The Buildings of Central Michigan University
Ernest J. Merrill Hall
Opened: Fall 1960
Cost: $1.44 million
Occupancy: 288
Merrill Hall was built in 1960 as a men's dormitory. It was designed by Roger Allen and Associates of Grand Rapids. The building was dedicated on November 5, 1961.
When the dorm was first built, it was difficult to get students to sign up for Sweeny and Merrill because they were so far from the rest of the campus. At this time, the nearest academic building was Warriner Hall.
The building was dedicated to the Head of the Department of Physics and Chemistry from 1921 to 1953. Merrill was born in 1889 in Grand Blanc, Michigan, the son of a farmer and a teacher. He graduated from Flint High School and Albion College, and taught at Otsego and St. Joseph. He volunteered for service in World War I but was rejected, and he worked as a chemist for the Republic Truck Company of Alma before joining Central's faculty in 1921. In addition to his teaching, he was the advisor for the College YMCA, and received his Master of Arts from the University of Michigan and his PhD from the same institution in 1929. He and his wife, Pearl, had one daughter and one son. Merrill retired in 1953 and died in 1958.