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Mason Hall. Photo source
The History of One of the University of Michigan's Oldest Buildings
The History of One of the University of Michigan's Oldest Buildings
by Esa Khan
Every day I walk to the "fishbowl" computer labs in Mason Hall to finish my hours of homework. Never would I have guessed that a location with so much technology would have such long, rich history.
Mason Hall was named after Stevens T. Mason, Michigan's first governor.
He received the nickname “boy governor” for being the youngest governor elected in the United States at 24 (Chardavoyne). Unfortunately, Governor Mason had a premature death at the age of 31, yet he still accomplished a lot within a short period of time (Sobel).
One of Mason's most notable accomplishments was his adoption of Michigan's universal education system, which helped pave the road for equality in America, according to the National Governors Association. According to Bentley Historical Library, Mason was honored after his passing renaming the University Main Building to Mason Hall. The structure was constructed in 1841 and was originally intended to be a dormitory and a school facility, but it is now largely utilized for classrooms.
Stevens T. Mason. Photo Courtesy: nga.org
Mason Hall has a long history of being renovated and demolished. First, in 1856, a portion of Mason Hall was converted to house the University Library and Museum ("Museum in Mason Hall"). Mason Hall was then connected to South College in 1871, a construct that cost roughly $133,000 at the time ("Mason Hall"). The combined structure was known as University Hall, but the north and south quads were still known as Mason Hall and South College. Finally, the building complex was demolished in 1950, but another building was built in 1952, connecting to Angell Hall which is currently named Mason Hall. ("Museum in Mason Hall").
Stevens T. Mason has a unique first name. Though the name Stevens is "patronymic from the personal name Steven" (ancestry.com), their name popularity is widely varied. Interestingly, the name “Stevens” has not been popular compared to Steven. Statistics from Social Security Administration (SSA) report that the name “Stevens” has not been in the top 1,000 first names in the past century while the lowest the name “Steven” has made it as high as the top ten and the other spelling Stephen routinely made the top 30. The SSA even reports the name Mason even made the top two first names for boys in 2010 and 2011. (Apparently the jump in popularity came from Kourtney Kardashian naming her son Mason, who was born and featured int he reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" ("Mason").) The name Mason comes from the occupational name, meaning stoneworker, according to BehindTheName.com. The name history website also says Steven is the Medival English form of Stephen, both coming from the Greek name Stephanos, "meaning "crown, wreath", more precisely "that which surrounds" ("Stephen").
Throughout the University of Michigan's history, the school has always made a point of honoring the state's first governor. Although the original building that was named for Stevens T. Mason was demolished, the university decided to memorialize him. The first governor demonstrated concern for inclusion, which is also one of the University of Michigan's primary goals as a school. Despite this, they only have one structure named after a person of color. I wonder if it will change in the next few years, given that many individuals have recently advocated for greater diversity and representation of people of color.
Works Cited
Chardavoyne, David G. Michigan Historical Review, vol. 40, no. 1, 2014, pp. 112–14. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.5342/michhistrevi.40.1.0112.
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.
“Museum in Mason Hall / North Wing of University Hall, Ca. 1887 (?).” Bentley Historical Library: Bentley Image Bank, https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-hs892/hs892.
“Demolition of Haven Hall and Mason Hall - University of Michigan, September 1950.” Demolition of Haven Hall and Mason Hall - University of Michigan, September 1950 | Ann Arbor District Library, https://aadl.org/N035_0910_001.
"Mason." BehindTheName.com. https://www.behindthename.com/name/mason
“Mason Hall” A Historical Tour of the University of Michigan Campus, https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-
well.
"Stephen." BehindTheName.com. https://www.behindthename.com/name/stephen
"Stevens T. Mason." State Legislatures, vol. 36, no. 8, Sept. 2010, p. 7. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A236248324/AONE?u=umuser&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=8e07fff6.
“Stevens Thomson Mason.” National Governors Association, https://www.nga.org/governor/stevens-thomson-mason/.
"Popular Baby Names." U.S. Social Security Administration. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/.
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