The Memorial Classroom Building is a unique structure on the UAM campus. Constructed in the art deco style in 1939, the building’s outer walls are decorated with many historic bas-relief panels. Above the front entrance are panels symbolizing various academic disciplines, along with busts of Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839-1903), a pioneer in the field of physical chemistry, and of the famous inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

On the outer rear wall a reproduction of an ancient sundial adorns the building.

The Great Depression was gripping the nation at the time this structure was built and the New Deal’s Public Works Administration made possible the construction to symbolize progress in the face of an economic and social crisis in the country. Originally the science building, it was named Memorial Classroom Building following World War II.

Today, the Memorial Classroom Building is home to the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the School of Arts and Humanities, and to a multi-use auditorium.

Come visit us!