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Mizzou: Then and Now

More than $350 million in campus building projects currently in design or construction add to the University's rich learning environment. Projects include the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, Thomas and Nell Lafferre Hall addition to the College of Engineering, International Institute for Nano and Molecular Medicine, Life Science Business Incubator, Schweitzer Hall addition for the Department of Biochemistry, Mid-Campus housing, a new MU Student Center and Brady Commons expansion, and the Mizzou Student-Athlete Academic and Training Facility.

The MU Campus Master Plan is an ongoing, interactive planning process that began in 1980 to guide campus development. The goal is to create a unified, efficient environment that is inviting to students and that supports MU’s mission. The main campus contains more than 300 buildings with approximately 14.6 million gross square feet of space for academic, research, administration, medical, athletics, residential housing, student services and parking.

Special thanks to Campus Facilities staff members for their part in making Mizzou one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation. Photos and information courtesy of Campus Facilities and University Archives

Left, an image of the MU campus around 1950 before Hill Hall was built in 1951 and after Memorial Stadium's 1949 addition. Since then, MU has developed the central campus by adding an addition to Neff Hall, building Gannett Hall and the Geology Building and by removing temporary buildings on the north side of Switzler Hall. The creation of Carnahan Quadrangle, which is surrounded by Hulston Hall, the Reynolds Alumni Center, Cornell Hall and the General Classroom Building, drastically changed the campus appearance. The photo at right was taken in 2004.

The YMCA building, left, was located at Eighth and Elm streets, where the Journalism School's Lee Hills Hall currently sits. The YMCA stood until the late 1950s. Staff at Campus Facilities believe the small sycamore tree in the old photo is the same tree in the recent photo.

The parking lot, photographed in 2000, was located at the northeast corner of Maryland Avenue and Rollins Street. It is now the home of Cornell Hall, completed for the College of Business in 2002.

Left, a photo shot from Reynolds Alumni Center shows the west side of the Law School building Hulston Hall and private residences owned by the Klein sisters and surrounded by pea-gravel parking lots. Today, Carnahan Quadrangle showcases six theme gardens.

Our campus photos would not be complete without The Shack. In the 1920s it was a sandwich car that parked across Conley Avenue in front of Jesse Hall. Building additions over the years incorporated the original car as The Shack evolved into a student bar and hangout. Mort Walker, BA '48, creator of the Beetle Bailey cartoon, served as editor and contributor to a student publication called ShowMe, whose editorial staff often held meetings in The Shack's wooden booths. The statue of Beetle Bailey in front of the Reynolds Alumni Center honors Walker and marks the approximate location of The Shack, which closed its doors in 1984. MU acquired the property in 1988. The Shack burned to the ground on Halloween night that year. Reynolds Alumni Center was completed in 1992.

Left, in the 1960s a private residence was located where Cornell Hall now sits on the north side of Rollins Street across from the natatorium, which was built in 1964 and torn down in 2006. Right, is a current photo of Rollins Street. The Mizzou Student Recreation Complex (green roof at right) is a commanding presence. The $43 million renovation and expansion project, which was completed in 2005, incorporated Rothwell Gym (built in 1905), Brewer Fieldhouse (built in 1929) and the Student Recreation Center (built in 1989). The complex now occupies enough space to place it among the ten largest higher education recreation facilities in the nation.

Left, the Arts and Science Mall is shown on the west side of Brady Commons in the 1960s before the General Classroom Building was constructed in 1969. Right, is a current view of the mall with the classroom building at left and Brady Commons on the right.

This 1985 photo, left, shows a surface parking lot at the northwest corner of College Avenue and Rollins Street. Tucker Hall is in the background and the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building had not yet been built. The area is now home to the Bond Life Sciences Center, right, which was completed in 2004.

The Virginia Avenue Housing and Plaza 900 dining hall, right, were completed in 2004 on the site of the College Avenue Tennis tennis courts, which were located between Virginia Avenue on the west side and College Avenue on the east. The Bingham Group residence halls (Hatch and Schurz) are in the background.

Left, the northeast corner of Stadium Boulevard and Providence Road looked quite different before the new Southwest Campus Housing complex was completed in 2006. The 656-bed complex is located where Smith, Donnelly and Blair halls originally stood.

The Black Culture Center, left, was housed in a former private residence at 823 Virginia Ave. until 1998 when a new facility was built nearby. The center is now called the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center.

Tiger Plaza, MU’s newest landmark, anchors the south side of Carnahan Quadrangle. Funded by the MU Alumni Association and its generous members, the plaza was dedicated in 2002 during the University's Homecoming celebration. It features a bronze Bengal tiger and a waterfall that cascades over a plaque inscribed with MU's alma mater.

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Last Update: April 1, 2008