University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Coffman Memorial Union

Driven to Discover

— University of Minnesota —

Coffman Memorial Union marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By McGhiever, June 11, 2020

1. Coffman Memorial Union marker

Inscription.

Coffman Memorial Union. Driven to Discover. , A Gathering Place , In a nation still gripped by the Depression, the lavish new union on the University of Minnesota campus attracted national attention. The building was much needed, but a long time in coming. Although there had been separate unions for women and men, it wasn't until 1938, with enrollment at 14,000, that the University undertook to build a single facility dedicated to enhancing the student experience and serving as a campus meeting place. Coffman Memorial Union opened two years later.

. Coffman's $2 million price tag was funded in part by $890,000 from the New Deal's Public Works Agency, $450,000 from University Services, and $50,000 raised by students.
. Designed by state architect Clarence Johnston Sr. and built by his son and successor, Clarence Johnston Jr., Coffman Union was an immediate architectural success. The building was the top pick in Architectural Record's survey of the decade's 10 most distinguished buildings.
. Meeting rooms for student groups, a post office, cafeterias, and 16 pianos–including a Steinway grand–graced the new union. A ballroom accommodated 1,200 dancers.
. A 1970s remodeling minimized some of the union's Streamline Moderne–Art Deco style. A $71.5 million renovation completed in 2003 recaptured much of the building's original splendor.
Lotus Delta Coffman , Lotus Delta Coffman, president of the University of Minnesota from 1920 to 1938, came to the University in 1915 to serve as dean of the College of Education. He took the helm as president after World War I, when students from all walks of life were enrolling in ever-increasing numbers. Coffman held that all had the right to improve themselves through education, and he was committed to the importance of cocurricular activities–social, cultural, and recreational–on campus.
Coffman died of a heart attack as plans for the building that would memorialize his service were just getting under way.
Photo captions
1. Coffman Union under construction, 1939 , 2. Coffman Union, 1951 , 3. Students arrive at Coffman for a dance, 1940 , 4. Coffman Union's main lounge , 5. Students play pool, 1940 , 6. Benny Goodman and his band perform in the Great Hall, 1949 , 7. Bowling in Coffman on a "free day" , 8. Lotus Delta Coffman, 1937 , 9. Coffman lounge, 1976

A Gathering Place
In a nation still gripped by the Depression, the lavish new union on the University of Minnesota campus attracted national attention. The building was much needed, but a long time in coming. Although there had been separate unions for women and men, it wasn't until 1938, with enrollment at 14,000, that the University undertook to build a single facility dedicated to enhancing the student experience and serving as a campus meeting place. Coffman Memorial Union opened two years later.

• Coffman's $2 million price tag was funded in part by $890,000 from the New Deal's Public Works Agency, $450,000 from University Services, and $50,000 raised by students.
• Designed by state architect Clarence Johnston Sr. and built by his son and successor, Clarence Johnston Jr., Coffman Union was an immediate architectural success. The building was the top pick in Architectural Record's survey of the decade's 10 most distinguished buildings.
• Meeting rooms for student groups, a post office, cafeterias, and 16 pianos–including a Steinway grand–graced the new union. A ballroom accommodated 1,200 dancers.
• A 1970s remodeling minimized some of the union's Streamline Moderne–Art Deco style. A $71.5 million renovation completed in 2003 recaptured much of the building's
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original splendor.
Lotus Delta Coffman
Lotus Delta Coffman, president of the University of Minnesota from 1920 to 1938, came to the University in 1915 to serve as dean of the College of Education. He took the helm as president after World War I, when students from all walks of life were enrolling in ever-increasing numbers. Coffman held that all had the right to improve themselves through education, and he was committed to the importance of cocurricular activities–social, cultural, and recreational–on campus.
Coffman died of a heart attack as plans for the building that would memorialize his service were just getting under way.
Photo captions
1. Coffman Union under construction, 1939
2. Coffman Union, 1951
3. Students arrive at Coffman for a dance, 1940
4. Coffman Union's main lounge
5. Students play pool, 1940
6. Benny Goodman and his band perform in the Great Hall, 1949
7. Bowling in Coffman on a "free day"
8. Lotus Delta Coffman, 1937
9. Coffman lounge, 1976

Erected 2009 by Regents of the University of Minnesota.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1938.

Location. 44° 58.399′ N, 93° 14.08′
Photographed By McGhiever, June 11, 2020

2. Marker just south of Washington Avenue
W. Marker is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. It is in University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Marker can be reached from Washington Avenue SE west of Church Street. Marker is on the East Bank campus of the University of Minnesota, on the lawn northeast of Coffman Memorial Union. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis MN 55455, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Spanning the Sciences (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Academic Health Center (approx. 0.2 miles away); Women in Science & Medicine (approx. 0.2 miles away); Opening Doors (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Portage Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Campus Design (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Liberal Arts (approx. 0.2 miles away); Continuing Education (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Minneapolis.

Photographed By McGhiever, June 12, 2020

3. Coffman Memorial Union from the north

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2020, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 175 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 27, 2020, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.