Memorial Union historical photos

Photos courtesy Memorial Union.

A parade on State Street touts the 1920s fund-raising campaign to build Memorial Union.

James Watrous works on a mural in 1936. He began the mural project as a graduate student in 1933.

In the 1930s, the Board of Regents approves the sale of 3.2 beer on campus, making Memorial Union the first union to serve beer at a public university. Women were banned from the Rathskeller until 1937, when they were admitted during summer session. In 1941, the Union Council grants women full access.

Wisconsin Union Directorate Forum Committee chair Jim Ehrman meets the Rev. Martin Luther King in 1962 when King gave the Jonas Rosenfeld Memorial Lecture.

A 1948 formal dance in the Great Hall honors Wisconsin’s centennial.