Husky Union Building History
Discussions to build a union building at the University of Washington
began in 1919, with plans being developed throughout the 1920's and 1930's.
However, it was not until the University of Washington Regents decided
to provide half of the financing plus the land that the project got off
the drawing boards in the mid 1940's. On October 25, 1949 the students,
faculty and staff of the University opened the building to an enthusiastic
reception.
The original building was a little over 71,000 square feet, about the
same size as South Campus Center today. It was built on the site of the
Alaskan-Pacific-Yukon Exhibition's Forestry Building which is pictured
in the upper right hand corner of the Ernest Norling mural in the second
floor lounge. This mural depicts events in the history of the University
from 1861 to 1925. The term "HUB" was coined in the early
1950's by the student newspaper, The Washington Daily, the predecessor
of The Daily. The building was viewed as the "hub of campus life"
and this name was soon adopted by almost everyone. Later, the acronym
became today's Husky Union Building.
The 1952 addition more than doubled the size of the building. The most
important areas were the present West Ballroom and the games room. This
addition also added another deck to the building, an expanded food service
and a barbershop. In 1959 and 1962 small additions where made to the HUB,
meeting rooms 309/310 and the Auditorium. The last major expansion of
the HUB, 1975-77, saw the East Ballroom, Upper Husky Den and South
Husky Den being completed and brought the building to its present 262,000
square feet. As part of this expansion the student organization space
in the sub-basement was opened.
Today, over 37,000 students attend the University of
Washington (Seattle campus) and the HUB has approximately
15,000 people visit each day. The HUB houses over 4,000 meetings
and events every year.
The HUB provides an environment where students
are encouraged to utilize their intellects and express their talents in
a collegiate atmosphere. It is the crossroads for becoming and remaining
involved in campus life and developing life-long leadership skills and
friendships.
The HUB is also a place for fun and relaxation.
Students in need of a break from studying or attending classes can visit
the Games Area, which houses a twelve-lane bowling center and facilities
for billiards, video games, and table tennis. The Study Lounge features
a twelve computer email station where students can quickly access messages
from friends and faculty.
Students are actively encouraged to experience and influence
campus life at the University of Washington. Students, faculty and staff
are involved in the governance of the HUB through an appointed
advisory board that addresses policy, budget and special projects. Approximately
125-150 students are employed each year in positions that range from cashiers
and office assistants to student building coordinators, accounting assistants
and event services staff. Student employment is intended to complement
academic experiences of students, to help them develop skills that can
be utilized once they graduate and to enable them to earn money and defray
some of the costs of their education.
The HUB is a place where the crossroads of community,
leadership, service, recreation and entertainment intersect; thereby encouraging
students to focus not on the length of time they spend on campus, but
on the quality of what they encounter.
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