Central State University
The CSU Legacy

Campus facilities

Residence halls on campus include two new dorms, Foundation Hall I and Foundation Hall II, as well as four others: Hunter, Greene, and Anderson. Other facilities include:

• Benjamin Banneker Science Hall Named in honor of America's first Black scientist, Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), this building was originally constructed in 1950 with an addition completed in 1967. The building was heavily damaged in 1974 and was rebuilt with additional classroom space. Banneker Hall houses science laboratories and a botanical laboratory and greenhouse.

• Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium Although constructed in 1961, Beacom Gymnasium shares its heritage with the original Beacom Gymnasium constructed in 1919 and destroyed by fire in 1971. The gymnasium is the home of the Marauders volleyball and men's and women's basketball teams. It also houses office space for the Department of Health, Physical education and Recreation. Included in the gymnasium complex is a newly renovated natatorium that was constructed in 1949. The building is named for Judge Madison W. Beacom, who served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Combined Normal and Industrial Department.

• Hallie Q. Brown Library/Clara A. Henderson Hall College of EducationThe Library/College of Education building was completed in 1985 as the final major construction project in the University rebuilding following the 1974 tornado. The facility houses the University's main library as well as classrooms and offices for the College of Education. The library collection comprises nearly 200,000 volumes, a microform collection of almost 645,000 items, a periodical and serials collection of about 2,000 titles, and collections of phonograph records, tapes and film. The library also houses the Black Collection, an extensive collection of research materials pertaining to African American history, culture, and social issues. The library portion of the building is named in honor of Hallie Q. Brown, a long-time educator and public speaker. The College of Education is named for Dr. Clara A. Henderson, who served the University as teacher, department chairperson, and dean for many years.

• Camille O. & William H. Cosby Mass Communication Center Originally constructed as the Lucinda Cook Laboratory Demonstration School in 1958, the Cosby Center houses the University telecommunications programs, including state-of-the-art facilities for students majoring in radio, television and print journalism. The facility also houses the campus-based radio station WCSU-FM.

• Galloway/Alumni Tower The Galloway Tower/Walter G. Sellers Alumni serves as a reminder of Central State's history. The tower was rebuilt after the 1974 tornado, which destroyed the original Galloway Hall. That building was named in honor of Dr. William Galloway, a physician who served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Combined Normal and Industrial Department.

Alumni and friends of Central State University raised funds to reconstruct the tower and add the modern wrap-around structure that houses the offices of the CSU General Alumni Association. In 1987, the University's Centennial year, the Alumni Center was named in honor of Walter G. Sellers Sr., a 1951 CSU graduate who had served with six Central State University presidents, from Dr. Charles H. Wesley to Dr. Arthur E. Thomas.

• Jenkins Technology Education Building Named in memory of Carl C. Jenkins, who served as superintendent of the Combined Normal and Industrial Department, Jenkins Hall houses the Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering. An earlier building constructed in 1941 was also named for Jenkins. It housed the Physical Education Department, Army ROTC, and the College Bookstore and Grill. At the time of its destruction in 1974, the original Jenkins Hall housed the audio-visual department, the campus radio station, the bookstore, and office of the CSU Federal Credit Union.

• The C.J. McLin International Center for Water Resources Management, opened in 1987, houses three programs: Water Resources Management, Geology, and Earth Sciences. It is also the center of environmental studies at CSU. The sculpture in front of the building, designed by Charles McGee, is entitled "Life Source." The inscription on it reads: "Big is the head that thinks and drinks deep from the eternal spigot of knowledge and quenches the thirst of inquisitive minds with life sustaining fresh water."

• Lackey/Lee Health Center The Lackey/Lee Health Center, opened in 1978, replaced the former campus health center, which was among the buildings destroyed by the tornado. The center houses administrative offices, examination and treatment rooms, and laboratory facilities.

The building is named after Dr. Harry M. Lackey, university physician from 1921 to 1953, and also bears the name of three members of the same family who served Central State and the Wilberforce community: Bishop Benjamin F. Lee, president of Wilberforce University from 1876 to 1884; Benjamin F. Lee, Jr., a faculty member; and Benjamin F. Lee, III, a physician who served the campus and the community.

The former health center, also named for Dr. Lackey, was earlier known as Tawawa Hospital. Bishop Lee also was the namesake for an earlier building that housed the program in home economics in the 1940's and, at the time of the 1974 tornado, the College of Education .

• McPherson Memorial Stadium Constructed in 1949, McPherson Stadium is home to the Marauder track and field teams. The structure, which has been undergoing renovation since 1987 to expand and modernize locker room, training room, and office space, is named in honor of William Patrick McPherson, a graduate of the Combined Normal and Industrial Department who was killed in action in World War II. The stadium was originally constructed through the Works Projects Administration and has been altered several times over the years.

•Lionel H. Newsom Administration Building Named in honor of the late President Lionel H. Newsom, the administration building was dedicated in 1978. Dr. Newsom was president of Central State from 1972 to 1985. The building is unique in that it was constructed on the remaining portion of the Hallie Q. Brown Memorial Library, which was heavily damaged in the 1974 tornado. The building houses the major administrative and financial offices for the University as well as the administrative computer center and the Office of the Registrar.

• Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center The Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center, dedicated in 1978, is named in honor of Paul Robeson, renowned scholar, athlete, and star of stage and screen. The Robeson Center houses the art and music departments, classrooms, and studios. The building includes an 850-seat auditorium equipped for presentations in music, dance, and theater as well as a small recital hall. Dr. Camille O. and William H. Cosby commissioned a large sculpture of Robeson, which sits in front of the Center.

• Wilhelmina S. Robinson President's Home The President's home, built in 1978, is situated across U.S. 42 at the east end of campus. It is named in honor of Wilhelmina S. Robinson, a long-time faculty member in the Department of History. The home provides living quarters for the president's family and facilities for the formal and informal entertainment required of the University's first family.

The spacious grounds upon which the modern house sits was once the source of produce, dairy products, and fresh meat for the campus, as well as employment for students. The president's former home, Scarborough House, was located across from the site of the current administration building. Constructed by students in the construction program of the Combined Normal and Industrial Department and used as student housing at one time, it was listed in the U.S. registry of Historic Places before it was destroyed in the 1974 tornado.

• Charles S. Smith College of Business Named for Charles S. Smith, the founder of the College of Business Administration, Smith Hall was completed in 1970. It houses classrooms and laboratories for the various departments in the College of Business Administration. An academic computer center in Smith hall is equipped with the latest technology.

• Norman E. Ward Sr., University Center Norman E. Ward Sr., a 1950 Central State graduate, was an outstanding athlete and returned to serve the University as a teacher, coach, and administrator. The building houses a bookstore, grill, and commuter lounge, as well as the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, Career Services, Student Government Association (S.G.A.), Housing, and Dean of Students.

• Charles H. Wesley Hall Named in honor of Central State University's first president, Wesley Hall houses the administrative offices of the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as classrooms and offices. Dr. Wesley served as president of Wilberforce University from 1941 to 1947 and of Central State University from 1947 to 1967.

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