[ABOVE] President Albert Jorgensen proposed a facilty to house student activities as early as 1937, but it was not until 1953 that the Student Union opened. As this 1954 student illustration indicates, the union building provided offices for student government and other organizations, as well as rooms for meetings, lectures and small conferences. As it nears its 50th anniversary, the Student Union is scheduled for extensive remodeling and expansion under the UCONN 2000 program. For more detail, please go to a larger version of this rendering.

[ABOVE] A close up shows how the Student Union Ballroom was depicted in this cartoon rendering from 1954.

[BELOW] This close up of the rendering shows some of the rooms on the first and second floor of the north wing of the Student Union Building. The first floor "soda bar" was remodeled into a billiards and game room in the mid-1980s. In the late 1990s, a fast-food franchise opened in the room, returning it to its original purpose as a place to get a quick meal and meet with friends.

The second floor housed student government, and the staffs of the student newspaper, radio station, and yearbook. By the early 1970s, WHUS occupied the entire floor of the wing, as the other organizations relocated. For the upcoming renovation, the radio station has moved to a temporary campus site.