The Making of University of Michigan History

Alumni Hall dedicated...

The idea of a memorial building to University men who had fallen in the Civil War was first proposed in 1864. It finally came to fruition in 1910 with the opening of the Alumni Memorial Building. The classical style building designed by architects Donaldson and Meier cost $195, 855.29. The Memorial building housed the Alumni Association, but its main purpose was to serve as the University's art museum. The opening exhibit was from Charles Freer's collection of American and Oriental art, now in the Freer Gallery in Washington D.C.

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Photo Source: University of Michigan Photographs Vertical File