Albion Interactive History / Buildings / Albion College

Burns Street Apartments, 1946
 
     

The return of veterans from World War II, created a significant housing shortageon campus. Fortunately there was a government program that provided “warsurplus” buildings to colleges and universities at no cost. May 1946 atemporary building was shipped from Shelby, Ohio. As soon as these woodenstructures arrived, the college used them to create  a temporary campus onsome property it owned on Burns Street. The “Burns Street Campus” wascomplete with dormitory buildings and a cafeteria. The only responsibilityincurred by the college was to manage the property as long as the veteran usedit and to dispose of it at the end of the housing shortage. Soon after schoolresumed in the fall of 1946, the Burns Street campus was in full use. This was atemporary solution at best.

Burns Street dormitory, in 1946 the first of the pre-fabricated “war surplus” buildings on campus.

Burns Street cafeteria, designed to provide food service for the influx of war veterans.

Source: Keith Fennimore. The Albion College Sesquicentennial History. Albion, Michigan: Albion College. 1985.