Iowa Avenue History

Unity Hall, 1870

The second Universalist (Unitarian) Church was built in 1870 and housed the congregation until the University purchased the building in 1907. In 1911, the building was remodeled into a student union and renamed Unity Hall. The student union was housed in Unity Hall for several years. The building also housed the College of Law and the School of Music during its lifetime. In 1932, the School of Music moved out of Unity Hall. The building was demolished approximately a year later along with the Extension Division Building. Following World War II, the lot was used for nine Quonset huts to house the influx of veterans attending the University. The Quonset huts were removed around 1960. ⁷ 

Other names: School of Music

Photo years: 1900s, 1900s, 1910 (reading room), 1927 (then the School of Music), 1946 (Quonset huts)

First Homeopathic Medical Building, 1878

Located just four buildings north of Unity Hall, the Homeopathic Medical Building was constructed along Clinton Street in 1878. In 1890, additional funds were allocated for improvements to the building. The Homeopathic Department remained in the building until the new Homeopathic Medical Building was opened in 1894. At that time, the original building was then occupied by Philosophy and Pedagogy. Their occupancy lasted until 1904. In 1907 the building was remodeled for the School of Music. The School of Music used the building until it was demolished in the summer of 1932.

Other names: Surgical Laboratory, School of Music

Photos: The Homeopathic Medical Building is the small, two story brick building shown in the first photo (1897). It is four buildings north of Unity Hall and slightly hidden by the trees. The second and third photos (1923 and 1920s) show the buildings just north of the Homeopathic Medical Building which were also used by the School of Music. Those buildings were torn down along with the Homeopathic Medical Building in 1932.

Extension Division Building, pre-1883

The Extension Division Building predates many of the University's other buildings. The building is present in one of the earliest Sanborn maps of Iowa City, in September of 1883. At that time, the building was labeled as "Dyer & Cleaner," presumably the dry cleaner and garment dyer. Between July 1888 and April 1892, the building had a slight change in use, going from a dry cleaner to a cobbler. ⁸  In 1923, the University took over the space and the building became known as the Extension Division Building. While several buildings surrounding it were eventually used for the School of Music, it is unclear whether the Extension Division Building was ever used for that purpose.

The buildings north of the Extension Division Building were demolished in 1932, but Unity Hall and the Extension Division Building were still standing in February 1933. They were likely demolished soon after that.

Photo year: 1888 ⁸ , 1892 ⁸ , 1923 (building on right, directly north of Unity Hall)

Electrical Engineering Laboratory, 1890

More than once, President Schaeffer had stated the need for a chemistry laboratory. In 1888, he listed the need as urgent in his annual report. After the funds were appropriated, the building was sited in the old City Park between Dubuque, Jefferson, Linn Street, and Iowa Avenue. The city had recently given the space to the University for educational purposes.

From the building's opening, in 1890, until 1922, the space was used for the Chemistry Department and the College of Pharmacy. In 1923, nearly $15,000 was spent to remodel the space into a library. Finally, in 1930, another remodel took place to house the Electrical Engineering Department. The 1968 campus map was the first to start calling the building the East Hall Annex. Eventually, in 1973, East Hall Annex was razed.

Other names: Hall of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Chemistry Laboratory, East Hall Annex

Photo years: 1890s ( Hall of Chemistry and Pharmacy), 1895, 1928, 1961 (Electrical Engineering Laboratory), 1973 (East Hall Annex) ⁹ 

Close Hall, 1891

In 1890, friends of the Young Men's and Young Women's Christian Association (YM-YWCA) purchased land at the corner of Dubuque Street and Iowa Avenue for $4,000. Private donations were solicited to fund the new building, which was estimated to cost $30,000. Helen Close alone contributed $10,000 in memory of her husband. In response, the Christian Associations quickly passed a resolution to name the building Close Hall. The building exceeded the original estimation, but additional private donations allowed the completion of Close Hall. The building was officially dedicated in November of 1891.

The University of Iowa began renting space in Close Hall soon after the building was complete. Space was originally rented for the literary societies, but the University later rented the basement to serve as the women's gymnasium until the new gymnasium was complete in 1915. ¹  Of major significance, Close Hall was the site of the first 5-on-5 college basketball game in the United States. On January 16, 1896, the Iowa Hawkeyes played the University of Chicago Maroons. While the Maroons won, Close Hall is still known as the birthplace of Iowa basketball. ¹⁰  

In 1924, the University purchased Close Hall which became home to the School of Journalism. The Daily Iowan rented space in the basement. A fire in Close Hall on New Year's Day in 1940 caused significant damage to the roof and upper story of the building. Following the fire, the upper story was removed and a flat roof was installed. Soon after, University Printing Services moved into the space. Close Hall, often referred to as the Old Journalism Building toward the end of its life, was closed in 1968. The building was demolished over the next two years.

Other names: YMCA and YWCA Building, Publications, Old Journalism Building

Photo years: 1900s, 1924, 1940, 1940, 1940

Second Homeopathic Hospital, 1894

With a lack of space in the First Homeopathic Hospital, plans were quickly underway for a larger facility. Construction on the new Homeopathic Hospital was complete in 1894 and operations were underway by 1895.

Nationwide, homeopathy started to decline in 1910. In 1913, the Iowa state legislature discontinued health care payments for the University of Iowa homeopathic hospital. In 1919, the hospital closed, and the building was used as an extension of the main hospital. This included recovery space for patients having undergone surgery. In 1929, the building caught fire and was demolished. ¹¹  The lot in old City Park remained vacant until the 1960s.

Other names: Hospital Annex, Convalescent Hospital

Photo years: 1890s (Homeopathic Hospital), 1890s, 1900s

Seashore Hall, 1898

Following the demolition of the Mechanics' Academy in 1894, plans were already underway to construct a new hospital on the same site. In 1898, the new University Hospital was opened. The building included 65 hospital beds and an amphitheater for clinical instruction that could seat 200 students. Not long after opening the hospital, the School of Nursing was established. The first class graduated in 1900. With a continually growing number of patients and students, three wings were added to the hospital by 1915. In 1919 plans began for a brand new hospital. ¹²  In 1928, a seven story, 770-bed general hospital was opened on the west side of the river leaving the old hospital at Iowa Avenue and Linn Street vacant. ⁶  

Renamed East Hall, Carl Seashore moved the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences into the building in 1930. The School of Journalism and the Daily Iowan also moved into the building after the 1940 fire in Close Hall. However, East Hall was not immune to fire either. In 1946, the top two floors caught fire and had to be refurbished. In 1952, additional repairs were made due to weak floor joists. The Science Laboratories of Psychology building (present-day Spence Labs) was added in 1968 which blocked the original entrance to East Hall. ¹² 

In 1981, East Hall was renamed Seashore Hall after Carl Seashore who was "a pioneer in the fields of speech pathology and audiology and was a major contributor to making psychology a universally recognized science."

In 2000, the southwest wing of the building was demolished due to safety concerns. Following historic floods in 2008, Seashore served as temporary space for the School of Art and Art History and housed staff from Hancher Auditorium. ¹²  In 2017, the southeast wing of Seashore was razed to provide space for the new Psychological and Brain Sciences Building. The remaining wing of Seashore was razed in 2020 after the new building was opened. ¹² 

Previous names: University Hospital, East Hall

Photo years: 1900 (University Hospital), 1916, 1960 (East Hall), 2017 (Seashore Hall), 2020

Morgue and Laundry, 1898

Not much is known about the University's first laundry facility and morgue. The building first appears in the June 1899 Iowa City Sanborn map. ⁸  It's likely that the facility was built with the University Hospital in 1898. There do not appear to be any photos specifically of the Morgue, however it appears briefly in an 1899 photo of the hospital before the east addition was added. After that, the only photo evidence is of the Morgue smokestack behind the University Hospital. The Morgue and Laundry disappear from campus maps around 1912. The facility was likely razed when the new Laundry and Heating Plant was complete.

Photo years: 1899 ⁸ , 1904, 1899 (right side), 1907

Nurses' Home, pre-1888

The July 1888 Iowa City Sanborn map is the first map to show the original Nurses' Home on Iowa Avenue. ⁸  The earliest campus map of Iowa Avenue, in 1904, also shows the building. In the 1907 campus map, a second Nurses' Home appears at the northeast corner of Jefferson Street and Linn Street. In 1909, three more Nurses' Homes popped up along Gilbert Street between Iowa Avenue and Jefferson Street. At that time, the first Nurses' Home switched to being called the Hospital Annex.

The home furthest north on Gilbert Street disappeared from campus maps just three years later in 1912. The second home along Linn Street disappeared a few years after that, in 1915. Despite some of the homes coming down and Eastlawn being built (1914), another Nurses' Home popped up just north of the old hospital in the 1918 campus map. That home and the other remaining homes on the block were demolished around 1930 after the hospital was moved to the west side of the Iowa River and to prepare for the addition to the Music Building (present-day Stuit Hall).

Other names: Hospital Annex

Photos: The 1909 campus map shows the locations of most of the Nurses' Homes. While there do not appear to be photos specifically of the homes, the original Nurses' Home does appear to the right of the University Hospital in several photos including these from 1907, 1913, and 1920. Two of the homes are also visible in the 1923 photo of the hospital from Jefferson Street (left side).

Sciences Library, 1902

After the Medical Building, located on the Pentacrest, was destroyed by a fire in 1901, the Medical College was in need of new space. ¹³  Construction of the Anatomy Building (present-day Sciences Library) began in 1902 using the same contract as the Medical Laboratory (present-day Biology Building), located just northeast. President MacLean was a supporter of this move to start building a medical campus at the University of Iowa. ¹  Due to a delay in construction, the Medical College was forced to take up temporary space in the new Hall of Liberal Arts (present-day Schaeffer Hall). The Anatomy Building and Medical Laboratory were finally ready for use in fall of 1904. ¹³  Both buildings were built of Bedford limestone and designed by architects Proudfoot and Bird. ¹  

In 1927, the new Medical Laboratory was constructed on the west side of the Iowa River. When the Medical College vacated the Anatomy Building and the old Medical Laboratory, the Zoology Department moved in. At that time, the Anatomy Building was renamed to the Zoology Laboratory.

Around 1986, the Biology Department moved into the zoology buildings and the Zoology Laboratory was renamed the Biology Annex. When the Botany and Biology Departments merged in 1992, the building was renamed again to the Biological Sciences Library. Finally, in 2010, the building was renamed the Sciences Library to better represent the library collection. ¹⁴  

Other names: Anatomy Building, Hall of Anatomy, Zoology Laboratory , Biology Annex, Biological Sciences Library

Photo years: 1903 (Anatomy Building), 1904, 1910s, 1935 (Zoology Laboratory), 2021 (Sciences Library)

Biology Building, 1902

Similar to the Anatomy Building, the Medical Laboratory was built in 1902 using funding from the state and the University's mill tax. On January 15, 1903, a ceremony was held for the laying of the cornerstone. In 1913 a vivarium was added to the top of the building for research purposes.

In 1927, when the Zoology Department moved in, the Medical Laboratory was renamed the Zoology Building. Two additions were added to the southeast side of the building in 1964 and 1972. By 1986, the Biology Department had moved in and the building was renamed the Biology Building.

Other names: Medical Laboratory, Zoology Building

Photo years: 1903 (Medical Laboratory), 1907, 1929 (Zoology Building), 1965, 2020 (Biology Building)

Laundry and Hospital Heating Plant, 1912

Similar to the first laundry facility, not much is known about the Laundry and Heating Plant. The building first appeared in the 1912 campus map and Proudfoot, Bird, & Rawson Architects' 1912 drawing of the University. Around 1930, after the hospital had moved to the west side of the Iowa River, the facility shifted solely to laundry duty. The facility last appears in campus maps in 1950. By 1960, the State Historical Society had been built in its place.

Photo years: 1912, 1920s, 1923 (smokestack toward bottom of photo)

Eastlawn, 1914

By 1914, having nurses from the University of Iowa Hospitals spread throughout numerous houses had become unsatisfactory. That year, the Iowa State Board of Education voted to construct a new dormitory that would house 100 nurses. The University Department of Buildings and Grounds began razing the buildings on the site to prepare for Eastlawn. The building was four stories tall, constructed with brick and trimmed with Bedford limestone. The University even considered locations for future additions when the building was first constructed. If additional space was needed, the facility would be expanded to the west and the north to form a U-shape.

Eastlawn was used as housing for nurses until the University Hospital moved to the west side of the Iowa River in 1928. When the nurses moved out, Eastlawn was remodeled and used as a female dormitory. The basement contained a recreation room, sewing room, trunk room, kitchenette, and laundry facilities. The main floor contained two living rooms and chaperone's quarters.

In 1948, Eastlawn was removed from residential operation. However, the building housed several other departments and programs including music, art studies, payroll, and the state archaeologist. In 1999, Eastlawn was razed to provide space for the city parking ramp. ¹⁵  However, the east entrance of Eastlawn was preserved and remains on Gilbert Street to this day.

Photo years: 1921, 1921, 1950s, 1977, 2023 ¹⁶ 

Stuit Hall, 1916

Designed by architects Proudfood, Bird, and Rawson and constructed in 1916, Suit Hall served as the Isolation Hospital until 1931. At that time, the building was remodeled and an addition was added. The addition included two large rehearsal halls with a corridor to the original structure. The facility was occupied by the School of Music and referred to as the Music Building. In 1971, the School of Music moved to the new Clapp Recital Hall leaving the Old Music Building vacant for a couple of years.

In 1973, studio arts and performing arts occupied the building. By 1975, performing arts had vacated the space but studio arts remained. In 1988, the former School of Music rehearsal halls were declared unsafe for use due to structural deterioration. In 1989, they were removed from the building, and the original structure stood in solitary once again. Ten years later, in 1999, journalism and sociology moved into the building. ¹⁷ 

In 2010, the Old Music Building was renovated and renamed Stuit Hall after Dewey Stuit, former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and the first head of the Counseling Services Office. Stuit Hall became the first LEED renovation project on the University of Iowa campus. ¹⁸  Today, Stuit Hall houses the Carl E. Seashore Psychology Training Clinic and lab space for clinical psychology faculty. ¹⁹  

Other names: Isolation Hospital, Music Building, Old Music Building, Stuit Hall

Photo years: 1917 (Isolation Hospital), 1918, 1933 (Music Building), 1954, 2017 (Stuit Hall)

Studio Annex, 1922

The Studio Annex appears in campus maps in 1922. The 1922 and 1923 maps label the building as The Daily Iowan Office before switching to YMCA in 1924 and Studio Annex in 1926. While it disappears from campus maps in 1930, it is likely due to the smaller size and lesser importance of the building, not because it was actually removed. There is photo evidence of the building in both 1940, after the Close Hall fire, and in the 1950s. The building was used as an art studio for the majority of its lifetime.

The Chemistry Annex, located directly west of Studio Annex, was never labeled on campus maps. A Sanborn map from 1920 is the first mention of the Chemistry Annex. The 1926 Sanborn map marked the building as the YMCA. ⁸  It is possible that the Studio Annex was never home to the YMCA and that the Association was actually housed in the Chemistry Annex. The 1924 campus map lacks the detail needed to verify one way or the other. The Chemistry Annex may have been used as a business building a bit later in its life but was likely razed around 1933 with Unity Hall and the Extension Division Building.

Campus Stores, located directly east of Studio Annex, does not appear on a campus map until 1950. However, the building appears in photos of Close Hall in the 1900s. Campus Stores was last labeled on a campus map in 1962, around the time that Phillips Hall was being proposed. It's unclear whether Campus Stores and Studio Annex were actually razed in 1962 or if they remained on campus a couple more years.

Other names: The Daily Iowan Office, YMCA

Photo years: 1922 (Daily Iowan Office), 1920s (Chemistry Annex located just west of Studio Annex), 1923 (all three buildings seen on Iowa Avenue), 1950s (Studio Annex at left)

Van Allen Hall, 1964

Ten years into the Cold War, on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite. This fueled U.S. funding for space exploration. NASA funded the Physics Research Center at the University, which began construction in 1964. ²⁰  Initial construction included the Accelerator Tower, a tall structure just west of the main building. By 1969, plans were underway to expand the building to the east and south. In 1971, the name of the building shifted slightly to Physics Building.

In 1981, the building was renamed once again to Van Allen Hall. James A. Van Allen was a space pioneer and taught physics at the University physics department for decades. He served as the head of the department from 1951 until 1985. Van Allen used University built instruments, which were on the first successful U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, to discover bands of intense radiation surrounding the Earth. These bands were later known as the Van Allen radiation belts. ²¹ 

Around the year 2000, the Accelerator Tower was removed from the site. Van Allen Hall itself remained. ²² 

By the late 1990s, the physics observatory had deteriorated. This, combined with outdated technology, led to near-abandonment of the space. Fifteen years later, in 2014, the observatory was refurbished and three high-powered telescopes were added to the space. The new observatory was dedicated to Van Allen in August of 2014. ²³ 

Other names: Physics Research Building, Physics Building

Photo yeas: 1965 (Physics Research Building), 1989 (Van Allen Hall), 2001, 2010, 2022

Phillips Hall, 1965

Founded in 1921, the College of Commerce (later called the College of Business Administration) spent the majority of its early years in Jessup Hall. By the early 1960s, the College had outgrown its space on the Pentacrest. The new Business Administration Building was finished in 1965 on the northeast corner of Iowa Avenue and Clinton Street. One year later, the building was renamed Phillips Hall after Chester A. Phillips, who served as the first dean of the College of Commerce and later as the interim president of the University. Phillips is credited with pioneering the bank credit theory. ²⁴ 

When the John Pappajohn Business Building was built in 1993, the College of Business Administration moved out of Phillips Hall. Today the building is home to foreign language and literature departments within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. ²⁴ 

Other names: Business Administration Building

Photo years: 1963 (Business Administration Building), 1965, 1970s (Phillips Hall), 2021

Spence Labs, 1968

In 1968, Spence Laboratories was added to the south side of East Hall (the Old University Hospital) to house the Department of Psychology. The building was named after Kenneth Wartinbee Spence, head of the Department of Psychology from 1942 to 1964. Spence is known for his theoretical and experimental studies of conditioning and learning. ²⁵ 

When Seashore Hall (the Old University Hospital) was razed in 2017, Spence Labs remained. The Psychological and Brain Sciences Building was connected to Spence Labs when it was built in 2020.

Other names: Spence Laboratories

Photo years: 2017, 2022

Biology Building East, 2000

Biology Building East was built in 2000 for the growing Biology Department. The top floor of the facility houses the Biology Greenhouse. Plants from the space are used for teaching laboratories for undergraduate and graduate students alike.

Photo years: 2006, 2017, 2021, 2022