The Buildings of Central Michigan University
Anna
M. Barnard
Residence Hall
Opened September 23, 1948
Demolished 1997
Cost: $1.4 million
Capacity: 400
The Anna M. Barnard Residence Hall was the fourth dormitory built on the campus
of CMU. It was the first dorm designed by architect Roger Allen of Grand Rapids.
It was constructed with the latest fireproofing techniques: gypsum block partitions,
steel casements, and steel stairways. At the time it was built, Barnard was
the largest dorm on campus.
Like many halls, Barnard opened before it was actually completed. When the first residents moved in there were no beds and the lobby was not yet finished. Newvertheless the demand for housing after World War II led to the dorm's early opening and for it to be filled beyond capacity for several years thereafter. The building was built as a women's dormitory. It housed woman until 1964 and then men until 1974. After that it became coed until it closed.
An adjoining food commons that seated 600 served Barnard, Sloan, and Ronan
halls, and was among the first of its kind. 
Room and board was set at $207.25
per semester for all three halls. The students of Barnard published a dormitory
newspaper for several years starting in 1953. A high point in the history of
Barnard Hall occured in 1955, when former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited
Central and stayed in the hall's guest room.
Barnard and Tate halls were demolished in 1997. They had been closed due to low enrollment, structural problems, and general inefficiency. The decision to raze them was based on the high cost of remodeling.
The building was named for the Head of the Department of Foreign Language from 1899-1944. She resigned October 1, 1944. An article in the July 30, 1947 edition of CM Life reported some of her accomplishments: "In the many years Miss Barnard taught here she has made countless friends among the alumni of the school and has been a considerable influence upon the lives of students as well as upon the institution itself. She has been a keen student of languages throughout her teaching career, spending every opportunity in travel abroad to get firsthand information. Among the countries in which she has lived and studied are England, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, The Near East, Denmark and Scandinavian Countries."