KU names three new buildings under construction in Central District; two will sound familiar
Two of the facilities that were torn down to make way for the University of Kansas’ massive Central District redevelopment project will reappear — if in name only.
The Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday approved names for those and one other new building under construction in the Central District: Stouffer Place Apartments, Cora Downs Residence Hall and the Frank R. Burge Student Union.
The new Central District apartment complex being constructed along 19th Street will be named Stouffer Place Apartments, in honor of the family housing complex that used to be on the hillside between Daisy Hill and Naismith Drive.
The original 25-building Stouffer Place, named after former KU dean Ellis B. Stouffer, opened in 1957 as married-student housing. It eventually opened up to students with children and some single graduate students, as well. The buildings were razed in early 2016.
The new Stouffer Place Apartments — a 708-bed complex featuring private bedrooms with bathrooms, full kitchens and dishwashers — is scheduled for completion in July 2018, according to KU.
The new Central District residence and dining hall under construction behind Oliver Hall will be named Cora Downs Residence Hall, in honor of the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from KU.
The 545-bed Downs Hall, with its new 22,000-square-foot dining center, will open in August for freshmen and returning students, according to KU.
“The historical names, which honor a ground-breaking scientist and an academic dean, fit perfectly with our mission to build learning-centered communities,” KU Student Housing Director Diana Robertson said, in a KU news release. “It is a privilege to honor their legacy.”
Finally, the new Central District student union will be called the Frank R. Burge Student Union, just like the 1979-built union that was torn down to make way for it. Burge was director of the Kansas Memorial Union from 1952 until 1983.
The new 33,000-square-foot Burge Union is slated to open in summer 2018, according to KU. It will feature event space and will be the home of Legal Services for Students, the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center and the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity. It will also include a coffee shop and a convenience store.
More on building namesakes
Ellis B. Stouffer: Served KU for 41 years as a teacher, scholar and administrator. He was chairman of the math department, dean of the Graduate School and dean of the University, a position similar to the provost.
Cora Downs: The first woman to receive a Ph.D. from KU, which she earned in 1924 after receiving her undergraduate and master’s degrees from KU. Downs became one of KU’s most outstanding scientists, working first in 1917 as an instructor of bacteriology and rising to become a professor. She remained a member of the faculty until her retirement in 1963, save for a hiatus during World War II when she led 40 scientists in a top secret biological warfare project. Her grandmother, also named Cora Downs, was the first female member of the Kansas Board of Regents.
Frank R. Burge: Director of the Kansas Memorial Union from 1952 until 1983. Credited with building the union into one of the best in the country in facilities and programming. Burge was known as a “one man Welcome Wagon,” and was beloved on campus even well after his retirement.
Source: KU