This building started life as the Alumni Memorial Hall and was a dedication to the University men that died in the Civil War. The project actually began in 1864 and some funding was secured but the matter was dropped.
In 1903, the building was brought up again and funding was secured. In 1907, a plan was submitted by the Detroit Architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier. Around this time, it was decided that the building would also be used to house the University's art collection which was overflowing the library.
The building was also used to house the Alumni Association. It was going to have a plaque with the names of University people who served in the wars of the nation.
It's a pretty impressive looking structure and actually has a fairly decent art collection. In 2009, the building underwent some pretty serious renovations and was expanded. The expansion flows pretty seamlessly into the existing architecture. I thought this building had Albert Kahn's hand in it because it looks similar to the other buildings that do but it doesn't.
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