Northeast corner of Atherton Union under construction

Description:	Scaffolding is on both the north and east sides of Atherton Union during construction. Previously, a 50x100 foot building was located nearby which served as the Campus Club (C Club). The building could accommodate between 300 and 400 students and sold meals and snacks and offered students a place to gather and hold events, while the cafeteria was located in the basement of Jordan Hall. However, the C Club was destroyed by an electrical fire on November 16, 1947. The Butler University Board of Directors worked quickly to approve plans for the construction of the Universitys first student union. The architectural firm of McGuire and Shook designed the building and were tasked with making the building blend harmoniously with Jordan Hall. The construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony held on May 3, 1948. The 1949 Drift, Butler Universitys yearbook, describes the situation. That old green barn, which had affectionately been called the Campus Club, had served us faithfully. It was small, and usually crowded, but we loved it. The lack of bridge tables was exceeded only by the lack of chairs. We might have thought that the situation was bad, but when the inadequate edifice burned, and we were herded into two halls adjoining the cafeteria, which, of necessity, was to be our temporary campus club, we saw the number of bridge and euchre players halve, and the supply of kibitzers double. Then came the scoop! The Collegian, blazoning a flamboyant EXTRA, announced that the Board had said yes to the new Union building. The ground was broken amid the pomp that should attend such a memorable occasion. And under the scrutiny of the student body which could scarcely believe what it was seeing, the cornerstone, vested with the appropriate articles, was cemented into the key position that it now maintains. Our long wished for Union building was to become a reality. We watched it grow from a small hole to a large one; from a few stark beams to a few unfinished walls...and we continue to watch (p. 20). Atherton is handwritten at the bottom of the photograph and cropping marks are located along the edges.
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/1754
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, 39.837937, -86.171658 39.837937 -86.171658
Subjects:	Student unions Construction projects Scaffolding Sidewalks McGuire & Shook, Architects Butler University--Buildings College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History John Whistler Atherton Center Atherton Union Fairview campus

Further information on this record can be found at its source.