Campus Buildings

  • A cyanotype image of the 3 story, brick building known as Preparatory Hall.
    Preparatory Hall
  • A cyanotype image of the classroom building Bowen Hall on top of a snow-covered hill lined with trees and enclosed by a fence.
    Bowen Hall
  • A cyanotype image of Ladies' Hall on top of a tree covered hill.
    Ladies’ Hall
  • A cyanotype image of Bowen and Upper Halls atop a snow-covered hill with bare trees. A man walks alongside a fence at the bottom of the hill.
    Bowen Hall and Upper Hall

In 1904-05, there were four buildings on Kalamazoo College’s campus. Three of these – Bowen Hall, Upper Hall, and Ladies’ Hall – stood on College Hill. The other building, Preparatory Hall (which was originally known as Lower Hall) was located at the bottom of the hill on the other side of the railroad tracks. It was previously the main classroom building for both college and preparatory level classes until the opening of Bowen Hall in 1902. The college athletic field stood close to Preparatory Hall. At this time there was not yet a gymnasium. The cyanotype images of the four buildings (shown above) come from a photo album of an unidentified student, c. 1904-08.

  • Black and white photo postcard of Bowen Hall, a brick classroom building.
    Bowen Hall classroom building.
  • Students, some sitting and some standing, work at lab tables with glass jars of chemicals in a Bowen Hall laboratory.
    Bowen Hall laboratory
  • Hand tinted postcard image of Bowen Hall, a red brick classroom building.
    Bowen Hall classroom building.
  • Male and female students sit at tables in front of library shelves reading books in the library.
    Bowen Hall library

Bowen Hall

The construction of Bowen Hall was the start of a campus building plan to centralize the buildings on College Hill. The 1904-05 academic catalog contains the following description:

“Bowen Hall, the main class, laboratory and office building, is situated on College Hill near Lovell Street. The chemical and physical laboratories are in the high and well lighted basement; the reception room, the executive offices, six class rooms and the biological laboratory on the first floor; the library and eight class rooms on the second floor; the chapel, the Young Men’s and the Young Women’s Christian Association rooms on the third floor. The building is heated by steam with indirect radiation, and lighted by gas and electricity.”

It was located where the parking lot now stands between Hoben Hall and Hicks Center. In 1968 it was demolished to make way for Hicks Center.

  • Path between bare trees leads to the 4 story limestone men's dormitory and Bowen Hall behind it.
    Upper Hall
  • Two male students studying in their dorm room decorated with photographs hanging from netting and a pennants on the wall.
    Dorm room in Upper Hall.
  • Ladies' Hall, a large red brick house, stands atop a hill covered in bare trees.
    Ladies’ Hall
  • A cyanotype image of nine women students sit on trundle beds in a student's room in Ladies' Hall enjoying a spread of what is most likely fudge.
    “Spread in Mildred and Lena’s Room” in Ladies’ Hall, c. 1904-08

Residence Halls

The campus provided rooms for students in two residence halls: Upper Hall and Ladies’ Hall. Upper Hall, which was the men’s residence, consisted of “thirty-one study rooms each with an adjoining sleeping room” as well as meeting rooms for the three men’s literary societies. It was a four story building with a bell tower located close to current day Hoben Hall. Upper Hall was renamed to Williams Hall in honor of Prof. C.B. Williams who died in the 1923 Yokohama earthquake.

Further up the hill, close to present day Mandelle Hall, stood the women’s residence which also included the college’s dining hall. A preceptress and hall matron lived with the women students. According to the academic catalog:

“While young women are not required to board at the Hall, the advantages offered them in supervision, care of health, regularity of habits, wise counsel, congenial society and favorable opportunity for study, are such that young women are urged to consider them before locating elsewhere.”

Many students chose to room and board in houses near campus. Nagai Kafu, for example, lived on Elm Street in the Stuart neighborhood.

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