The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Miller Hall

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Institution Name: Mount Union College
Original/Historic Place Name: Ladies' Hall
Location on Campus: SW end of campus
Date(s) of Construction:

1866	original construction Porter, Simeon

Designer: Simeon Porter
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Victorian (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education, history
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: farmers stone and concrete

Walls: brick veneer and fire block interior

Roof: wood truss with asphalt shingles

Function:

ca. 1866	other (snack bar, radio station)
ca. 1866	academic department building (music conservatory)
ca. 1866	classroom
1866-present (2006)	residence hall
ca. 1914	other (mess hall and Student Army Training Corp housing, Air Corps student lounge)

Narrative:
Miller Hall is a three-story brick co-ed residence hall named in honor of the late Honorable Lewis Miller of Akron, Ohio, long-time chairman (1868-99) of the Mount Union College Board of Trustees. It currently houses 74 students and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Built in 1866, Miller Hall has served numerous purposes throughout its history. In addition to serving as a residence hall, it also has housed the music conservatory, snack bar, radio station and a dining hall. The residence hall was co-ed until 1889, then made exclusively a women's residence known as Ladies' Hall. Years later, Miller was converted to a men's residence hall, and today it is once again co-ed.

Miller Hall contributed greatly to the defense of our nation. During World War I, Mount Union was approved for a unit of the Student Army Training Corps, which allowed young men to take their military training while earning a college degree. Over 250 men participated in this program and were housed in Miller Hall. During World War II, Mount Union's campus became a training center for a detachment of Air Corps students, and once again, military men were housed in Miller Hall.

References:

Johannesen, Eric. Mount Union College District. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1972.

Johannesen, Eric. Ohio College Architecture Before 1870. Columbus, OH: Ohio Historical Society, 1969.

Osborne, Newell Yost. A Select School: The History of Mount Union College and an Account of a Unique Educational Experiment, Scio College. Alliance, OH: Mount Union College, 1967.

Saffell, John E. Wake the Echoes: An Updated History of Mount Union College. Alliance, OH: Mount Union College, 1996.