By any name, this ‘architectual jewel’ has been central to journalism education at UA

By Kristen Jones

Alabama Journalist, Spring 1997
Reese Phifer Hall, the building that houses the College of Communication, has maintained a central place in the heart and life of the campus.

Built in the late 1920s and first occupied in 1930, the Alabama Union, as it was first known, has also been central to the journalism and mass communication that has been taught and practiced at the University.

It may have been a coincidence that the office of the first journalism professor, Clarence Cason, was located in the building. But it’s no coincidence that mass communication, in all its forms, had a connection to the Union building even before the department officially moved into what is now Reese Phifer Hall.

The Alabama Student Union was one of a number of buildings constructed between 1922 and 1956 by the Birmingham firm of Miller, Martin and Lewis. From 1912 to 1937 the number of students on campus increased from 400 to 4,000. The Alabama Student Union Building was built as a result of the “Million Dollar Campaign,” which declared that $1 million was needed to construct additional buildings on campus to compensate for the increase in student population.

The Alabama Union building in the 1940s was a stop on the street car line that went to the downtown area of Tuscaloosa.

Phifer represents the essence of campus architecture based on the Beaux-Arts architectural planning scheme. The plan was developed at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, the official French art school in Paris. First introduced to the American public in 1893, the system emphasized symmetry, axiality, focal points and geometric clarity, all of which appealed to American universities and colleges. The French planning system allowed modern designers to give large campuses a visual and functional unity.

“It is an architectural jewel of the University’s campus and always has been,” says journalism professor Jim Stovall who supervised renovations of the West Wing of the campus in the 1980s.

Its front entrance, bordered by a majestic flight of stone stairs and imposing pillars, is enough to take a campus visitor’s breath away.

“The steps were often used for voluntary initiations,” says Jerry Oldshue, the University's resident historian. “In the 1960s, the steps symbolized the essence of free speech. “Protesters of the [Vietnam] War stood on the steps in demonstrations.“

Long before that, however, the essence of free speech was taught and practiced within the building. The offices of the Crimson White, the Corolla and the Rammer Jammer (a now-defunct campus humor magazine) were located within the building. Many other functions central to student life also took place in this building. For instance, the post office, a cafeteria and the supply store were here, as well as reading rooms and lounges.

The Alabama Union building in the 1940s was a stop on the street car line that went to the downtown area of Tuscaloosa.		The Alabama Union had a number of lounges and rooms where students could ready and study. This picture shows one where the Tisch Student Services Center is now located.

“Anyone who attended the University between 1930 and 1975 will remember this building as a daily part of life,” Stovall said.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the West Wing of the building, known as the Annex, was added. Many student activities offices were located in this part of the building, as was the Million Dollar Band.

When the Ferguson Center was built in the 1970, the Old Union Building, as it was then called, was vacated. For some time, the University couldn't decide what to do with it.

At about the same time, the School of Communication, which included the Department of Journalism, was formed, and many of its departments and functions moved into Carmichael Hall. Meanwhile, the Old Union building was designated for renovation as the future home for Communication.

The first stage of this renovation took place in the early 1980s. The second stage, completed in 1991, included the Annex, now called the West Wing. Meanwhile, the building was named for J. Reese Phifer of Phifer Wire Co., whose family made a major donation to the University.

The School of Communication, which became a College in 1988, now includes the academic departments of journalism, advertising and public relations, telecommunication and film, and speech communication. The building also houses other units such as the Institute for Communication Research and the Center for Public Television and Radio.