Plans for a new Student Union building began to crystallize at the end of the 1940s and into 1950. In 1949, a committee of faculty, students, and trustees, headed by college president Dr. Charles Turck met with the student union’s architect, C. Howard Johnston. It was the first time that students and trustees had collaborated on a committee together, and the group continued to meet and finalize plans for the union through 1950.¹ Students seemed to be eager to hear news of the union, considering that they had all contributed a $10 union fee at registration to help fund the new building. President Turck was careful in explaining the intended purpose of the union, explaining that it would not be for large gatherings, but that it would rather “exist primarily for two purposes: first, as a student social center and eating place, and, secondly, as a meeting spot for campus organizations.”² Some recreational activities, like billiards, would remain in Old Main, and the gymnasium would continue to accommodate larger events, but dances could be held in the new union.³

The design of the student union captured the interest of Macalester students throughout its construction, and its features help to illustrate the institution Macalester was becoming. For the first time, the school would have a building designated solely for non-academic purposes. The building would feature a small chapel, rooms for student organizations to meet in, a post office, a bookstore, a cafeteria and private dining rooms for other events. The union would be a gathering place for the community, separate from the classrooms and the dorms— it would be a place where the college could unite.