Publication Date
December 2007
Abstract
Since Western purchased its present campus in 1909, building on the Hill has reflected the visions--some realized, many unrealized--of its presidents and architects. The construction of Van Meter Hall, a water tower, a proposed memorial tower and a comprehensive 1930s campus plan attest to the trials and tribulations of making the Hill a beautiful and functional place.
Recommended Citation
Niedermeier, Lynn E., "The Best-Laid Plans: Building on the Hill" (2007). WKU History. Paper 11.
http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_wku_hist/11
Targeted for completion in May 1910, Van Meter Hall was clearly behind schedule when this photo was taken on June 23.
memorial_towers.jpg (361 kB)
President Henry Hardin Cherry introduced two designs, in 1923 (left) and 1930 (right), for a memorial clock tower to crown the Hill.
wright_plan.jpg (238 kB)
Henry Wright's 1931 campus plan imagined groups of dormitory and academic buildings extending southward from the Hill.

Comments
Adapted with permission from Echo (www.wku.edu/echo), September 2005.