Kresge Hall

S.S. Kresge: Unsung in Business, Unforgettable in Education

by Jayant Namdhari

Historically, important figures that have had a large impact on the world continue to be known throughout their lifespans. Whether it be Steve Jobs with Apple, Sam Walton with Walmart, or even James Cash Penney with JCPenney, a person’s greatest accomplishments are often tied to their namesakes. For Sebastian Spering Kresge, his greatest namesakes go past those on retail buildings into the halls of academia.

Kresge Hall Exterior. Photo courtesy: UM

Sebastian Spering Kresge. Photo Source

S. S. Kresge was an American businessman that both established and expanded the S.S. Kresge Company and the Kresge-Newark department store chain, including KMart, which opened its first store in Garden City, Michigan in 1962 (Gaur). While the stores ended up having a major impact on the lives of millions of discount shoppers for decades, they don’t have a significant presence today. Kresge had a significant attachment to Michigan and UM, despite never attending college himself. A 2019 Bridge Michigan article says his foundation continues to invest in “improving life outcomes for children in Detroit” (Levin) via over “$50 [million] pledged to childcare programs” in 2017 alone.

Kresge’s presence at the university began in 1954 with the construction of the Kresge Research Building. Through its construction, in conjunction with the Medical Library, the Kresge Complex helped in “bringing together the collections of the Medical School, Hospital and Nursing School” (Howell). Unfortunately, by 2009, the complex and its many buildings had become too old to conduct relevant modern medical practice or research leading to their subsequent $9.7 million dollar demolition (Woodhouse). However, to continue honoring Kresge, the business school’s administrative library was named after him.

On February 16th, 2016, after a name change request issued by the Kresge Foundation, the Kresge Business Administration Library changed its name to Kresge Hall (Blake). Various other buildings unrelated to the UM's business school are also named after him on campus as well, including Kresge Library Services, Kresge Hearing Research Institute at Michigan Medicine, and Kresge Medical Research Buildings I - III. The University of California at Santa Cruz, Wayne State, Harvard, Berkeley, and many other academic institutions across the nation have buildings with his name on them (Detroit Historical Society Editors).

Kresge Auditorium at MIT. Photo source.

The name Kresge is likely an Americanized version of the German name Kreske, according to Ancestry.com. Kreske's origins can be traced back to the ancient German word meaning eager or hungry and a German version of the name Christian, the website says. The name Sebastian is derived from the Greek word sebastos meaning "venerable," according to Behindthename.com.

Ultimately, while Kresge Hall has a significant presence at Ross, Michigan, and many other institutions across the country, his largest accomplishments stem from the work that he did that affects the lives of millions every day. Whether it be a hall in the business school or a standalone building complex in the broader university, it’s important to recognize Kresge’s historical impact and that the naming of a building is just one way in which that’s honored. So Sam Walton might have Walmart, and James Penney might have JCPenney, but Sebastian Spering Kresge has an impact on the lives of millions of young college students across the nation, something that is arguably more relevant going forward.

Works Cited

Blake, Allison D. “Homepage.” Authorization to Change the Name of the Kresge Business Administration Library in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Regents Board of the University of Michigan, 16 Feb. 2016, https://regents.umich.edu/files/meetings/02-16/2016-02-IX-4.pdf.

Detroit Historical Society Editors. “Encyclopedia of Detroit.” Detroit Historical Society - Where the Past Is Present, https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/kresge-sebastian-s.

Gaur, Akanksha. “S.S. Kresge.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/S-S-Kresge.

Kresge Foundation. “Grants Awarded.” Kresge Foundation, 3 July 2020, https://kresge.org/grants-social-investments/grants-awarded/page/27/?award_keyword&award_year&award_funding_area=human-services&organization_location&sort=recent.

Howell, Joel. “Telling Michigan's Story.” Telling Michigan's Story | Medicine at Michigan, Mar. 2016, https://medicineatmichigan.org/history/2016/spring/telling-michigans-story.

Levin, Koby. “These Foundations Have Poured Millions into Detroit Childcare. They're Ready to 'Accelerate'.” Bridge Michigan, 31 May 2019, https://www.bridgemi.com/urban-affairs/these-foundations-have-poured-millions-detroit-childcare-theyre-ready-accelerate.

Woodhouse, Kellie. “Michigan Memories: 5 Major University of Michigan Buildings Demolished over Past 100 Years.” AnnArbor.com, 10 June 2012, https://www.annarbor.com/news/earlier-this-week-annarborcom-reported/.

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