The 119-acre campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is located within easy walking distance of downtown La Crosse in a residential section one mile east of the Mississippi River and one-half mile west of Grandad Bluff. Additional acreage of marsh-land and upland is available to faculty and students for recreation and for field studies.
Of the 32 buildings on campus, 12 are used for instruction, instructional support, and administrative purposes. The remaining buildings include: 11 modern residence halls, three student service centers, heating plant, maintenance and storage facilities, an information center, and a child care center. Buildings, year constructed, and their contents are listed below
Main Hall (1909),
Main Hall (1909), the original building on campus, remodeled in 1980, contains offices of the chancellor and administrative staff, a 787-seat auditorium, classrooms, and specialized instruction areas for psychology, school psychology, foreign languages, and philosophy. It was designated a historic site by the city of La Crosse in 1984.
Wittich Hall (1916),
Wittich Hall (1916), the original physical education building, contains offices, gymnasiums, a weight training room, a swimming pool, and special equipment areas. The building has been renovated for extensive use in the professional preparation of special physical education teachers for those with disabilities. Recreation Management and Therapeutic Recreation Department offices are here.
Veterans Memorial Stadium (1937),
Veterans Memorial Stadium (1937), acquired from the city in 1988 and remodeled in 1989, seats 4,600 with bleacher space for 1,100 more. The concrete grandstand structure has an elevator, rest- rooms, team meeting rooms, athletic training/sports medicine area, Veterans Memorial Hall of Honor and some storage space. A 400-meter urethane bonded rubber track surrounds the football field.
Campus Child Center (1938)
Campus Child Center (1938) was the first campus heating plant. Remodeled in 1985, the building houses the Child Center on the main floor and archaeology artifacts and equipment on the lower level. Staffed by experienced teachers and student assistants, the Child Center provides care for children of students and staff.
Thomas Morris Hall (1939),
Thomas Morris Hall (1939, 1966) houses the College of Liberal Studies, Schools of Education and Arts and Communication, and the departments of Computer Science, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Services and Professional Leadership, and Foundations of Educational Policy and Practice. The Science Education Service Center, NASA Resource Room, and other resources for teachers are found in this former laboratory school building, as is the Frederick Theatre and a distance education classroom.
Wilder Hall (1951),
Wilder Hall (1951), built as the first residence hall on campus, was converted to student services use in 1971. The building houses the Career Services, Student Support Services, Counseling and Testing, Academic Discovery Lab and Residence Life offices and the Military Science Department.
Residence Halls
Residence halls at UW-La Crosse accommodate 2,828 students -- 1,106 men and 1,722 women. Named for pioneering teachers here, the halls are coeducational except for Trowbridge, a traditional female residence. All halls contain lounges, computer rooms, recreation and laundry areas, weight rooms, saunas and kitchens. Halls and their capacities are:
Florence Wing Communication Center (1956)
houses Computing Services and Media Services. A distance education classroom, open computer labs for student use and a computer-based classroom are features of this building. WLSU-89FM, a National Public Radio station on campus; WMCM student television lab, and all closed circuit TV program generation facilities are also located in Wing. Other units housed in this building are Photographic Services, the Educational Television Center, and the TARG-IT Center, a computer sales and service unit.
Cartwright Center (1959, 1965, 1985)
the student union, is home to the university bookstore and textbook rental service, food service areas, lounges (one complete with fireplace), Graphic Services, student services offices, meeting rooms, an open computer lab, and a number of recreation areas. Offices for student organizations, the UW-La Crosse Student Association, and the Racquet (student newspaper) and conference facilities are also in Cartwright.
Mitchell Hall (1965)
houses offices of the College of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, the departments of Exercise and Sport Science and Health Education and Health Promotion, and intercollegiate athletics. Facilities include a swimming pool, three regulation basketball courts with 14 glass backboards, wrestling room, dance studio, racquetball courts, and a 3,800 square foot strength training room with 31 machines and a full spectrum of free weights. The field house, completed in 1971, provides an eighth-mile tartan track, broad jump pit, and nets for tennis and volleyball. A human performance laboratory, athletic training/ sports medicine area, resource and learning centers, and computer lab are also in Mitchell. Outdoor facilities for physical education and athletics include practice and play fields, tennis courts, and a 400-meter urethane bonded rubber track.
Cowley Hall of Science (1965, 1969)
houses the River Studies Center and Departments of Biology and Microbiology, Chemistry, Clinical Sciences, Geography/ Earth Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Physical Therapy. In addition to classrooms and laboratories, it provides office space, research facilities, a greenhouse, and a planetarium.
Whitney Center (1966),
Whitney Center (1966), a national award winner for its architectural design, houses the food service for campus residents and the university Health Center. For more information on the Health Center, see pp. 23 and 35.
The Power Plant (1967)
The Power Plant (1967) contains three multi-fuel (coal, gas and oil) boilers and ancillary equipment which provide steam for campus heating, domestic hot water, autoclaves and food processing. The plant also contains a coal storage area, ash storage and removal system, and administrative and operator control offices.
Murphy Library Resource Center (1969, 1994)
houses library holdings, computer facilities, and curriculum collections. Specialized facilities for computer instruction, extended hours studying and student support services are integral parts of the library. The recently remodeled building and addition contain over 550,000 volumes in open stack collections, including books, maps, periodicals and microfilm. An on-line computer catalog allows users to search local, other University of Wisconsin and regional catalogs. The facility provides a variety of seating, carrels and group study rooms in a pleasant surrounding. The Special Collections/Area Research Center contains the university archives, rare books, over 3,000 hours of oral history tapes, a 130,000-image photo collection, 5,200 books on Wisconsin history and a regional depository for State Historical Society records and documents. There are more than 1,850 current periodicals shelved on the first floor with bound and microform volumes of periodicals and a current computer report listing titles alphabetically and by subject. The microform holdings include more than one million microforms. Files of the New York Times, the Times of London, UNESCO and OAS publications, Human Relations Area Files, ERIC, News Bank, and various other titles are available on microform. Foreign and domestic telephone directories and newspapers as well as catalogs from other colleges and universities are available. CD-ROM indexes, full-text sources and Internet access are provided at computer stations. The video collection with more than 650 titles is located in the Curriculum Center. These materials can be checked and viewing facilities are available. The library is unusually rich in foreign bibliographies, encyclopedias and reference volumes. It is a selective depository for state and federal documents. The inter-library loan department provides prompt access to materials which may be available at other state supported universities, but not at La Crosse. By cooperative agreement, students may also use the libraries of Viterbo College, Western Wisconsin Technical College, the La Crosse Public Library and area medical centers.
Maintenance and Stores Building (1972)
houses the Physical Plant organization offices, maintenance and grounds shops, campus receiving and stores, the passenger fleet operation, and the Division of Facilities Development field inspector.
The Center for the Arts (1973)
houses Art, Communication Studies, Music, and Theatre Arts Department offices, classrooms, and practice and rehearsal rooms. It includes metal, ceramic, sculpture, and print-making laboratories; dressing rooms; costume shop; scene storage; drop stage areas; and other support facilities. The Art Gallery, Toland Theatre and Annett Recital Hall are in this building.
North Hall (1974)
houses instructional and administrative facilities for the Departments of English, History, Political Science/Public Administration, Sociology/Archaeology and Women's Studies as well as the Departments of Accountancy, Economics, Finance, Management and Marketing in the College of Business Administration.
The Information Center
The Information Center is where one arrives by following highway signs to UW-La Crosse. Acquired as a private dwelling and remodeled in 1977, this building is headquarters for Protective Services (Security) and the campus switchboard. Staff are on duty 24 hours a day every day. General campus and parking information is available here, as is the campus lost and found.
North Campus Field Equipment Building (1985)
contains a classroom, storage, and restroom facilities for the adjacent physical education fields.
Equipment Storage Building (1991)
provides heated storage for landscape and maintenance equipment and supplies.
Cleary Alumni and Friends Center (1994)
serves as a welcoming center for the entire campus and is designated for multiple use by alumni, faculty, students, parents and the community. The building includes a university-wide information center, a conference center, exhibit areas for university memorabilia and other displays, meeting rooms, social programming areas, special university guest rooms, telemarketing center, reference library on charitable giving, and offices. The center was built by the UW-La Crosse Foundation with contributions from alumni, friends and others. It is named for Russell and Gail Cleary, UW-L alumni who made a generous financial contribution to the building.
Student Life Center (1997)
is a multi-purpose facility which is currently in construction and scheduled for completion during the summer of 1997. It will provide facilities for intramural/recreational activities and child care service. The building will include four basketball and six volleyball courts, a 200-meter cantilevered running track, aerobic exercise space, strength and fitness center, multi-purpose space for meetings and martial arts activities, locker room and shower facilities, student lounge areas, equipment storage areas, office areas and an Outdoor Connection area for the storage (indoor and outdoor) and rental of recreational equipment (rollerblades, tents, sleeping bags, skis, canoes, etc.). The campus child center service, which is currently in the Campus Child Center building will be relocated to this building upon construction completion. The portion of the building housing the child center activity will be connected to the intramural/recreational areas by a corridor and will include separate areas for infants, preschool and school-age children of students, faculty and staff, as well as outdoor play space.
