Northern's Original Campus

Northern's Original Campus. . , Northern Michigan University's original 20 acre site was donated to the State Board of Education by John M. Longyear and Frederick Ayer in 1899. The first dormitory (1900-1917) was located to the south across Kaye Avenue. D. F. Charleton was the architect of the complex which developed on this site, which was the center of the campus for its first 50 years. The first building, South Hall was dedicated on July 3, 1900. A fire destroyed the structure in December 1905. Reconstructed two years later, it was renamed Longyear Hall. It was followed by the Peter White Hall of Science (1902) and the library (1904) and gym (1906) annexes. The complex was completed with the construction of Kaye Hall (1915) with its famous atrium lobby. The Lydia Olson Library was dedicated in October 1951. These structures were removed in 1972-1973 and were replaced with the Cohodas Administration Building (1975). Longyear Hall remained until 1993., John D. Pierce School. Connected to this complex was the John D. Pierce School, named after the first Superintendent of Public Instruction in Michigan, which was occupied in April 1925. Pierce School, consisting of grades K - 12, was the laboratory school for the training of teachers at Northern. In 1961 the State Legislature closed the high school. That year the basketball team coached by Vic Hurst won the state class “D” championship. The elementary grades ended in 1971. The building continued to be used by Northern before it was demolished in 1991.