Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.
As you might have guessed, I took a lot of pictures in Morgantown. Many of the ones in today’s gallery are buildings I never had classes in. Almost all of them have new purposes today from the mid-1970s when I was there. I’ve put what I know in the captions. Some will require the “lower case ‘i’ in the circle’ drill…sigh.
I didn’t end up working in my major (Chemistry) but the education I received on this campus served me well. I’ll let the photos tell the story.
I hope you’ll have a few minutes to visit some of the other participants’ pages. We have beautiful doors from around the world.
Purinton House once was the President’s house. When I was on campus, it housed the Alumni Association. It currently houses the university’s International Students & Scholars Services program
Colson Hall was built in the 1920s to house WVU’s School of Law. That ended in 1975 when it became the West Virginia & Regional History Center. Today it houses the English department.
Elizabeth Moore Hall iwas built in the 1920s for women’s physical education. houses the offices for the dean of students and the Dance Program in the School of Theatre & Dance.
One of the back doors to Woodburn Hall. I love it when back doors were this beautiful.
St. John’s Church
Side door to Martin Hall
Another view of the football stadium. WVU plays its first game this season on Saturday (against Penn State) and they need all the help they can get.
Ogelbay Hall originally housed the university’s College of Agriculture. I took Phsychology here. Today its the home of the Department of Forensic and Investigative Science (which didn’t exist in 1976, or I would have majored in it).
One of the sorority houses
That’s where I lived for three years. The center door was mine. Entrance to the street level apartment. There was another below and a basement below that. And an apartment above.
This was the hill I had to walk down to get to campus (and back up at the end of the day).
Home of a WVU fan – school colors are blue and gold
High St. Morgantown. Citizens Bank. I think this was there when I was there.
Side view of Stewart Hall. The little door in the lower right corner led to the computer center. I was in there at some point every day for two years
Side doors to the historic train station.
The historic railroad depot currently serving the public as the Mountain Line Bus Depot.
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What amazing buildings Dan! I especially love the first building S well as Stewart Hall. Your accommodation for 3 years of pretty cool too. Such a lovely place to live whilst studying, although that hill could be hard to walk up every day! Here are my doors for this week https://wrookieschu.com/2023/08/31/doors-of-wordpress-v61/
After a long day in lab, that hill could be a struggle, Wayne. Judging by the air conditioner, it looks like they added an attic apartment to that house. Our apartment was pretty big for two guys. It’s possible they carved the place up over the years. Arriving on campus was like stepping back in time, even in the 70s. The scary thing is, there are more years between now and the 70s than the 70s and when those buildings were built in the 20s.
Your doors made for an interesting challenge today. All good. Hard to pick a fav. I hope you have a great weekend ahead.
Hi Dan, some lovely memories there for you – revisiting your university digs must have felt wonderful and a bit weird. Some great campus buildings giving a great sense of a university town. I liked the doors on the old station platform.
It did seem a little weird, Steve. When I lived on that street, it was mostly local residents. There were only three houses that had student apartments. Now, it seems like that’s all there is. I learned a little history while preparing this post. The three older buildings are ones I never entered and didn’t know what was in them when I was a student.
I enjoyed your installment from Lincoln – nothing boring about that group.
HI DAn, such a lovely campus. My son’s campus is also beautiful. I think I told you I did correspondence university and worked as well so I qualified in six years instead of the usual seven.
Thanks Robbie. Most of the buildings today are not ones I was familiar with while on campus. I had to look up their story. I hope your son is enjoying school. It’s a wonderful time in our lives. Sometimes, we don’t appreciate it while we’re there. I know I found this campus more beautiful in places than I did 50 years ago. I’m glad they’ve kept the buildings well maintained.
Great photos and amazing buildings Dan. I enjoyed reading how they have been repurposed over the years.
The road and home where you lived seems literally like a walk down memory lane, what a beautiful treed view.
Thanks Suzette. My brother asked to see where I lived while on campus. I’m glad we were driving. I’d forgotten how steep that hill was. Coming home every night was a chore, but those are the things you don’t mind when you’re young.
[…] I have only a distant photo of the doors of Minami-za, I add here a photo of the doors of the nearby Pontocho Kaburenjo which is now run by the Pontocho Kabukai Association. The theatre […]
I can see why you spent time looking at all the buildings you didn’t go to in your days there. I usually end up spending much longer than I plan to whenever I visit an university campus, and that’s even without the nostalgia factor.
I transferred to WVU in my sophomore year, so I missed Freshmen Orientation. Maybe they explained some of the history of the campus then. I never knew that the buildings featured today were part of an expansion after WWI. The original campus (the buildings I shared last week) were built around 1880 when many Land Grant schools were being built around the US.
Thumbs up to college campuses. Although modern architecture is fine, I favor older buildings. Sure looks like a hilly place! Good luck in the season opener.
Thanks Frank. Like most of West Virginia and southwest PA, you can’t escape the hills, so they just build on them. I’d love to see WVU upset Penn State, but that will be a struggle.
I’m glad you liked that, Brian. It was a beautiful building inside, when I was there. I didn’t have time to explore the buildings. I did walk into the chemistry building, but I was disappointed by the “modern” treatment that had been given to the interior.
That can be sad but maybe it had to have a safety make over. I am amazed what we used to do in chemistry in high school. Now-a-days parents would be horrified 😲😁
What wonderful architecture! They don’t do campuses like that anymore (or anything else for that matter) I’m especially taken with Stewart Hall. Looks like a good setting for a story. (K)
These old buildings had so many interesting features inside, I think they could all make for a good story setting. Today’s buildings are too predictable.
I loved learning about the marionettes at your place!
Good Morning Dan, I had a train station like the one above that I passed on my way to school every day, The bus had to wait if there was a train coming through. When I would be walking to school, I would wander over and explore…. gone are those days! Here is my post for today https://dymoonblog.com/2023/08/31/31-8-238/
[…] (Brian Dodd) shares photos of doors, but not just any doors. Spectacular doors from his journeys. Dan’s Thursday Doors opened the door on this. I love doors of all sorts. I’ve trawled through my holiday snaps […]
This is an amazing campus. The back door to Woodburn Hall is grand. Nice sorority house. Your “home away from”home” looks very comfortable and roomy. I like everything about Stewart Hall!
Thanks for the great tour of your ok’d stomping grounds.
Ginger
Thanks Ginger. That apartment was quite large for two guys. I wonder if it has been divided into more than one apartment. It looks like they added an attic apartment, perhaps a loft. When I lived there, the was an older woman living upstairs. Her husband had built the building. I started off on the wrong foot with her (by parking a truck on the sidewalk) but we became good friends over the course of three years. There used to be a grocery store at the bottom of that ginormous hill. She would sometimes ask me to pick something up for her on my way home from school. Every now and then, she baked cookies and gave some to my roommate and me.
I have one other picture of Stewart Hall. I think I’ll save it for the Thursday Doors Writing Challenge next May.
When I lived there, it was sided with what was called ‘shingle brick’ so it was dark red. Also, the apartment above mine had a screen porch above the porch at ground level. I liked what it looked like then much better than now. I suppose it’s been made to fit as many apartments as possible – that is the trend with student housing.
It would appear you stirred a bit of nostalgia in your readers. For me, the most nostalgic image is the hill where you lived – I had one just like that when I lived off campus! There were days it really was uphill both ways. A return to one’s alma mater is sure a way to see how the world changes. Yes, majors we hadn’t even heard of back then! But great doors are always great doors, yes?
Great doors are always great, Maureen. Some, unfortunately, have been “upgraded” to some utilitarian glass and aluminum entrance, but I was glad to see how many original details remain. I wouldn’t want to hike up or down that hill today (sometimes, downhill is worse), but I was in my early 20s. Still, I remember it being a challenge on a hot day, or an snowy winter day. There were no houses on the side that had the sidewalk, so no one shoveled the walk.
I find it interesting that the major I was trying to cobble together is now a signature major offered at this university, In partnership with the FBI no less. I wonder if Agent Dyer studied here ;-)
Of course he did! Obviously you were far ahead of your time, and the university took the cue from you and started on the more modern (and imaginative) curriculum. I think they should invite you to be a guest lecturer!
I completely agree on the doors. The old ones have more class (applause, applause).
You had pretty good student accomodation.In my day a few of us would rent a very old terrace house near the University(outdoor plumbing). I remember $25 per week between three of us Now you cannot purchase one of these places for under 2 million dollars.
I put daffodils on my door today. It’s daffodil day Down Under. If you buy daffodils today the Cancer Council of Australia gets a donation.
My roommate and I did enjoy a comfortable place. We had to rent it year-round, but it was $105 a month, which was a good deal for so much space. There wasn’t much in the way of student housing on that street. The local residents didn’t want people renting to students, but this building had changed hands and a family friend who worked for the university knew the new owner. Today, the whole neighborhood looks to be student housing.
University campuses have the prettiest buildings. These are all wonderful. I like where you lived, Dan. Although it must have been literally a drudge walking up that hill after classes, it looks to be such a pretty area.
That walk could be awful, Lois. Then, if I got to the top and realized I should have stopped at the store for something – auuuugh. I had a car most of the time, but you had to weigh giving up your parking space for another round trip on that hill. The whole area was beautiful. West Virginia is a beautiful state.
Those are gorgeous stone buildings, Dan. My favorite is the old President’s house. I was thinking what Lois was thinking about walking up and down that hill in winter! 😮 Not fun in a snow storm.
No fun at all. Especially since there were no houses on the side of the street with the sidewalk (on the hill). The old President’s house is a beauty. I’m glad they’ve maintained these old buildings and given them new life.
Such stately buildings, Dan. The house with the school colors gave me a smile. In fall in Lincoln, Nebraska, almost all the window displays feature the color red. :-) Playing Penn State definitely calls for a lot of luck, much more than they’re likely to get. But the financial payoff is the reward.
Hi Dan – magnificent buildings … while your residence must have been interesting to live in – looks quite rural with good views … but thanks – cheers Hilary
[…] Thursday Doors is a weekly challenge featured on Dan Antion’s site No Facility for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post and then share a link to your post in the comments of Dan’s post. […]
Stewart Hall is an amazing building. As far back as I go, it’s never been a student focused building. It was completed in 1902, used as a library until the early 1930s but has been an administration building ever since. It is a beautiful structure, and I’m glad they keep it well maintained.
That apartment was less plain when I lived there. I think it’s been modified to make room to pack a few more renters in. I camped out there for three years, and it worked well for my roommate and me.
Thursday? I got it in my head that today was Wednesday. Hmmm… what does that mean about Wednesday? Anyhow, wonderful doors, Dan. I’m glad you took plenty of pictures. Hugs.
The days fly by without warning, Teagan. This week has gone way too fast. I still have some pictures from this trip. Before too long, I need to get out and find another subject.
I knew you would like the train station, Jennie. I’m so glad I discovered it (while trying to turn around after making a wrong turn). For them to put that kind of effort into a back door is amazing to me. I hope you have a great long weekend ahead.
That house you lived in for three years looks like it could be in Nebraska. So many historic homes in Lincoln are divided up this way. The university just screams history doesn’t it? Chemistry huh? I think you took a good turn.
The original owner built three apartments. HE and his wife lived in the one on top. He never rented to college students and we weren’t welcome in the neighborhood in the 70s. Now it looks like all student housing. Chemistry was fun, and a lot of lessons transferred to other tasks – especially problem solving. I’ve never met a chemist who was afraid of a problem with unknowns.
There are so many unusual and beautiful buildings especially Elizabeth Moore Hall, Puritan House, and Stewart Hall, and I do love train stations. But, my favorite is the back door of Woodburn Hall. That building is spectacular. I like the vibe of Morgantown, a nice place to attend university. Wishing you a happy weekend, Dan!
Thanks Brenda. I think I’d still prefer the downtown campus to all the modern buildings. There is something special about a desire to make the back of the building as attractive as the front.We don’t see that these days.
[…] But as you can imagine, it’s nothing like seeing it in person. But hope you enjoy the Thursday Doors gallery and captions I have under each photo. After 5 days on the road to various doctor […]
Must feel proud to have the connection to such a beautiful campus! The solid buildings show they intend to be around a long time. Our local community college used to be called Plywood U in jest. lol But they are still around in their defense. Plywood buildings are no more. :)
Almost all of the downtown campus buildings are over 100 years old. Woodburn Circle buildings are getting close to 150. Lots of people learned stuff there.
[…] These are my doors pictures from The Blood River Heritage Site for Dan Antion’s Thursday Doors challenge. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2023/08/31/more-from-morgantown/ […]
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