The Albion Campus

In recent years, Albion's main campus has expanded so that it now includes more than 30 major buildings. The College is located in the city of Albion, a community of 10,000 founded in the 1830s along the banks of the scenic Kalamazoo River. The city is located 90 miles west of Detroit and 175 miles east of Chicago on Interstate 94.

The south boundary of the College is bordered by the Kalamazoo River's east branch. Interstate 94 business route borders the campus on the north, and the downtown shopping area is only a few blocks away.

Albion's original campus is today known as the Quadrangle, and from it have radiated the many new buildings erected during the past 30 years.

Administrative Offices are temporarily located in the Epworth Building while construction is under way on a new Student, Technology and Administrative Services Building. The new building will be located on the site of the previous Administration Building, the former Lottie L. Gassette Memorial Library.

Admissions is located at the Bonta Admissions Center, 100 N. Hannah St., one block south of Michigan Avenue. The Admissions Office is open weekdays, Saturday mornings and by special appointment. The building is named for long-time dean of admissions Frank Bonta, '49.

Alumni Field serves Albion's varsity and intramural athletic programs for men and women, as well as the Physical Education Department. The facility includes Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium, Isaac Track, Joranko Baseball Field, Dempsey Softball Field, a varsity soccer field, varsity tennis courts, practice fields and a canoeing facility.

Astronomical Observatory, erected in 1883, houses a large refracting telescope and related equipment. Portions have been remodeled to house the Honors Institute. The building is a State of Michigan registered historical site.

Baldwin Hall Alumni Center, named for Dr. Charles W. Baldwin, a former College trustee, includes the student dining facilities.

Bellemont Manor is the colonial mansion that serves as a conference center, under the supervision of the College's Office of Dining and Hospitality Services. The mansion offers meeting rooms, lodging and dining facilities for the many business, professional and community groups which come to the center each year. Together with its nearby carriage house, the manor can serve groups of 12 to 60 persons. Situated on a five-acre site one-half mile from campus, Bellemont Manor was built by Mr. and Mrs. George Dean in 1927-28 and was donated to Albion College in 1962.

Bobbitt Visual Arts Center, built in 1965, houses the Department of Art and Art History, and includes the Elsie E. Munro, '26, Art Gallery and one smaller gallery. It is named for long-time visual arts professor Vernon L. Bobbitt. The Center has studios for painting, sculpture, printmaking and other media. An adjacent ceramics facility was built in 1973.

The Center, located at 1003 E. Cass St., houses the Student Health Center and the Department of Campus Safety. Student Health Services is staffed by registered nurses; a physician is available by appointment.

Dean Hall is a cooperative residence for women. The facility, built in 1937 and located two blocks west of the campus, furnishes accommodations on a shared work basis. The cooperative plan for meal preparation and housekeeping results in lower room and board costs than those of other residence units.

Dickie Hall, a State of Michigan registered historical site, is one of Albion's oldest buildings. Construction began in 1857, although the facility was not completed until 14 years later. In this structure, the famous song "The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" was written in the early 1900s. The building is named for Dr. Samuel Dickie, president of the College, 1901-1921. Originally housing the College chapel and offices, Dickie Hall is now incorporated into the Kellogg Center.

Dow Recreation and Wellness Center, located adjacent to Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium, is devoted to educational and recreational purposes, including individual and group sports activities, physical conditioning, and health and wellness programs. The building's Bernard T. Lomas Fieldhouse contains flexible court space for intramural basketball, volleyball and badminton as well as a 1/9-mile track. Also included in the facility, completed in 1988, are two racquetball courts, training and rehabilitation areas, a classroom, locker rooms and Department of Physical Education offices. The building was made possible by a gift from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. The Fieldhouse is named for Dr. Bernard T. Lomas, president of the College, 1970-1983.

Incorporated into the Dow Center is the Dean Aquatic Center, completed in 1978 and named for W. Clark Dean, '21, a long-time Albion College trustee and benefactor. It contains a T-shaped pool, 25 yards by 25 meters. The pool's diving area has 1- and 3-meter diving boards. In 1999 the Ungrodt Tennis Center, containing four indoor tennis courts, was added at the north end of the Lomas Fieldhouse. The facility is named for Paul W. Ungrodt, Jr., '52, a College trustee.

Epworth Building, originally called the Epworth Physical Laboratory, was built in 1916 with donations from the Methodist Epworth Leagues throughout Michigan.

Fraternity Houses were rebuilt in 1966 for all campus fraternal organizations by the College. The five fraternities in the complex are Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Sigma Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu and Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Gerstacker International House is headquarters for the Diehl International Studies Program. The building also is a residential language instruction facility for more than 60 students taking courses in Spanish, German or French. Completed in 1970, the building incorporates continental features, including the Rottenbiller Memorial Garden in the central courtyard. The International House is named for Rollin M. Gerstacker, a pioneer in equipment engineering.

Goodrich Chapel with its stately steeple dominates the Albion campus and serves as a landmark to travelers approaching the city. Chapel offices and classrooms house the Music Department. The building was dedicated in 1958 and is named in honor of Dr. F. S. Goodrich, professor of English Bible and a College chaplain for more than half a century. The sanctuary seats more than 1,400 persons.

Herrick Center for Speech and Theatre serves the theatre and speech communication programs and has the principal college theatre, as well as a smaller studio theatre. It is named for Michigan industrialist Ray W. Herrick. The structure, located on the west edge of Alumni Field, was completed in 1975.

Institutional Advancement Office, located at 501 E. Michigan Ave., houses the alumni/parent relations and development staffs. The office is open to visitors on weekdays and by special appointment.

Kellogg Center, completed in 1996, serves as a meeting ground for the entire campus community. The facility features lounges, meeting rooms, student organization offices, all campus mailboxes, a grill/snack bar and Taco Bell, a convenience store, the College Bookstore and the Office of Campus Programs and Organizations. Gerstacker Commons, a multipurpose area located within Kellogg Center, is available for any campus group planning concerts, lectures, dances or other events. Albion College ID holders may access the building 24 hours a day. The five-level Kellogg Center adjoins and incorporates historic Dickie Hall. The center is named for Kellogg Co. of Battle Creek, donor of a $6-million gift for the project.

Kresge Gymnasium includes the varsity basketball and volleyball court, along with the Ferguson Dance Studio. Completed in 1925 and totally remodeled in 1988, the building is named in honor of philanthropist Dr. Stanley S. Kresge, '23.

Mudd Learning Center/Stockwell Memorial Library complex houses library collections and services and academic computing services.

The library contains 550,000 print and non-print volumes, rare book collections, the College archives, and a collection of United States government documents which Albion receives as a depository library. The library maintains a listening laboratory and video viewing facilities, as well as areas for individual and group study. The historical archives of the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church are also located in the library.

Academic computing laboratories in the facility house more than 30 workstations. The Wendell B. Will Faculty Room is on the second floor of the Stockwell building.

Built in 1938, Stockwell Memorial Library is named for Charles F. Stockwell, Albion's first principal, and is a gift of his daughter, Madelon Stockwell Turner, one of Albion's early graduates. The Mudd Learning Center, completed in 1980 and connected to Stockwell Library by an enclosed walkway, is named for Seeley G. Mudd, a physician and medical researcher.

Norris Center is the central lecture facility of the Science Center and is named for Dr. Louis W. Norris, president of the College, 1960-70. Built in 1969, it contains a large lecture auditorium, two smaller lecture halls and classrooms.

Olin Hall, the home for the Biology and Psychology Departments, was completed in 1983. The three-story facility was built and equipped through a $4.5 million gift from the Olin Foundation. Olin Hall contains a large lecture room, classrooms and laboratories, seminar rooms, faculty offices, a darkroom and a greenhouse. Among the extensive array of equipment available are two electron microscopes.

Palenske Hall is another of the three buildings in Albion College's Science Center, completed in 1969. Housed in the four-level facility are the Physics, Mathematics and Geology Departments. The laboratories are well equipped for study and research and offer extensive computer support. The building was completed in 1969 and is named for Fred C. Palenske.

Putnam Hall houses the Chemistry Department and was erected as the third building in the Science Center. It was built in 1969 and named for chemical industry executive Mark E. Putnam, '10. Like Palenske Hall, its classrooms are used by many other departments on campus.

Robinson Hall, renovated in 1992, houses the Departments of Anthropology/Sociology, Economics/Management, History, and Political Science, as well as the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Policy and Service, the Carl A. Gerstacker Liberal Arts Institute for Professional Management and the Anna Howard Shaw Center for Women's Studies and Programs. This structure is located on the site of the original Central Building, which was completed in 1843 but subsequently rebuilt with gifts from the late George O. Robinson.

Sorority Lodges are maintained by each of the six national sororities on campus. Although members do not live in the lodges, they use them for meetings, special dinners, studying and social functions. The sororities are Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta and Phi Mu.

Student Residences include several buildings--Wesley Hall (1925) with its east and west additions (1956), Seaton Hall (1949), Twin Towers (1965) and Whitehouse Hall (1963). Wesley Hall was remodeled in 1986; Kresge Commons, on the ground floor, is a multipurpose center for educational and entertainment programming. Seaton Hall was remodeled in 1993. All of Albion's student residences are coeducational with separate sections for men and women. Several homes have been remodeled for special-interest housing, and a limited number of College-owned apartments are also available. The Mae Harrison Karro, '31, Residential Village (2001) houses up to 56 students in apartment-style units. The residence was made possible by a gift from Roy Karro in memory of his wife.

Vulgamore Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus, was erected in 1854. Renovated in 1993, it includes offices and classrooms for the Departments of Education, English, Foreign Languages, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. The building was renamed in honor of Dr. Melvin L. Vulgamore, president of the College, 1983-1997.

Whitehouse Nature Center is a 144-acre preserve with scenic nature trails. Located on the Kalamazoo River and adjacent to the campus, it is used both for field instruction in the sciences and for quiet walks and observation. An Interpretive Center was built in 1977 to house a classroom, work space and a place for permanent nature displays. The Nature Center is named for Dr. William W. Whitehouse, president of the College, 1945-1960.

Interactive Campus Map