Honors Cottage (1890)

Principal Gilchrist left his position in 1886 and was succeeded by President Homer Seerley. Seerley, his wife Clara (Twaddle), and their three children moved into the principal's apartment in Old Gilchrist Hall. In 1888, a Visiting Committee from the General Assembly came to inspect the campus facilities. In addition to making recommendations on ventilation, waste disposal and the water supply system, the Committee stated the President's living quarters needed considerable improvement: “...the principal and his family were compelled to live in two small rooms of the new building, with only an extra room across the hall for [the] bedroom; and that even in this crowded condition he allowed one lady student to room with them."

The Committee’s review highlighted that a classroom building was not a suitable living space for a family. Furthermore, the college needed additional space for classes due to increased enrollment. The Normal School Board of Directors addressed the 1890 General Assembly about this problem: "We cannot much longer induce anyone fitted by education and skill to fill the position of presidency of the normal school, to give up the comforts and privacy of his own house and consent to bring up his family without the restraints and influences which are so potent in every well-regulated home… the president has no time which he can call his own, and is never free from interruption… regulations which… must be unsuited to a family of little children… [a new home] was a matter of justice to the president and of usefulness to the school."

The General Assembly included $6,000 in the biennial appropriation for the Normal School in 1890 to be used for a "president's cottage." At the Normal School Board of Directors meeting on April 18, 1890, President Seerley and Resident Director Fields were requested to seek plans and specifications for a new house "from local architects if possible." By the time of the next meeting, on May 20, 1890, J.E. Robinson and W.A. Robinson had each submitted plans. The Board favored the plans from W.A. Robinson, with bids to be considered at the June meeting and work to be completed by October 1, 1890. The Board also determined that "the cottage be located near the North East corner of campus facing the street." W. A. Robinson would receive $75 for his plans and specifications.

On June 10, 1890, the Board rejected all bids for the project. Immediately thereafter, they invited J.E. Robinson to their meeting. He and the board held a discussion, then Robinson left to allow the Board to deliberate. Afterwards, the Board awarded the building contract for the President’s Cottage to Robinson. Work would follow W.A. Robinson’s plans, except most brick would be local and only the outer layer would be Gladbrook brick. The Board would bear the expense of excavating the foundation as well as hauling brick, foundation stone, sand and window frames to the building site. J.E. Robinson would furnish the rest of the materials and be paid a total of $5,000 for the work and materials.

Work was completed quickly. On December 4, 1890, the Board accepted the Cottage from Robinson. The Board gave the remainder of the Cottage Fund, about $450, to President Seerley to be used for furnishing the Cottage. The Normal Eyte student newspaper offered a brief description of the cottage in January 1892. The building was built of brick on a boulder foundation. It measured 54 x 38 feet and had a slate roof. The heating system 

combined steam and hot air. Water came from the city system, but there was also a cistern to collect rainwater. The full basement included a furnace room, vegetable room, and laundry. The first level included two parlors, a study, and a kitchen. The second floor included bedrooms, a bathroom, and a sewing room. There were porches on the east and south sides.

By early 1908 there were plans for a new home for the President. The Board confirmed in September 1909 that the old college would be converted into a hospital for college students as soon as the Seerley family moved into the new President’s House. Previously, seriously ill students were confined to their rooming houses. Additionally, the college made an insurance plan available to students: for $1 per term, students would be able to use the hospital if the need arose. Hospitalized students' room and board fees, about $3 per week, would go to the hospital. Students who chose not to pay the fee would be treated at the hospital for about $7 per week as space allowed.

The former President's Cottage opened as the College Hospital on November 2, 1909, with nurse Anne Potter in charge. In December 1909, the student newspaper reported four students were in the hospital, including a student recovering from an appendectomy. In the same issue, President Seerley outlined the administrative organization of the hospital:

• The President was the chief executive of the hospital.
• The administrative management of the hospital was assigned to the Dean of Women, the Head Nurse, and the hospital housekeeper.
• The hospital would assume no responsibility for treating those with small pox or other serious contagious diseases that were under the authority of the State Board of Health.
• The College would permit any "reputable, authorized, practicing physician" to treat patients in the hospital, but patients would be responsible for any associated charges or fees.
• The President's Office was responsible for admitting patients to the hospital

News of students who were resting or convalescing in the hospital soon became a regular part of the "Local News" section of the student newspaper. Sometimes descriptions of medical problems were vague, but specific problems included diseases as serious as typhoid fever. The program was successful enough for the hospital to remain open during the 1910 summer session. The University of Iowa inquired about the program, especially the voluntary insurance plan. Also in summer 1910, officials from the city of Cedar Falls conferred with the Board of Education about the possibility of coordinating construction of a joint city/college hospital.

In November 1911, an outbreak of typhoid fever overwhelmed the College Hospital’s capacity. By mid-November, at least 20 students had the disease. The College Hospital was full, as was the College Hill rooming house at 2521 Walnut Street, which was rented by the college. If the disease continued to spread, the Gymnasium would be used as a temporary hospital. By November 22, 1911, three students had died, including two at the College Hospital. The outbreak gradually diminished over the next few months. In mid-January 1912, the College discontinued the rental house at Walnut Street and brought the final patients to recover at the College Hospital. The state employed at least twelve nurses during the outbreak.

In May 1912, the Board of Education authorized the construction of a new "emergency" hospital building to be used exclusively for students with serious contagious diseases. The building would be 28 x 32 feet and accommodate 15 patients. Superintendent James E. Robinson would be in charge of construction. Most of the work on the building was likely accomplished during summer and early fall 1912. 

The college used these two buildings to meet student healthcare needs. The former President's Cottage was open almost constantly and used for relatively routine, non-contagious patients. The “emergency” or "detention" building was open as needed and used for more serious matters. In 1917, for example, the emergency hospital opened after Christmas and did not close until May. A College Eye editorial writer included a new or greatly expanded hospital system among suggestions for necessary campus improvements. The writer believed the current capacity, 10 patients in the old building and 12 in the new, was inadequate. In 1924, two houses were moved to campus to join the 1912 building to form a new hospital complex on the south edge of campus. The first College Hospital building was retired. 

Original plans called for the former College Hospital to become a model facility for the Department of Home Economics, but in March 1926, the college received a $22,500 grant from the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial. The grant would begin in September 1926 and would focus on child study and parent education, conducted by the Department of Teaching and the Extension Service. The old President's Cottage was remodeled to accommodate work with pre-kindergarten children. Professor Ilse Forest and Marjorie Momyer were in charge of this pioneering effort. The nursery was used as a site for laboratory experience in a course called "Child Development." ISTC students observed and did practice teaching with the children at the nursery as well as with K-4 students in the Training School.

The end of the grant coincided with President Seerley's announcement he would retire in August 1928. He had served as president of the college for 42 years, since 1886. State officials were uncertain about their responsibilities to a retiring President; they had no formal retirement plan, and there was no precedent at ISTC about what a former President should do or where they would live. The Board decided to remodel the former President's Cottage and to allow President Seerley and his wife Clara to live there after his retirement. They moved back into the old cottage, where their family had lived from 1890 until 1909. President Seerley suffered a stroke on January 20, 1932, but recovered. He became ill again in November and died in his home on December 23, 1932. Services were held at his home before burial in Fairview Cemetery, Cedar Falls. Clara remained in the house until her death in November 1934. Services were held at the house before her burial at Fairview Cemetery.

Likely by Fall 1935, Dean of the Faculty Martin J. Nelson and his family had moved into the house. President Orval Latham had developed the Dean of the Faculty position as part of his administrative organization plan. Nelson and Cora (Jenson), his wife, had two children: Morton and Joyce. The Nelson family lived in the house until 1959, when Nelson retired.

When he was appointed to succeed Nelson as Dean of Instruction and Dean of the College in 1959, Vice President William C. Lang and his family moved into the house. Lang and his wife Esther (Bucholz) had two daughters, Barbara Ann and Mary Margaret. In 1966, a reporter from the College Eye interviewed Esther Lang in the house. She began by noting the house was not provided free to the Deans by the college. Both the Nelsons and Langs paid rent and furnished the house themselves. The families used the house primarily as a residence, although they would hold occasional receptions there. Lang said the library, kitchen, parlor, and dining room were located on the first floor. The upstairs included three large bedrooms. When William Lang announced that he would be stepping down from administration to return to teaching in 1970, the house became available for other use.

In December 1969, the Board of Regents authorized the idea of a "culture house" or "culture center" at UNI, although funding was not assured. In spring 1970, President J.W. Maucker proposed the former Dean's Residence could be the culture house. In June 1970, the Board of Regents endorsed this idea. After raising money and hiring staff, the Ethnic Minorities Cultural and Educational Center (EMCEC) officially opened on February 23, 1971. Its purpose was to provide a place for minority students to meet, share concerns and teach others about their cultural heritage. For more than 30 years, the students and staff at the EMCEC provided a program of speakers, music, exhibitions, readings, variety shows, discussions and other events for campus. However, the building required constant repairs and upgrades, was relatively small, situated at the edge of campus, and had a poor layout for some programming. Therefore, a new Center for Multicultural Education (CME) was included in an addition to Maucker Union and dedicated April 29, 2004.