Iowa Memorial Union
Person
Biography
The Iowa Memorial Union, one of the University of Iowa's most enduring landmarks, has served as the campus's social and cultural center since 1927. Major additions were completed in 1955 and 1965. At various times the IMU has housed a browsing library, art exhibit space, bowling alley, soda fountain, book store, private and public dining rooms, hotel, performance hall, and offices for student organizations. It is situated on the east bank of the Iowa River in the heart of the campus, flanked by Hubbard Park to the south and by the Pentacrest to the southeast.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Iowa Memorial Union Records
Collection
Identifier: RG24.0004.001
Scope and Contents
The Records of the Iowa Memorial Union include minutes, correspondence, special events memorabilia, newspaper clippings, art exhibition information, financial reports, planning documents for 1955 addition construction, Union Board records, annual reports, and scrapbooks. The bulk of the documents date from 1919, following the end of World War I, when discussions were underway to construct a memorial to all war veterans who were associated with the University of Iowa.While documenting the development of the IMU, the records also contain references to various aspects of the University's social and political history. Women, for example, were prohibited from using the billiard room until 1958, when a women's physical education course in billiards was offered for the first time. Soapbox Sound-off, a free-speech forum begun in 1964, was the scene one year later of the campus's first draft card-burning incident in protest of the war in Vietnam. Both episodes are recounted in scrapbooks in...
Dates:
1912-1995
Found in:
University of Iowa Archives