Vol. 18, No. 30	May 6, 1999

Memorial Hall to be rededicated May 16

The University of Delaware will rededicate one of the signature buildings on its campus, Memorial Hall, following the city of Newark's Memorial Day celebration on Sunday, May 16.

Memorial Hall, which reopened earlier this spring after a $9.8 million restoration and renovation, lies at the heart of UD's central Mall. It was first dedicated in 1924 to honor the Delawareans who lost their lives in World War I.

A reception and tour of the newly renovated building, home to the Department of English and the Writing Center, will follow the ceremony.

The renovation was financed with $8 million from the state, with additional funds provided by the University, the Unidel Foundation and private gifts. The renovation included replacement of windows, updating mechanical, electrical and communications systems and addressing safety codes. The project also included in-filling the courtyards to provide additional square footage for classroom and office space and reopening the north/south central corridor.

The renovated Memorial Hall now has 74 faculty offices and a total square footage of 54,370. There are now two problem-based learning classrooms, 12 traditional classrooms, one case study room wired for data, two computer labs, one theatre classroom and two classrooms in the Writing Center. Some classes may be held in the building this summer, and regular use will resume in the fall.

The renovation was designed by Michael Deptula, Anderson Brown Higley Associates, with Wohlsen Construction Co. managing the project.

Memorial Hall is rich in University history, and its white-columned exterior at the heart of the Mall is one of the images most closely associated with UD. Memorial Hall, which originally housed the library, was the first building constructed for use by students of Delaware College and the Women's College, the predecessors of the University of Delaware. For the men at Delaware College and the women of the Women's College, Memorial was one of the few acceptable common grounds in the '20s and '30s.

Its beginnings involved three of the most important individuals in the life of the institution early in this century. UD President Samuel Chiles Mitchell envisioned the new library as a memorial to Delaware's World War I dead; UD President Walter Hullihen initiated the statewide campaign on behalf of the building; and benefactor H. Rodney Sharp led the fundraising campaign committee for Memorial Hall. That fundraising effort is said to have included small contributions from school children throughout the state.

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