Embedded Files
Walter Perry’s name is still visible on the building, March 28, 2024. Photo by Andrew Kwon.
Ann Arbor Educator Remembered
Ann Arbor Educator Remembered
by Andrew Kwon
Many buildings around the University of Michigan's campus have deep and rich histories intertwined within the Ann Arbor community. Some buildings, like the Perry Building, are named after figures from the history of Ann Arbor. If you wander around the southern outskirts of campus, you might encounter this quaint building seemingly hiding in plain sight. Inside, you'll find the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) program, a department within the Institute for Social Research, providing access to a “vast archive of social science data for research and instruction” (“Centers"). The Perry building is interesting in name and in its history.
Named the Walter S. Perry School when it first opened in 1902 as an elementary school, it was built by architect William A. Otis (“A Chronology”). During WWII, the school would get funding from the Lanham Act, which was “created to free mothers to work in the defense industry” (Shackman). Post WWII, the United Way would acquire the building and focus on serving single, divorced, or widowed women (Shackman). After being purchased by UMich in 1967 and renamed the Perry Building, it was renovated twice, once from 2000-2002 and again from 2004-2006, both being expansions to accommodate the growing needs of the Institute of Social Research. Additionally, new systems (such as plumbing and heating) were implemented to bring the building up to modern standards (“Perry Building Addition”). This would transform the building into what it is today, a multi-storied building that preserves the original architecture as well as adding newer parts to the building (“Perry Building Addition”). When looking at the building now and comparing to historical photos, you can see much of the original Perry School was kept.
Perry Building main lobby/entrance, March 28, 2024, by Andrew Kwon.
Photo of Walter S. Perry. Photo courtesy of the Washtenaw County Historical Society via Ann Arbor District Library.
The building's named after Walter Scott Perry, an Ann Arbor schools superintendent from 1870 to 1896 (“Fine”). He was seen in the community as an “upright, conscience, and sincere” person. During Perry’s tenure, he grew the school from 250 students to 645, showing his great impact on expanding education throughout the Ann Arbor area (“Fine”).
The name Perry has several meanings and can be used both as a first and last name. The English surname is thought to be a derivative of the French name Pierre, often “given to those who were the son or lineage of a person of that name” (“Origins”). Perry is also said to mean a person who worked with pear trees, derived from the word pirie meaning pear tree (“Origins”).
Today, the Perry Building might look like a quiet and forgotten part of campus, but it is still rich with history. From the various contributions of its namesake Walter S. Perry to the Ann Arbor community to its many roles over the years, it is a well established piece of Ann Arbor and UMich history. The Perry Building stands as both a time machine to the Ann Arbor of old and as a reflection of our growing school.
Works Cited
“A Chronology of University of Michigan Buildings, 1840-2022.” Bentley Historical Library. https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/campus_tour/chronology.php. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
“Centers.” The Institute of Social Research. http://home.isr.umich.edu/about/contact-us/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
“Fine Educator Dead.” Ann Arbor Argus, 17 Dec. 1897, p. 1. Ann Arbor District Library, https://aadl.org/node/150584. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
Kwon, Andrew. Perry Building main lobby/entrance. 28 Mar. 2024. Author’s personal collection.
Kwon, Andrew. Walter Perry’s namesake still visible on the building. 28 Mar. 2024. Author’s personal collection.
“Origins of the Perry surname.” Find My Past. findmypast.co.uk/surname/perry. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
“Perry Building.” Displaced Histories. https://umich-hist-399.github.io/campus histories/summaries/perrybuilding. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
“Perry Building Addition.” The University of Michigan Architecture, Engineering, and Construction, https://umaec.umich.edu/projects/completed-projects/perry-building-addition/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
“Perry Building Addition And Renovation.”The University of Michigan Architecture, Engineering, and Construction, https://umaec.umich.edu/projects/completed-projects/perry-building-addition-and-renovation/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
“Perry Building Renovation and Addition.” DeMaria. https://www.demariabuild.com/projects/perry-building-phase-i-2-renovation/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
"Perry School/BL004914." In the digital collection Bentley Historical Library: Bentley Image Bank. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-bl004914/bl004914. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
Shackman, Grace. “Which Perry? There’s good news for everyone who has ever confused the two Perry preschools.” The Ann Arbor Observer. 15 June, 2015. https://annarborobserver.com/which-perry/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
“Walter S. Perry.” Washtenaw County Historical Society photo. Ann Arbor District Library. https://aadl.org/aafounders_perry. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024.
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