Architect: Visscher & Burley
Patrons: Lehigh Alumni Association
Dates: 1922-1924/1925, Dedicated 1926, North Wing Remodeled 1958-1959
Type: Academic, Administrative
Nickname: Alumni
In Honor of Lehigh Alumni who died in World War I
A major project that the Alumni Association took on was the construction of the Alumni Memorial Building in 1924. The Memorial Building was to honor the 1,921 Lehigh men who served the United States in WWI. The plan, as Ross Yates notes, was for the building to be an “architecturally unique memorial.” The building was supposed to hold the president along with his staff, all of whom used to be located in Packer Hall. It would also hold the Alumni Association offices on the second floor of the right wing. The construction began in the late spring 1922 and was completed in the fall of 1924. This was an important project for the Alumni Association for both financial and sentimental reasons.
Admissions at Lehigh has played a vital role in the growth of the university over time. Initially, admissions was a simple process.
One of the Association’s first projects was the creation of the Alumni Bulletin in 1913 under the editorship of Raymond W. Walters (Class of 1907).
The first known form of aid given to Lehigh students was established by the Alumni Association.
When the Alumni Association began in 1877, there were only 281 known graduates from the University.
A “reminder” to keep up the donations came from the Lehigh Alumni Association. They sought to remind each alumni that they needed to continue their support, even if times became tough.
Still Looking for You
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA 18015
27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015
