North Quadrangle Residential Complex

North Quadrangle Residential Complex. Photo courtesy: Michigan.org.

All Hail President Frieze

by Shania McAdoo

The University of Michigan’s North Quadrangle Residential Complex (North Quad) is the newest on-campus dorm. Considered one of the most luxurious, North Quad is 360,000 square feet and worth an estimated 175 million (Lancaster ). The dorm is also known for its dining hall, which features ethnically diverse food. When North Quad opened in 2010, it was renowned for its architecture, which gives viewers a look into Ann Arbor History (Allen). While the building is relatively new, the space has a long history on campus.

In 1907, 105 South State Street (North Quad’s address) was the home of Ann Arbor High School and Carnegie Library. This complex was funded by Andrew Carnegie and designed by the Architectural firm of Malcolmson and Higginbotham in the Beaux Arts Classical Style (“Carnegie Library"). The Ann Arbor High School and Carnegie Library moved to different sides of Ann Arbor in 1956 and UM purchased the building and named it in honor of Henry Simmons Frieze, the first dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) and president of the university from 1869-1871 (Frieze).

Former Carnegie Library turned into Frieze Building at UM just before demolition began from March 2007. Photo by Jim Howe on Flickr.com.

Henry Simmons Frieze. Photo courtesy of the Washtenaw County Historical Society

Born September 15, 1817, Frieze was a Brown University graduate who also served as an instructor at Brown University’s Grammar School from 1841 until 1854 (“Henry Simmons Frieze”). Frieze moved to Ann Arbor in 1854 where he was called to succeed Professor Haven as the Professor of Latin Language Literature at UM. In 1869, Frieze was selected as acting president of the University of Michigan (“Henry Simmons Frieze”). During Frieze's presidency, there were many important changes, the two most significant being the introduction of co-education and a diploma system of admission (“Henry Simmons Frieze”).

Although Frieze wasn’t entirely responsible for the admission of women onto the university’s campus, he can be credited with admission to the university without entrance examinations (needs source). This meant students that graduated from high schools that a faculty committee at the university approved could be directly admitted to the university. Frieze’s first presidency ended in 1871, but he served again from 1880 through 1882 and then from 1887 through 1888. During these periods of his presidency, the university established schools of political science and mechanical engineering (needs source).

It’s noted in the University of Michigan’s Faculty History website that “all his pupils bear loving testimony to the inspiration and charm of his teaching. They caught from him the appreciation of what is finest and best in literature. The purity and beauty of his character left their impression upon all who came under his influence.” The website goes onto say “he actively encouraged the development of graduate work. He was ever seeking to elevate the range and enrich the character of university teaching. No man except President Tappan has done so much to give to the university its present form and spirit” ("Henry Simmons Frieze").

In 2007, the building bearing the name Henry Simmons Frieze was demolished, though some important elements from the high school and library were saved and re-used on the site that would become North Quad in 2010. This includes three column capitals that can be found in the interior courtyards in the landscape and the classical façade of the Carnegie Library (see photo 2 above), which became incorporated into the entrance facing Huron Street (“Carnegie Library").

Works Cited

Lancaster, Franklin D. “University of Michigan North Quad.” Consulting-Specifying Engineer, Vol. 50, No. 1, Jan. 2013, https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA339733165&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=08925046&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=umuser Accessed 29 Mar. 2023

Allen, Jeremy. “U-M's newest dorm makes list of 'Most Luxurious Student Housing Buildings' in America.” Michigan Live, 31 Mar. 2015, https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2015/03/u-ms_newest_dorm_makes_list_of.html Accessed 29 Mar. 2023

“Carnegie Library and Frieze Building Artifacts.” Museums and Cultural Attractions University of Michigan, https://arts.umich.edu/museums-cultural-attractions/carnegie-library-and-frieze-building-artifacts/ Accessed 29 Mar. 2023

Howe, Jim. "Carnegie Library - Saved (partially)." https://www.flickr.com/photos/jhoweaa/436923541/ Accessed 25 April 2023.

“Henry Simmons Frieze Administration.” University of Michigan’s Faculty History, http://umhistory.dc.umich.edu/history/Faculty_History/Presidents/Henry_Simmons_Frieze_Administration.html Accessed 29 Mar. 2023

“Henry Simmons Frieze.” University of Michigan’s Faculty History, http://umhistory.dc.umich.edu/history/Faculty_History/F/Frieze,_Henry_Simmons.html#:~:text=Many%20important%20changes%20in%20university%20methods%20were%20due,advocate%20of%20the%20extension%20of%20the%20elective%20system. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023

Frieze, Henry S. “Henry Simmons Frieze Papers.” Bentley Historical Library, https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=bhlead;view=text;rgn=main;didno=umich-bhl-851370 Accessed 29 Mar. 2023

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