San José State University Campus Buildings Records
Scope and Content
The San José State University Campus Buildings Records, 1903-1999, 2019 (bulk 1960-1995), document the history of major campus buildings and landmarks, including Tower Hall, Spartan Memorial Chapel, the Scheller House, Dwight Bentel Hall and other departmental buildings. The records consist of building reports, specifications and evaluations, brochures, committee papers, negatives, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Of particular note are three audio cassettes in Series II. dating from April 1983 that contain the recording of the dedication by SJSU President Gail Fullerton of the re-named Richard B. Lewis Instructional Resource Center (I.R.C.). that is located in Dudley Moorehead Hall (DMH).
Dates
- Creation: 1903-1999, 2019
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Organizational History
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes, Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations, and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
Since laying the cornerstone for the San José State Normal School in 1870, the SJSU campus has expanded several times throughout its 150-year history. Tower Hall, the centerpiece of the university, was constructed in 1910 to replace a previous building damaged in the 1906 earthquake. The oldest structure on campus, Tower Hall was spared demolition in the 1960s and has been renovated twice, once in 1966 and again in 2007. From the late 1920s through the 1950s, under the direction of President Thomas W. MacQuarrie, many buildings were constructed on the SJSU campus, including the Education Building, Spartan Stadium, the Science Building, the Student Union, and the Spartan Memorial Chapel. The campus experienced another era of major renovation and expansion in the early 2000s, including the construction of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, as well as the renovation of Clark Hall and Morris Dailey Auditorium. Today, all aspects of the maintenance, planning and sustainability of SJSU's campus buildings are managed by the Division of Facilities Development and Operations (FD&O).
Extent
8 boxes (4.71 linear feet)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The San José State University Campus Buildings Records, 1903-1999, 2019 (bulk 1960-1995), document the history of major campus buildings and landmarks, including Tower Hall, Spartan Memorial Chapel, the Scheller House, Dwight Bentel Hall and other departmental buildings. The records consist of building reports, specifications and evaluations, brochures, committee papers, negatives, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Campus Buildings and Landmarks, 1906-1999, 2019 (bulk 1960-1995); and Series II. Campus Buildings History and General San José History, 1903-1999 (bulk 1960-1999).
Project Information
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008.The Project Director is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
Processing History
Collection processed by R. Schuyler Selden. Finding aid EAD encoded by Silke Higgins. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen. Accurals added to boxes 2 and 6 by Eilene Lueck in 2023.
- Title
- Guide to the San José State University Campus Buildings Records
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- © 2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in: English
Repository Details
Part of the SJSU Special Collections & Archives Repository
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
(408) 808-2062
(408) 808-2063 (Fax)
special.collections@sjsu.edu