Residential colleges aim to educate young adults on how to live in the world independently. However, dorms are not the only buildings that have made Macalester a home for many students over the years. The Student Union, constructed in the 1950s, was the first example of a purpose-built place for students to gather, eat, and be in community with one another. Later, the Union was followed by Kagin Commons, originally a dining hall, where all on campus students ate meals together. In the early 2000s, the current Campus Center was constructed in the place of the old Student Union. All of these buildings have served an important purpose— creating a space for Macalester students to build a community. Tracing the ways that they have changed shows us how that community has continually redefined itself, from a college made up of mostly commuter students with stark divisions along gendered lines, to a school with an on-campus residency requirement and a much more cohesive campus culture.