The Western State Normal Railroad , also known as the Normal Railroad or Western Trolley , was a funicular which operated on the campus of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan , in the United States from 1908–1949. It is the only known example of a private railroad operated by a university.
15-416: In the early 1900s the primary campus of Western Michigan University, then known as Western State Normal School, was located on Prospect Hill (this area is now known as East Campus ). To reach the buildings students and faculty faced a forbidding 105 step-climb, often in inclement weather. In an effort to address this problem, the school constructed a funicular along the northeast corner of the hill. The base of
30-428: A project to build a replica of one of the trolleys. This proved no easy task: following the closure of the railroad in 1949, no effort was made to preserve the cars. The only physical remnant was a bench saved by a faculty member; while there were sketches and photographs for reference, no actual blueprints had survived. Commenting on the situation a WMU official remarked that "back then was a period in history so intent on
45-494: Is a collection of buildings and facilities situated on the 60-acre (240,000 m ) hilltop campus that is the original site of Western Michigan University . It includes some of WMU's athletic facilities including Waldo Stadium , Hyames Field , Ebert Field and the Donald Seelye Athletic Center. The campus sits on the top of Prospect Hill, which overlooks the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan . Most of
60-535: The Speech and Hearing building on WMU's East Campus were demolished. The original portion of East Hall was retained, but North Hall and the two side wings of East Hall came down. East Hall reopened in 2015 as Heritage Hall, home to the WMU Alumni Center. In addition to the renovation of East Hall, the portico of North Hall was preserved and positioned just north of East Hall. The campus currently includes
75-637: The University's archives collection located in East Hall until moving to the new Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center in 2013. In December 2012, WMU announced plans to demolish several of the historic buildings in Summer 2013. Demolition included the following buildings: A new parking lot and green space areas was planned to replace the razed buildings. The Friends of Historical East Campus and Students For East Campus attempted to save
90-567: The academic and administrative functions of the university have moved to West Campus. Walwood Union was renovated in 1992 and converted into administrative offices. WMU has found limited uses for East Hall and the rest of historic East Campus. The original tract of land on which the Western State Normal School was built was donated by the City of Kalamazoo. It consisted of 20 acres (81,000 m ) on Prospect Hill, overlooking
105-766: The ceiling. East Hall was listed with the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and the East Campus was placed on the register in 1990 as the Western State Normal School Historic District . Both of these historic places were delisted by NRHP on March 7, 2017. With the construction of the Richmond Center for the Visual Arts, artist's studios were no longer located in East Hall, leaving only
120-575: The city, accessible either by walking up from Davis Street on the east or via Asylum Road (now known as Oakland Drive). The first building, the Administration Building (East Hall), was completed and occupied on September 1, 1905. John Charles Olmsted of the renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape firm had devised a landscape and planting plan for the new campus. The plan was well received, but financial considerations prevented it from being implemented. By 1909 two wings had been added to
135-580: The first building. Further buildings were erected on the Prospect Hill until the university began to construct its West Campus in the late 1940s. Many aspects of East Campus were left "as is" during the move to the West Campus, with many undesirable items simply left behind. This includes anything from old announcements and bulletins left hanging on the walls to old audio/visual equipment. The 1970 campus plan's only defined plan for East Campus
150-404: The following buildings and facilities (erection date in parentheses): Former buildings and facilities: From the beginning, access to the Prospect Hill site was an issue because of the steep grade elevating it above the city. In 1907, funds were appropriated for an electric railway. "Normal's Railroad", or the "Western Trolley", carried people up and down the hill from its base on Davis Street to
165-433: The future, that everyone started forgetting about the past." Despite these challenges, the students successfully completed their project, which was unveiled April 8, 2003, and currently occupies a place near Floyd Hall on Western's Parkview campus. Local residents and Western alumni who had ridden the trolley testified to the authenticity of the restoration. East Campus (Western Michigan University) East Campus
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#1732791889385180-403: The line was at Davis Street, while the summit lay between East Hall and North Hall. There were two tracks, each with a cable-hauled car. At its peak the railroad carried 2,280 passengers daily, but rising maintenance costs combined with the growing usage of the automobile hastened its demise, and it carried its last passenger in 1949. In 2002 four senior engineering majors at WMU embarked on
195-438: The original buildings on Prospect Hill which were not used to capacity and required renovations suitable for the next projected use of the buildings. This site on Prospect Hill is an historically significant site to the City of Kalamazoo as well as a well placed landmark visible from many parts of the city. Neglect of vegetation near the apex of Prospect Hill obscured the view of the majestic buildings. In August 2013 West Hall and
210-440: The summit at the grassy lawn between East and North Halls. It operated until 1949, by which time the campus was moving in new directions and the automobile was making inroads as the preferred method of travel. 42°17′12″N 85°35′51″W / 42.286643°N 85.597531°W / 42.286643; -85.597531 Oakland Drive Campus#Zhang Legacy Collections Center Too Many Requests If you report this error to
225-532: Was for the maintenance and athletics facilities along Stadium Drive and for "park areas" along Davis Street. Some of the space was used by university's Art Department for studio use and occasional faculty office space. East Hall housed the Western Michigan University Archives in the old school gymnasium . There was little to no renovation to the original gym, as the original floor was intact, along with fitness ropes that hung from
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