Preview
Creation Date
2-26-1910
Description
The cornerstone for the second Van Meter Hall was set on February 26, 1910. Inside were placed a school catalog, a list of students and alumni and an issue of The Elevator.
This photograph shows continued construction of Van Meter Hall.
Other Names - Administration Building
Date Built - 1901, 1911
Dedication - May 5, 1911 - auditorium only
Cost of Construction - $147,000
Architect - Brinton B. Davis
Contractor - J. Bornstein, Louisville
Namesake:The existing Van Meter Hall was named after Vanmeter Hall which was part of the Southern Normal School & Business College in order to show the continuity of the Southern Normal School in the newly established Western Kentucky State Normal School. The original building was named for Capt. Charles Joseph Vanmeter.
The current Van Meter Hall is the second so named in WKU's history. It was dedicated on Friday, May 5, 1911, The building as first built had an auditorium with a seating capacity of 2,000 wherein WKU students attended chapel daily. Van Meter also contained classrooms, a library and administration offices.
Originally the name Van Meter Hall applied only to the auditorium. The building itself was referred to as Administration Building until after the construction of Wetherby Administration Building.
On September 21, 1968, the WKU Board of Regents approved a recommendation that "the old Administration Building now undergoing modernization, be named Van Meter Hall in honor of Captain C.J. Van Meter who contributed $5,000 to Western at the beginning of Western's life as a public institution of higher education. The auditorium in this building was named Van Meter Auditorium. Now that the structure will be used no longer as an administration building, it seems appropriate that the building as well as the auditorium be named for Captain Van Meter.
Ghost story:
One variation of the Van Meter ghost was that during the construction of the auditorium, a worker was startled by a loud noise, and fell from the scaffold, through the sky-light, and onto the stage.
His blood left a permanent mark in the middle of the stage.
It is now believed that every time there is a performance, a red light shines on the place where the worker left his mark.
Janitors have also reported that after they lock the building for the night, lights will turn themselves back on, and noises can be heard coming from the stage, but no one is there.
The other variation is that a girl who was playing a dramatic role in the play wanted a scene in which she was committing suicide to look real. She then jumped from the balcony and killed herself.
The same red spot also appears in the middle of the stage during performances. [Alumni Magazine, Fall 1997]
Additions - WKU Van Meter Hall
- 1954 - $25,000 new seats, lights and curtains for auditorium
- 1957 - addition of room for business office
- 1967 - auditorium stage made larger, air conditioning in offices
Keywords
Western Kentucky University