 

The Smothers
Brothers comedy team appeared at Eastern Washington State College in the field
house in February 1963. 

In 1970, student
demonstrators set a minor fire in the field house and then marched on Cadet
Hall. 

<blockquote>April
26, 1977, Cheney's Fieldhouse Comes to a Spectacular End. A welder's torch
apparently started the fire which raged for nearly 12 hours yesterday,
destroying what remained of the antiquated wood-frame fieldhouse at Eastern
Washington State College in Cheney. The four-story structure was being torn
down by wreckers and was about ¼ gone when the fire began. Several nearby
buildings were damaged by smoke and a dozen firefighters were treated for smoke
inhalation. -- Spokesman Review </blockquote>

Another ghost on the campus. This one loomed large in folks memories, not only for the many sporting events they attended there, but also its spectacular end.

In 1947, Eastern Washington College of Education acquired a government surplus drill hall from Farragut Naval Training Base in Idaho and had it moved to the campus.

1948 Memorial Field House

We stop to remember
a ghost building. This was a post-World War II plain, utilitarian brick
building, named for William Lloyd Rowles, Head of the Division of Music and
Professor of Music. 

The music department
moved from the Showalter Hall music annex into Rowles Hall in 1948. The long
side of the building faced 9th Street with its main entrance at the west end.
It housed practice and ensemble rooms, as well as studios for private instruction,
plus wind and string studios. A wing of the building behind the main entrance
held an auditorium. A story in the Kinnickinik yearbook stated "The music
hall is open to campus personnel, as well as others wishing musical
instruction." 

The music department
moved out of Rowles Hall into the music building section of the new Fine Arts
complex in 1970. The hall was demolished about 1995 to make room for an
expansion of the PUB.

The one-story music building opened in 1948.

1948 Rowles Music Hall

Following World War
II, colleges across the country prepared for a large influx of single and
married veterans taking advantage of the G.I. Bill. With federal and state
assistance, Cheney met the need through war surplus trailers and buildings. The
post-war expansion that began with Trailerville added Hudson Hall in late 1946. 

The origin of the
name “Hudson House” is still a mystery. These large wood-framed apartment
buildings, called Hudson houses, were erected early in the war by Kaiser at
their Vancouver, Washington ship yard. At the ship yard, a typical Hudson House
was home to 36 to 40 single men. As a dormitory for the college, initial plans
ranged from 386 to 500 single men. 

In September 1946,
Eastern Washington College awarded a contract to Nettletson &amp; Baldwin of
Seattle in the amount of $236,500 to move the large, five-wing, Hudson house
from Vancouver and set it up. The cost of "knocking down" the
structure into panels and moving it to Cheney was $230,000, construction of foundations
was $19,000, and an item for overtime of $7,500 was included to assure the
completion of two wings within 60 days, or by November 15, 1946. The entire job
was to be finished by January 1, 1947. 

The
dormitory was erected on campus about where the central mall is today at the
ghost of the intersection of F and 9th streets. The site was formerly the PE
(Physical Education) field. It was next to Trailerville and a dining hall that
had been the mess hall at Baxter General Hospital in Spokane. 

Hudson
Hall was divided in 1958 between single and married students. The eastern half
of the building became Garry Hall, with seven apartments for married students.
The entire building was demolished in the late 1960s.

Acquired through State and Federal funding, Hudson Hall was moved from the Kaiser ship building operation at Vancouver, Washington. It opened in 1947 to house veterans of World War II attending school on the G.I. Bill. This campus ghost stood where the mall is today.

1947 Hudson Hall

Garry Hall opened in
September 1958. It is believed that it was named in honor of Chief Garry of the
Spokane Indians.&nbsp;It was created out of the eastern side of Hudson Hall which was acquired as government surplus after World War II to house the large influx of veteran students attending college on the GI Bill.According to Allen Ogden, who was the manager of the hall, there were seven apartments for married couples, in
addition to rooms for unmarried female students. Hudson Hall at the
west end of the complex continued as a men's dormitory.&nbsp;The entire complex was
demolished in the late 1960s.

Garry Hall was created out of the eastern half of Hudson Hall to house married students and a few single women students.

1958 Garry Hall

At the end of 1945,
the college received funding to acquire a number of war surplus small house
trailers to use as temporary housing. It opened July 1946, and became known as
"Trailerville."&nbsp; 

The 8' x 35' tin and
plywood painted trailers served as married student housing for WWII veterans
and their families. Trailerville was located in an area behind Showalter Hall
and Monroe Hall. It had a capacity of 70 families. The small trailers rented
for $15 per month, with heat and lights supplied by the college. A small wood
military surplus building was used as a laundry and shower facility. Nearby
were outdoor clotheslines and a fenced playground for children. 

The tiny
trailers were cold in winter and hot in summer, yet those who lived in them
remember them with a sort of fondness.&nbsp; 

<blockquote>They
were cramped and bare-boned, uncomfortable at times, a pain for doing laundry,
and you had to time your shower. But we were a community, we looked after each
other and each other's children. It was an experience I will always remember
with fondness. -- Jean </blockquote>

The last of the
college-owned trailers were removed from Trailerville
by the summer of 1958, and much of the space once occupied by the village was
turned over to parking.

We pause here to remember the ghost of the Trailerville community. Following World War II, colleges across the country prepared for the large influx of single and married veterans taking advantage of the GI Bill. With federal and state assistance, Cheney met the need with war surplus trailers and buildings. The post-war expansion began with Trailerville.

1946 Trailerville

The garden was
located behind, and slightly to the west of the main school building. 

<blockquote>A full row of
red and white sweet cherries extends across the ground between the school
garden and play grounds. The school garden has been very much improved and
beautified this year with the additional shrubbery that has been planted, and
the new beautiful flowers that have been blooming since early springtime. -- Noah D. Showalter, President 1912 </blockquote>

Gardening was also a
course taught as part of the Manual Arts during the summer school sessions. 

<blockquote>The school
garden serves a double purpose: that of training the Normal School students
under the direction of the Agricultural Department, and that of a garden for
the children of the Training School. - Kinnikinick 1916 </blockquote>

During the war with
Europe 1917-1918, now known as World War I, students used the school gardens to
demonstrate patriotism by growing vegetables listed on the government food
lists in Victory Gardens. Each grade had its own garden plot. 

This 1927 view of
the garden shows the edge of the Training School and Sutton Hall on the far
left and the Manual Arts building on the right. The view is west along 7th
Street.

Another Ghost on our campus. From the very early days of Cheney's academy and Normal school, there was a garden tended by the students. The garden provided vegetables for the school kitchen, as well as hands-on learning and civic participation lessons for the students.

Normal School Gardens

Monroe Hall featured
a dining room and laundry facilities for its residents. Prior to this all
students boarded in private homes, boarding houses, clubs, and “light
housekeeping” rooms around Cheney. Those people who made a living from
providing room and board to students saw this new dormitory as the of killing
private enterprise by the state. It began the "town &amp; gown"
schism within Cheney as students had more of their needs met within the school
campus and there is less of an interdependency between the town and school. 

The hall was named
for Mrs. Mary Monroe, Chair of the Normal School Board of Trustees. She was an
educated, independent woman for her time. Born in Ohio, with a normal school
and university education, Mary Simpson Monroe and her husband came to Spokane in
1889. She is considered the "grand old lady" of the Spokane school
system, starting her teaching career in 1889. She became principal of Lincoln
school in 1891, continuing in that role until she retired in 1928. She was
appointed to the Cheney Normal School Board of Trustees by Governor Lister in
1913, and she oversaw the construction of much of the historic district. 

Monroe Hall is three
stories, originally a U-shaped building, 130 feet across with two 110 foot
wings. In the beginning it also had a one-story middle wing off the back that
contained a smaller dining room and the kitchen with a large three-story
chimney.&nbsp; 

There were two front
entrance doors at either end of the building. During the renovation of the hall
in 2000, the U was filled in with the new front entrance now facing Patterson
Hall. The historical front is now the rear of the building, with windows that
appear to be doors located in the original entrances. 

The large dining
room/lounge was used for many events including the elaborate 1947 charter night
dinner and program for the new Cheney Lions Club with about 250 guests. 

In the summer of
1951, Monroe Hall closed for repairs, reopening that September as a men's
dormitory. In 1968, it was converted to office space. Its major renovation of
1999-2000, converted the hall to classroom and office space, erasing almost all
of its original interior features.

Monroe Hall was the first dormitory built at the Normal school. It was dedicated February 4, 1916, and housed about 90 women. At this time, the majority of students were women, as teaching was one of the few professions open to single women.

1916 Monroe Hall

The President's house was completed in 1929 for President, Richard T. Hargreaves and his wife, Edna "Rose" Morrow Hargreaves. The home was occupied by succeeding school presidents until 1987. It was then used as a faculty club, as well as a special events venue for the college and community. Weddings, receptions, and other special occasions were held in the renamed University House until 1998. That summer, President Stephen Jordan and his wife, Ruth, moved into the President's House, returning it to its original use. The two-story red
brick house is 47 by 30 feet with a 14 x 10 foot one-story extension on the
back. In 1946, a two-car garage with an attached outdoor fireplace was built in
back at the C Street side of the property. Between the garage and the house is
a large brick barbecue with chimney and segmental arched fireplace.&nbsp; The barbecue and fireplace are put to use
during gatherings hosted by the university president. Dr. Rudolfo and Nadine
Arevelo used the back yard extensively to entertain guests, as well as their
own family. During his tenure, toys were scattered across the yard waiting for
the grandchildren's next visit. 

The interior of the
President's house has had few alterations from its original plan. 

You enter the house
to a spacious foyer with small closets on either side. Through the arched
opening on your left, is the sunken living room with a large fireplace. Glass
double doors open from the living room to the terrace at the back of the house.
Facing the living room through the arch on the right, is the dining room with a
door connecting to the kitchen in back. The library occupies the one-story
extension at the back of the house. 

A staircase takes
you to the second floor from the foyer, making two 90 degree turns on its way
up. Here there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master bedroom is
above the living room and has a large fireplace with a marble and painted wood
hearth. 

Down in the basement
of the house, there are two rooms which were once the maids' quarters.

This Georgian Colonial style house was completed in 1929 for President, Richard T. Hargreaves and his wife, Edna "Rose" Morrow Hargreaves. The home was occupied by succeeding school presidents until 1987. It was then used as a faculty club, as well as a special events venue for the college and community. Weddings, receptions, and other special occasions were held in the renamed University House until 1998. That summer, President Stephen Jordan and his wife, Ruth, moved into the President's House, returning it to its original use.

1929 President's House

From the time he
became President of the Normal School in 1926, Richard T. Hargreaves wanted to
build a modern library for the school. His death on March 4, 1939, midway
through construction of the new building, meant that his most ambitious project
bears his name as a memorial to his efforts. 

Mr. Hargreaves was
born in England in 1875 and came to America with his family at age eight. After
graduating from university, he began his career in education as a teacher in
Kansas. He first came to Washington in 1909 as Principal of North Central High
School in Spokane. After nine years here, he took a job as a high school
principal in Minneapolis. 

In 1926, Richard
Hargreaves was named President of the Cheney Normal School following the tenure
of Noah D. Showalter. Hargreaves' legacy includes the school gaining the right
to offer a four-year B.A. degree in education which lead to the change in name
to Eastern Washington College of Education. He lead the school through the
difficult years of the Great Depression, and accessed federal Works Progress
Administration grants to construct Martin Hall and his new library. 

On June 4, 1940, the
school held a double dedication ceremony for Hargreaves Hall and Showalter
Hall, fitting memorials to two men who brought the school through uncertain
times and into the modern age. &nbsp;&nbsp; 

President Hargreaves
had advocated for some time for a new library as he saw that students' needs
for library resources had long outgrown their quarters on the third floor of
the 1915 administration building. Hargreaves wanted a modern and prestigious facility
with plenty of light, spaces for study and materials, as well as room for
growth. 

Hargreaves Library
was a two-story building measuring 150 by 44 feet. It originally had a red tile
roof, but it was replaced with red composite shingles in 1968. The main feature
of the library was the 140 by 40 foot reading room with a 27 foot high ceiling
on the second floor that included nine 18-foot windows of blue glass that
allowed in plenty of light, but shielded the room from glare and UV. 

After the Kennedy
Library opened in 1967, Hargreaves Hall was used as classroom and office space.
In 2009, a significant remodel and expansion project returned much of the
original&nbsp; historical character to the
building, with the new section at the rear of the building blending materials
and design to the historic part.&nbsp; 

While most of the
features of the reading room were returned during the 2009 remodel, the blue
glass proved prohibitively expensive, so UV protected clear glass was used for
the large arched windows. Re-dedicated as the Walt
and Myrtle Powers Reading Room, it is now used as a study area and for
special events. 

Much of the original
tile flooring, marble wainscoting and stairs, and woodwork can still be seen
throughout the building.

From the time he became President of the Normal School in 1926, Richard T. Hargreaves wanted to build a modern library for the school.

On June 4, 1940, the school held a double dedication ceremony for Hargreaves Hall and Showalter Hall, fitting memorials to two men who brought the school through uncertain times and into the modern age.   

1940 Hargreaves Hall

The hall opened in
1920, but the third floor work was not completed until 1925 due to financial
problems. 

Senior Hall was
built as a three-story brick, U-shaped design with two entrances with cast-iron
canopies at the front, very similar to Monroe Hall. Within the U, was a
sheltered courtyard. 

During World War II,
Red Cross bandage rolling rooms were located in Senior and Monroe Halls.
Eastern Washington College students established a bandage rolling, all-campus,
organization in January 1943, under the direction of Miss Cecil Dryden. Student
organizations and community clubs competed to roll the most bandages per
quarter. 

In 1959, room and
board at Senior Hall was $140.00 per quarter for a single, $132.00 per quarter
for a double, and $125.00 per quarter for a triple room. 

The building was
declared unfit for student housing because of outdated wiring and fire safety
measures in 1971 and converted to office space. 

In 2006, Senior Hall
underwent an extensive renovation, that filled in the U at the rear of the
building with classrooms. That renovation added a new front entrance, but kept
most of the other exterior features of the original hall. Much of the interior of
the building was altered in the remodel and modernization of the building,
though historical elements can be found throughout. 

The renovation did
restore much of the elegant second floor lounge with its maple floors, wood
paneled entries, and wood arch. The original hearth with brick fireplace and
wood mantle was restored.&nbsp; Below the
mantle is a plaque inscribed In memory of Mary Newton - 1964 - Afternoon
literary of Tilicum.

Senior Hall was dedicated as the second Normal School women's dormitory on July 9, 1920. While today there is a walkway, in the early days, D Street and automobile traffic passed in front of the building. The hall was used as a dormitory until 1971.

University Historic District Walking Tour, Eastern Washington University

1929 Philena Apartments

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information