temporaries

Minneapolis, MN

An architectural history of post-WWII temporary classroom buildings at the University of Minnesota

Temporary classroom buildings played an essential role in shaping the University’s growth and student life in the years following World War Two, and this history has passed into obscurity, forgotten. This period in the University’s history was one of great excitement and anticipation of wealth and growth, following a long and gruesome war. Education was open to all veterans, regardless of wealth, and created a new and hopeful generation. Composed of mostly mature veterans, the student body at this time was entirely different than any other in the University’s history. Without these buildings to remind us of the extraordinary conditions of this formative period in the University’s life, how can it be remembered? While all things eventually come to an end, and the temporary nature of these buildings conceivably predestined them to be so, the unique narrative of these buildings is perhaps not entirely lost to the arcane.

This project was funded by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, 2017.

The full text can be found at: https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/187837