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When I was asked to say a few words about the new
Armstrong Student Center, it caused me to think back
over the duration of this entire project and I think
a lot of people would be surprised to learn that
we've been working on this specific project for over
six years.
I can distinctly remember during that first meeting,
the president made it very clear that he wanted to
make sure we kept the students at the focus of our
conversations and our discussions about the design
of this facility. He definitely wanted it to become a
'student center.'
Back in the earliest days of our campus history,
students met in what was the top floor of the
original Harrison Hall. Frequently called 'Old Main'
in those days.
Harrison Hall, the home to Miami University's political
science department, was named for the 23rd
president of the United States, and miami alum,
Benjamin Harrison.
Harrison Hall sits on the site and was modeled after
the Old Main, the first academic building on
miami's campus.
And Old Main stood as the classroom building, office
building, the major building for everything until the
1950s when it was replaced by Harrison Hall.
Harrison Hall actually looks a lot like Old Main
keeping that classic architecture. That building was
followed in 1825 and 1832 by Elliot and Stoddard Hall,
now our oldest remaining buildings on campus.
By the end of World War II however, the university
had grown to the point and abnormally was starting
to grow that they realized they really needed a
facility specifically for more students.
So our first center for students was built, it was a
modest, one story, wood-framed, white wood sided
building that was located approximately where
Roudebush Hall parking lot is today.
One of the first things the committee did was to
really analyze the campus to find the right location.
It needs to be convenient, needed to be in the flow
of traffic of the campus, and through many walks
around campus, a lot of student input, we finally
settled on this location where it is today.
As we developed the floor plans for the building,
initially, actually the plan called for the removal
of three buildings as the design continued
and progressed, we ultimately came to the
realization that we could accomplish what we
wanted to accomplish with the project without
removing those buildings, but rather building a new
construction in the center of those buildings that
connect Gaskill Hall, and Rowan Hall, eventually
Culler Hall to become a part of the new student center.
But it also gave us the opportunity with the new
construction in the center to really open it up and
create a lot of dynamic spaces, a lot of visual
connections through multi-levels of the facility.
Create an energy that we really want in this new
student center. A lot of light flows into the building
and a lot of nice views out to the campus as well,
so it did both of those things.
One of the vocal points of the Armstrong Student
Center, is a replica of the university seal.
The celestial pattern in the replica seal will match
that of February 17th, 1809, the day our university
charter was signed.
Probably hundreds of us that have worked on this
project begin to get the feeling that its our project,
you know, we spend hundreds of hours working on it,
we live and breath the project for several months
and several years.
But on the first day when we open the doors to the
public, miami students come flowing in the
facility for the first time, it's no longer our project,
but as it should be, it becomes the students project.
Legendary poet Robert Frost once said of miami,
"the most beautiful college campus that ever there
was." And the Armstrong Students Center will be
the culmination of that beauty.