Post Author: Stephanie Strong
Almost every academic discipline at James Madison University has not had a permanent home since its creation. Immense growth of the campus and the number of students at James Madison University caused frequent shifts in the usage of the various academic building in order to accommodate the changes. This map and key from the 1978-79 graduate catalog reveal that the Political Science Department was housed in Harrison Hall up until the end of the decade. Currently, Harrison Hall holds the Communications Department and often large history classes that require lecture hall sized classrooms.
Although the Political Science department was not housed there until the 1970’s had come and gone, it is important to note that the department’s eventual home was unveiled during the decade. Miller Hall was was completed in 1975 and was intended to hold the departments of Chemistry, Geology, and Physics. It was opened before its completion because of a need for more classroom and laboratory space. In 2005, Miller Hall underwent major renovations that gave the building its current appearance. These renovations allowed the building to be used for political science, a social science that does not require the equipment that Miller Hall’s previous tenants utilized. The article below, from at 1975 edition of the Breeze, describes how Miller Hall was meant to be used and the trials of its construction.
Below is an image of Miller Hall as it originally looked in 1975.
For more detailed images, click to enlarge.
Works Cited:
“Final Steps: Miller Near Full Use.” The Breeze [Harrisonburg] 25 Mar. 1975: 4. Print.
James Madison University Graduate Course Catalog. Harrisonburg: James Madison University, 1978. Print.