DePaul second president, Fr. John Martin, had a brief but eventful tenure. His term began in January 1909 and lasted until June 1910. Martin was born in LaSalle, Illinois in 1877, and was ordained in 1900. He was only 32 when he began his presidency. While President, Fr. Martin focused on managing the mounting debt brought on by a 1907 depression and the building of Byrne Hall, the College Theater and the Lyceum. He was instrumental in the development of the School of Engineering, a subject he held close to his heart as he was mechanically-minded himself. After his time at DePaul, Fr. Martin became President of St. Vincent's College in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and served as a chaplain for the U.S. Army during WWI. 

Thirteenth in a series highlighting DePaul’s campus and how it has changed through the years.

In 1906, the original St. Vincent’s College building, located at Webster and Osgood (now Kenmore) Ave, was razed to make way for bigger and better facilities. President Rev. Peter V. Byrne saw that the University was expanding rapidly after its establishment in 1898 (over 200 students were enrolled at that time), and he wanted to ensure sufficient classroom space was available. In addition to St. Vincent’s College, the DePaul Academy (also founded in 1898, as a preparatory school for St. Vincent’s College) and the DePaul High School for Girls were also growing and were quartered in the same buildings. Byrne began three ambitious building projects; the Lyceum, the College Theater, and the “Administration-College Building”. 

The Administration-College building was built in two phases. The Administration part was erected in 1905 directly next to the soon-to-be-razed St. Vincent’s College. While that building was razed and the Lyceum and College Theater were still being built, classes were held in the Administration building. The construction of the new College building took longer than first planned; the original architects, Murphy and Camp, were unaware of Chicago building codes regarding the use of wooden supports in buildings (created after the Great Fire), and the building could not get approval from the city. President Byrne hired a new architect, J. E. O. Pridmore, who also made the plans for the College Theater and Lyceum. Steel supports were added, as well as a dome on the top to allow for an observatory and telescope. The building was six stories and contained lecture halls, study rooms, laboratories, museums and a large gymnasium on the top floor.

The College building was used by DePaul for classes until 1924. At this point, DePaul Academy, which had also been located in the College building, grew large enough to need the entire edifice. The DePaul High School for Girls had also been located in the College building but closed in 1922. The College building shortly became known as the Academy building. In 1950, the Academy and the University discussed the formal separation of the two, because faculty members no longer taught at both institutions and there was no common use of facilities. The separation occurred in 1960. DePaul Academy continued to hold classes until 1968, when the financial burdens caused by the separation grew to be too much and the Academy closed after 70 years of instruction. The Academy building was turned over to DePaul University, and renamed Byrne Hall.

Eighth in a series highlighting DePaul’s campus and how it has changed through the years.

Father Peter Byrne became the first president of DePaul University (at the time known as St. Vincent’s College) five months after the College opened, on January 2nd, 1899. He served as president until 1909. Born in Ireland in 1846, Byrne immigrated to the United States at age 16. His health was not good, and he was ordained in 1866 at the early age of 20 so that "he might enjoy a few years of priesthood." Fr. Byrne confounded everyone by living until the age of 86.  

Father Byrne had big dreams for what he wanted to accomplish during his presidency, and his tenure saw many changes. In 1899, the College consisted of one building called St. Vincent's College. Byrne began ambitious building projects as the original St. Vincent’s College building became obsolete quickly. The building was razed in 1906 in order to build what is now Byrne Hall. By the time Fr. Byrne retired, St. Vincent's College had been renamed and re-chartered as DePaul University, and the campus consisted of four buildings (St. Vincent's Church, the College Theater, the Lyceum, and the Administration Building). Student enrollment had risen from 70 in the first year to 200, and tuition from $40 to $60. Father Byrne's presidency laid the seeds for the university into which DePaul has grown.

 

Seventh in a series highlighting DePaul’s campus and how it has changed through the years.

During the Roaring '20's, the Chicago Loop underwent a huge building boom. By this point, DePaul University was already a presence downtown because the Law School and the School of Commerce were at 84 E. Randolph, which DePaul rented. Due to the high real estate prices and the success of downtown classes, DePaul decided that building its own skyscraper in the area would be a wise investment.

An organization called the DePaul Educational Aid Society was created in order to lease three lots at Lake Street between Michigan and Wabash: 64, 66, and 68 E. Lake Street. The lease for this land was priced at $56,000 annually ($697,735 when adjusted for inflation to 2009 dollars). The buildings currently on these lots were razed, and in 1928 a new 17 story building was erected. The 1st and 8th- 12th floors were rented out to help defray costs for the University; the 2nd-7th floors were used by DePaul for a theater hall, administrative offices, a Secretarial School, and liberal arts classes; the 13th-16th floors were used for commerce and law, and a social lounge was created on the 17th floor. At this point, DePaul had significantly more classroom and office space in the Loop than in Lincoln Park, and served many more students there.

64 E. Lake Street was a social nexus for DePaul University students from the time it was built. Pixley and Ehlers, the restaurant that rented the 1st floor, was considered by many to be DePaul’s cafeteria. Sock-hops were held monthly on the 4th floor, and there was a healthy fraternity and sorority life at the downtown campus. The lounge (complete with jukebox!) on the 17th floor and the unused classrooms, as well as hallways and stairwells, all functioned as socializing space.

Unfortunately in 1929, the year after the building was completed, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. DePaul had trouble renting the 8th-12th floors, and soon went into debt paying the lease. The classrooms were furnished with “barely adequate equipment,” and debt haunted DePaul throughout its ownership of the building. The lease was allowed to expire and the building sold in 1963 after the Lewis Center was acquired as a gift from Frank J. Lewis. The address of the building has since changed to 70 E. Lake Street. Although DePaul no longer owns the building and its address has changed, 64 E. Lake Street still carries a piece of its history in the “DPU” medallions adorning its stone façade. 

Sixth in a series highlighting DePaul’s campus and how it has changed through the years.

Alumni Hall once stood where the Student Center is located today. Dedicated on December 16th, 1956, this building ushered DePaul into a new era in its sports history, since, before it was built, DePaul’s sports teams had to make do with the old and out-of-date facilities at “The Barn.” The two million dollar Alumni Hall boasted such amenities as a fully equipped training room with “modern whirlpool baths,” two basketball courts, a 5300 person seating capacity, space for the DePaul College of Physical Education, a cafeteria, and a student and alumni lounge. In addition to becoming the home for DePaul’s sports teams, Alumni Hall offered much needed campus space for lectures, assemblies, commencement, academic conferences and concerts by DePaul’s School of Music.

Through the years, Alumni Hall played host to many well-known guests. The Bulls used Alumni Hall as a practice stadium in the 1960’s and 70’s, Muhammad Ali fought an exhibition there in 1979, and Dick Vitale debuted on ESPN there the same year. Mike Tyson also fought an exhibition at Alumni Hall in 1987. And in 1975, the Iranian Student Association paid $10,000 (enough for a new coat of paint for the building) to hold their national convention at Alumni Hall. For four days, four years prior to the fall of the Shah, they discussed and rallied for an overthrow of his government.

Most importantly for DePaul, Ray Meyer coached and won many of his games from the confines of the building. As Ray Meyer and the DePaul Basketball team won more and more victories, attendance at the games swelled. Eventually the Blue Demons began playing most of their games at Allstate Arena to accommodate their rapidly growing fan base, where they still play today. In June 2000, Alumni Hall was demolished to make way for the new Student Center.

Fifth in a series highlighting DePaul’s campus and how it has changed through the years.

DePaul University did not start out life with this name; instead, it was founded as Saint Vincent’s College in 1898. When the current Saint Vincent DePaul Church was built at the corner of Webster and Sheffield in 1895, the old Saint Vincent’s Church, originally built in 1875 and located at the corner of Webster Ave. and Osgood St. (now Kenmore Ave.), was converted into a classroom space for the soon-to-be incorporated Saint Vincent’s College. This building, along with a five acre plot of land called, “Father Smith’s Farm,” after the Vincentian who founded the parish, made up the original campus. The students and Vincentians used this land to play baseball between and after classes. And while the title “College” implies a certain type and age of student body, Saint Vincent’s College actually served a mixture of secondary (high school) and collegiate students. 

Father Byrne was the first president of Saint Vincent’s College, and his grandiose plans for the future led to a building boom (and associated debt) which included the College Theater and the Lyceum, built in 1907. These new buildings along with an accompanying rise in educational programs (including a school of engineering and a pre-med program) led to the rechartering of Saint Vincent’s College as DePaul University on December 24th, 1907. Unfortunately, the Saint Vincent’s College building did not survive to see the day; it was razed in 1906 in order to make way for a “bigger and better” building- what is now Byrne Hall.

Fourth in a series highlighting DePaul’s campus and how it has changed through the years.

The College Theater has one of the most interesting histories of any DePaul University building. It was built in 1907 by the architect John Pridmore and was located at 2219 N. Sheffield, where the Ray Meyer Fitness Center now stands. The Theater was beautifully designed; it followed the Grecian style, with a large dome and no pillars to obstruct anyone’s view of the stage. The walls were painted with ornate murals. The Vincentians received criticism for hosting plays in the theater, as some people felt that priests should not be involved in such worldly activities. However, the Vincentians believed that they could edify the student body and Chicago citizens by hosting plays “devoted to the highest and best drama” (free, of course, from “murder, suicide, and kissing.”).  The Vincentians also had another hope. At the time, the University was suffering under $500,000 in debt, and they believed that ticket sales from a popular theater could help pay it off.
The Theater did not prove as successful as the Vincentians had hoped, and with the advent of World War I the building was turned into barracks for the Student Army Training Corps. After the end of the war, the Theater was remodeled into a gymnasium, called the University Auditorium (or,“The Barn”). The Blue Demon basketball team played here from 1920 to 1957, and Ray Meyer coached the team to numerous victories from inside those walls. However, as the team got more successful, the Auditorium became too small and Alumni Hall was built as a larger venue for the basketball team. Throughout its history, the College Theater served as a venue for student activities such as dances, commencement exercises, lectures, debates and assemblies. Unfortunately, “The Barn” caught fire in 1967 and was torn down in 1976. 

Third in a series highlighting DePaul’s campus and how it has changed through the years.

Can you guess which building this is?

 

 

The Schmitt Academic Center didn’t always look like the building that we see today. Although it now connects to O’Connell and Levan, when first constructed SAC stood alone. Named after Arthur J. Schmitt, a noted inventor and philanthropist, SAC was built in 1967 in order to house classrooms, faculty offices, and the university library.

Although it may not be obvious to the general eye, the SAC building won the Concrete Contractor’s Association Superior Craftsmanship Award for “superior concrete construction” in 1968. The next year, in 1969, SAC was taken over by the Black Student Union in order to demand better education for African-American students at DePaul. In 1992, the Richardson Library was built, which eventually connected to SAC through a hallway, and then in 2001, the SAC, O’Connell, and Levan buildings were renovated and joined, obscuring the front view of SAC.

Today SAC remains a vital part of campus life, though it has changed a great deal throughout the years.
   

 

Every student who goes to DePaul has probably grumbled about the CTA’s current Brown Line Expansion Project, but what they might not know is that the project actually started five years ago. In 2003, the Hayes-Healy Athletic Center, which was located at 940 W. Belden, was razed to make room for the expanded Fullerton station that is now in its final phase.

Hayes-Healy was originally built by the McCormick Theological Seminary in 1929. Under McCormick, it was known was Waterman Gymnasium and it was used for basketball and handball, as well as office space. When DePaul purchased the Seminary’s buildings in 1976, the Gymnasium was re-named for two benefactors of DePaul, John and Ramona (nee Hayes) Healy. It was built in the “collegiate gothic” style which was most popular in the 1920’s. Hayes-Healy was used for many different purposes by DePaul, though mainly for athletic offices and storage; when Hayes-Healy was purchased, DePaul already played sports matches in The Barn and Alumni Hall.

Stay tuned for more fun facts and photos of long-lost DePaul buildings!

Every fall, students descend onto DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus in droves. The new students rush around, trying to learn where everything is and get to class on time, and the returning students rush around trying to meet up with friends who they haven’t seen all summer. Few pay attention to the remarkable buildings of the campus, and even fewer take the time to imagine the campus as it was 20, 40, or even 60 years ago. This post is the first in a series called “Bygone DePaul” that will allow you to slowly stroll the Lincoln Park campus and picture what used to be. First up: The Lyceum!

The Lyceum was a two-floor building located at 2235 N. Sheffield, where the Ray Meyer Fitness Center now stands. The building was opened in 1907. Many of its rooms were “distinctively” furnished by the Mandel Brothers, a large department store located in the Loop. These rooms were used by DePaul’s clubs and by outside organizations for meetings and parties. The building also held the College Grill, a fancy eating establishment meant to serve patrons of the College Theater which stood next door.

Over time, the Lyceum served many academic uses as well. It held DePaul University classes almost as soon as it was opened. From 1910 to 1911, the DePaul High School for Girls was located there. In 1912, the DePaul School of Music moved in and remained until 1930. And in 1930, the Liberal Arts library was moved to the second floor, and the President’s Offices moved to the first. At this time, the Lyceum also began to be known as the Library and Administration building.

The Lyceum was razed in 1987, but if you stop by Special Collections on the third floor of the Richardson Library, you can relive DePaul’s history by touching a piece of decorative plaster from the Lyceum itself.