Atherton Union addition

Description:	Designed by the architectural firm of McGuire and Shook, this building was originally named the John Whistler Atherton Center, in honor of John W. Atherton (Class of 1900), who served for 26 years as the secretary-treasurer for the University. When the building opened on January 3, 1950, it housed a cafeteria, the Campus Club (or C Club), a bookstore, a room with billiard and ping pong tables, a lounge, a barber shop, offices for student activities and clubs such as The Butler Collegian and The Drift, as well as the Alumni Office, a faculty lounge, and other amenities. However, four decades later, the administration of Butler University felt the building was not being used to its true potential. A group of students, faculty, board of trustee members, administrators, and parents were tasked with making recommendations for improvements to the building. Architect Jonathan Hess of Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf, Inc. designed the updates to the building, including a 24,000 square-foot addition at the southern end, which is shown in this photograph. University administrators felt this work would transform the space into what they considered to be a true student union, a gathering place, and a hub of activity for all students. Elevators and lifts were added to make the building accessible; an information center, a flexible lounge and entertainment space, a billiard room, and an exercise area were added; and air conditioning was installed. Renamed Atherton Union, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, October 9, 1992, and the grand opening was held on Friday, August 27, 1993. The large section of windows shown here is the Reilly Room, a gathering space made possible in part by a $750,000 gift from Reilly Industries. Part of the gift went towards construction costs, while the rest of the money went towards the financing for chemistry scholarships.
Origin:	1993-09-01
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/1742
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.836951, -86.172170 39.836951 -86.172170
Subjects:	Student unions Construction projects Clocks and watches Sidewalks Stairs Handrails McGuire & Shook, Architects Reilly Industries, Inc. Butler University--Buildings College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History John Whistler Atherton Center Atherton Union Hess, Jonathan Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf, Inc. Reilly Room Fairview campus

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