Palmer Field

The Field Fit for a Senator

“Palmer Field.” Photo courtesy:UM Rec Sports

by Krtim Shah

Mo-Jo. Couzens. Stockwell. Alice Lloyd. And in the middle of all of them, Palmer Field. A rich history of women's activism in sports is now covered by a big white temporary dome. The Palmer Field Temporary Facility now lies over the original field (“Palmer Field”), providing students a “place to keep up with your fitness and well-being goals while the new CCRB is under construction” (“Recreational Sports”).

Originally bought in 1908 by the Women’s League, Palmer Field was named after Senator Thomas W. Palmer for his $3,000 contribution to the purchase of the then-known “Sleepy Hollow” field (“Palmer Field and the Women’s Athletic Building”). According to the article, the field was bought by the Women's League to accommodate the growing number of women on campus despite the improvements to the Barbour Gymnasium. The women on campus needed an outdoor space to use and so, the field was bought as well as a Women’s Athletic Building was built on the south end of the field where the Central Campus Recreational Building used to stand. The Women’s Athletic Building was built in 1928 and demolished in 1975 to make the CCRB. (See Bentley Historical Library's Instagram video about the history of the location HERE to see images of the location thru time.)

The namesake of the field, Thomas W. Palmer is actually quite an interesting figure. Born in Detroit, he grew up in Michigan and attended the University of Michigan for a year (Piazza). He worked in real estate in Detroit before involving himself in lumbering and agriculture. Palmer also was the first president and was on the first board of directors for the Michigan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (now Michigan Humane Society). Not only that, but he also served on the Detroit Board of Estimates in 1873, was a member of the Michigan Senate from 1879 to 1880, and served in the U.S. Senate from 1883 to 1889 (Piazza). Palmer was also Minister to Spain from 1898 to 1890 and president of the National Commission on the World's Columbian Exposition from 1890 to 1893 (Piazza). Known for being an advocate for women’s rights, homesteader rights, and immigration restrictions, he had a motto: “equal rights for all, special privileges to none" (Piazza).

Thomas W. Palmer. Photo from Political Graveyard retreived from Wikipedia

The name Palmer is originally from Ireland meaning “pilgrim to the Holy Land” from the fact these pilgrims carried palm branches (“Palmer Family History”). Senator Palmer’s first name is also relates to religion. According to BehindTheName, Thomas is the “Greek form of the Aramaic name תָּאוֹמָא (Ta'oma') meaning ‘twin’. In the New Testament, this is the name of an apostle” (Campbell). St. Thomas the apostle was also a builder, which is known as a “humble” profession (Petcova). This resonates with the spirit of the field, which is a place for anyone to come and enjoy. It isn’t stuck up or pretentious, but almost humble. Thomas is also a very common name, not dropping out of the top 100 baby names since 1900 with its peak being number eight from 1940-1955 (“Change in Name Popularity”).

Palmer Field under construction, April 7, 2023, by Krtim Shah

Nowadays, Palmer Field is under a giant white tent hence its current nickname “the bubble,” which is there to provide fitness services during the construction of the new CCRB. The new CCRB is expected to be completed before the fall 2025 semester, so until then, Palmer Field’s field will be occupied, leaving the running track around the field open (around the white tent seen in the photo to the left) (Taeckens, Kobori). The Palmer Field Temporary Facility is a 23,000 sq. ft. climate-controlled dome with 23,000 sq. ft. with 57 cardio stations, 42 free weight stations, 30 strength stations, restrooms and showers, and a running/walking track (“Recreational Sports”).

While we may have to wait two years until the new and improved Palmer Field space is fully ready for use as the CCRB, we can still remember the legacy of Senator Palmer and the need to push for equality for women and other minorities.

Works Cited

Campbell, Mike. “Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Thomas.” Behind the Name, 7 Dec. 2022, https://www.behindthename.com/name/thomas. Accessed 31 March, 2023.

“Change in Name Popularity” The United States Social Security Administration’s Baby Name Database. .https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi. Accessed 31 March, 2023.

Nadia Taeckens, Xenia Kobori. “CCRB Closes for Demolition as Replacement Facility Opens.” The Michigan Daily, 9 Dec. 2022, https://www.michigandaily.com/campus-life/umich-ccrb-closes-for-demolition-and-replacement-temporary-palmer-field-facility-to-open-in-january/. Accessed 31 March, 2023.

“Palmer Family History.” Palmer Name Meaning & Palmer Family History at Ancestry.com®, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=palmer. Accessed 31 March, 2023.

“Palmer Field and the Women's Athletic Building.” Omeka RSS, http://michiganintheworld.history.lsa.umich.edu/dangerousexperiment/exhibits/show/spaceandsegregation/the-evolution-of-women-s-space/palmerfield. Accessed 31 March, 2023.

“Palmer Field.” University of Michigan Recreational Sports, https://recsports.umich.edu/facility/palmer/. 7 April 2023.

Shah, Krtim. Palmer Field under construction. 7 April, 2023. Author’s personal collection

Petcova, Rossitsa. “St. Thomas the Apostle – Apocryphal Stories and Legends.” History and Religion, 10 Apr. 2013, https://bnr.bg/en/post/100215618/st-thomas-the-apostle-apocryphal-stories-and-legends#:~:text=As%20a%20master%20builder%20and,to%20make%20ploughs%20and%20ships. Accessed 4 April, 2023.

Piazza, Gregory. “Meet the Palmers - People for Palmer Park - Detroit, Michigan.” PEOPLE FOR PALMER PARK, 2011, https://www.peopleforpalmerpark.org/meet-the-palmers.html. Accessed 31 March, 2023.

“Recreational Sports.” Palmer Field Temporary Facility • Recreational Sports, University of Michigan, https://recsports.umich.edu/facility/palmer-field-temporary-facility/. Accessed 31 March, 2023.

Thomas W. Palmer. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_W._Palmer. 7 April, 2023

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