Southeast side of Atherton Union

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. A portion of the buildings sign is visible above the door. 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. 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 on the left side of this photograph. 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 in the building. Renamed Atherton Union, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, October 9, 1992, and the grand opening was held on Friday, August 27, 1993. To the left of the sidewalk is Lifetime Legacy Lane, a path of stained glass bricks, each handmade by Alice Sasak. Each brick is engraved with the name of a chapter or region of Sigma Gamma Rho and they were installed in 1997, in honor of the seventy-fifth anniversary of Sigma Gamma Rho. The sorority was founded at Butler University in 1922.
Origin:	1999-08-27
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/1893
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.837310, -86.171757 39.837310 -86.171757
Subjects:	Student unions McGuire & Shook, Architects Sidewalks Trees Shrubs Stairs Doorways Benches Signs and signboards Exterior lighting Butler University--Buildings College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History John Whistler Atherton Center Atherton Union Hess, Jonathan Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf, Inc. Bushes Newspaper vending machines Trash cans Fairview campus

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