Mary Markley Hall: A History of Housing and Community at the University of Michigan
Mary Markley Hall, situated in the Hill Neighborhood on the northeast side of the University of Michigan's Central Campus at 1503 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, stands as a significant landmark in the university's history. Named after Mary Butler Markley (1864-1956), a University of Michigan alumna, the hall has played a vital role in shaping student life, particularly for women, since its construction in 1959. This article delves into the history of Mary Markley Hall, exploring its origins, design, and its place within the broader context of housing at the University of Michigan.
The Genesis of Markley Hall: Addressing Housing Needs for Women
The story of Mary Markley Hall is intertwined with the University of Michigan's evolving approach to accommodating female students. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the university grappled with the challenges of co-education. When the University began admitting women, a large portion of Ann Arbor residents were against co-education. In 1870, there were no University dorms or housing and many landlords did not want to rent rooms to “co-eds." The early boarding houses were home to both male and female students.
In 1902, the concept of in loco parentis was established with the appointment of Myra Beach Jordan as the Dean of Women. These rules were officially put in place so that the University could act as a parent to female students and effectively prohibit indecent social practices, such as mixed boarding houses. In 1903, League Housing was established, which were boarding houses inspected and approved by the Dean of Women with rules requiring women to live in an approved house. Qualifications for League Housing included not only that the houses were female only, but also that parlors were provided for social activities.
The university's commitment to providing suitable housing for women led to the construction of the first residence halls for women, Martha Cook Hall and Helen Newberry Residence, in 1915. By 1930 there were six residence halls for women, including the Adelia Cheever House, the Alumnae House, Betsy Barbour House, and Mosher-Jordan Hall. Admission was based on an application which looked at women's “high character, fine personality, and scholarship.” Occasionally, well connected parents would write to university officials, requesting their daughter be placed in the residence of her choosing, often Martha Cook or Betsy Barbour. During the 1940s, women's enrollment became dependant on the amount of available housing. Cooperative housing also became very popular. After in loco parentis ended, many women students began moving off campus into apartments, housing, and cooperatives for the first time. Today most dorms on campus are co-ed, but three residences, Helen Newberry, Betsy Barbour, and Martha Cook remain all female.
Planning for the current Mary Markley Hall began in the 1950s to accommodate post-World War II enrollment surges, particularly for women required to live on campus under university policy. The University was having trouble, as rising enrollment had led to a shortage of space in women’s dormitories. The University philosophy was that all women were to live on campus, but the capacity was simply not enough. Eventually, senior females were allowed to live in apartments, unsupervised, but the construction of this all women’s hall was meant to alleviate the predicament.
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Naming the Hall: Honoring Mary Butler Markley
Many buildings at University of Michigan are named after figures from the university’s past. These former professors, administrators, and students played important roles on campus and represented U-M throughout the world. Recent controversies over the names of campus buildings demonstrate how important naming can be to our sense of community. What do we know about the names of U-M’s residence halls? Many students recognize names like Alice Lloyd or Mary Markley but don’t know who these people were. The “houses,” or floors, of each residence hall have their own names, as familiar (and often as mysterious) as the names of the halls. This research project explores names associated with four residence halls: Alice Lloyd, Mary Markley, Bursley, and Baits. Who were these people? Residence halls are some of the only buildings on campus that are named for women. For that reason, this project focuses specifically on women’s names, even though some of the halls examined here also contain houses named for men. Focusing on women brings deserved recognition to remarkable people who might otherwise go unrecognized: doctors, teachers, and social leaders, many of whom worked to expand women’s access to the university. It also sheds light on the values of administrators in the mid-twentieth century, when a growing number of women students made it necessary to build and name these dorms. Mary Markley Hall is named after Mary Butler Markley (1864-1956), a University of Michigan alumna (B.A.
The idea of putting the Markley name on a University building first came up in the year 1944, when the alumnae council concluded that the residence building named the “Alumnae House” (which was a literal house) needed a name change. This desired name change was due to the fact that it was commonly mistaken for a graduate residence and accordingly was “omitted from directories or listings of undergraduate houses.” For this reason, the residents of the house suggested the house be named Mary Markley, “in honor of a very loyal friend and an honorary member of Alumnae House Board.” In a letter to the Board of Governors, the Markley planning committee suggested that the students had a particular relationship with the New York native: “Her home on Geddes Avenue at Oxford was a place that the students knew well.” The name was meant to resemble some of the women’s houses that were already in existence at the time, such as Betsy Barbour and Martha Cook. This house was eventually closed in 1950, but upon its closing, the Board of Regents added a note that the name should be considered for a future residence hall. This came into effect six years later, in 1956, when it came time to name a new women’s residence hall.
With the construction of a new women’s hall came the responsibility to give it a name to represent it. A memo written to the Dean of Women by one F.C. Shiel included a reminder of the aforementioned note in light of Markley’s death during the same year. In November 1956, when it came time to pick a name, the Board of Regents turned to a method that had apparently been used before: “In the past it has been customary to present two names from which the Regents choose. It is difficult to know exactly why Markley was selected over Vandenberg, but some clues may lie in the short biographies that were used in the decision-making process. It seems that Markley was more directly involved with the university and, particularly, with the advancement of women. She was active during her time as a student at Michigan, and accomplished being elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society upon its establishment there. She also helped found the Michigan League. After graduation, she stayed in the Ann Arbor area. She stayed active in alumnae affairs and even kept a relationship with some students. Furthermore, Markley organized the Ann Arbor branch of the American Association of University Women. Upon her death, she left $5,000 to the organization to be used for financial aid for women who wanted to attend the university. Vandenberg also made important contributions to the advancement of women at U-M, but it seems that her efforts were not as concentrated.
Once the hall was named, the final step was to find names for the houses inside. The spirit of naming these houses and the hall as a whole is encompassed in the following note, which served as a proposal for the house names from the Markley Hall Planning Committee: “Charlotte Alice Blagdon, Barbara Jane Little, Betty Vaughn Thronson, Margaret Salisbury Bush, Elizabeth Ruth Vandergrift, Barbara Lovell Warren, and Josephine Rankin Fisher… In selecting these particular women, our primary interest was their contribution to campus life while they were attending the University. Because we want the students to feel a closeness to their houses, and a unity within them, we would like to have these houses named in honor of women who were recognized as campus leaders. Of the proposed names, Blagdon, Little, and Fisher were founded and remain at Markley Hall to this day. Thronson and Bush began at Markley but were transferred to South Quadrangle in 1963, when both of these residence halls became coed. Vandergrift and Warren did not make the cut and their names seemingly do not appear anywhere in the University. In any case, the proposal of all of these women carries a constant theme: female campus leaders. This is the clear intent of those who were in charge of naming the houses inside of the hall, and this idea seems to apply to Mrs. Mary Markley herself. In using these women’s names to identify this residence hall and its houses, it seems clear that the University successfully honors the work that they did at the university.
Construction, Design, and Features
Construction of Mary Markley Hall was awarded to George W. Auch Company. Completed in 1959 at a cost of $6.1 million, it was originally designed to provide housing and dining for approximately 1000 women. Markley Hall's overall layout embodies simplistic and routine arrangements; most resident rooms are doubles.
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Mary Markley Hall is a coeducational residence hall with an H-shaped floor plan consisting of four wings. Markley is co-ed by hall, with the exception of one hall which is co-ed by room. Markley houses approximately 1,180 students, 505 of which are female and 675 of which are male - 100% first-year students excluding the Resident Advisors. Markley is home to University Housing's First Year Experience Program (FYE). The Resident Staff consist of: 3 Residence Hall Directors, 1 Community Center Manager, 33 Resident Advisors, 5 Community Assistants, 2 Diversity Peer Educators (DPE), and, formerly, 1 Peer Academic Success Specialist (PASS).
Mary Markley Hall accommodates approximately 1,180 students in a variety of room configurations, primarily consisting of double-occupancy rooms with some singles, triples, and quads available. Each room includes twin extra-long beds measuring 36 inches by 80 inches, modular furniture systems such as the Lifespace II or Building Block designs that provide desks, wardrobes, and storage units, along with a wastebasket, recycling tote, and draperies for privacy. The hall's floor plan incorporates multiple floors organized into all-gender and single-gender sections, with shared bathrooms located by floor or wing to promote community while respecting privacy preferences. The building supports resident mobility through multiple elevators and includes community laundry facilities accessible throughout. While air conditioning is not available, the structure relies on a central heating system, and recent updates have improved energy efficiency in common areas.
Constructed in 1959, Mary Markley Hall exemplifies mid-20th-century dormitory architecture with its high-rise form, brick exterior, and expansive windows that maximize natural light in living spaces. The design allows for a total capacity breakdown across its floors.
Markley offers the only dining hall in the Hill Neighborhood other than the Hill Dining Center at Mosher-Jordan Hall. Also it has a Residential Computing Site, four laundry facilities, a Community Learning Center, one lounge serving the entire hall, numerous floor lounges, and one multi-cultural lounge. Markley features five elevators: two normal elevators, two (somewhat hidden) freight-style elevators which serve the four wings of the building, plus one staff-only elevator that serves on the loading dock kitchen and front desk, although it is not unusual for at least one elevator to be broken at any given time.
Location and Accessibility
Mary Markley Hall is situated in the Hill Neighborhood on the University of Michigan's Central Campus, at 1503 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. The hall lies adjacent to the University of Michigan School of Public Health to the west and across East Medical Center Drive from the University Hospital campus to the north, approximately 0.4 miles away by foot. It is also in close proximity to the Central Campus Recreation Building and offers easy access to Nichols Arboretum, a 123-acre green space featuring trails and natural areas along the Huron River. From Mary Markley Hall, Central Campus classrooms and libraries, such as Hatcher Graduate Library, are reachable by a walk of about 1.2 miles, typically taking 20-25 minutes, facilitating daily navigation for first-year students.
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Parking is not officially available for students residing in Mary Markley Hall, however, a variety of public and university transportation options exist. University of Michigan buses are free to use, to both university students/staff and non-affiliated individuals. AAATA (also known as "The Ride") buses cost $1.50 per ride normally, however, anyone with a valid Mcard (U of M I.D.
Mary Markley Hall is served by several routes operated by the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA), known as TheRide, providing access to off-campus destinations throughout greater Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Key routes include Line 4 (Washtenaw), which connects Ypsilanti Transit Center to Blake Transit Center via the U-M Central Campus; Line 23 (Plymouth), linking Plymouth Road Park & Ride to Blake Transit Center; Line 63 (U-M Pontiac), serving Pontiac Trail Park & Ride to Central Campus Transit Center; and Line 65 (UM-Downtown-Green), connecting Green Road Park & Ride to downtown Ann Arbor and the U-M campus. Fares for TheRide services are $1.50 for a single exact cash ride, with unlimited 30-day passes available for $45 for adults. These routes provide essential connections to downtown Ann Arbor's shops, restaurants, and cultural sites; regional park-and-ride lots; and further links to Amtrak services at the Ann Arbor station (via connecting buses) and airport shuttles to Detroit Metropolitan Airport through services like the Michigan Flyer departing from Blake Transit Center. For accessibility, all fixed-route buses are equipped with low-floor designs for easy boarding, wheelchair securements, audio and visual announcements for stops, and priority seating for riders with disabilities.
Proximity to Resources and Amenities
Mary Markley Hall, situated in the Hill Neighborhood on the University of Michigan's Central Campus, benefits from its proximity to several external resources that support student life. Recreational opportunities are abundant within a short distance, enhancing physical and outdoor activities for residents. The Intramural Sports fields, located approximately 0.3 miles away, provide spaces for organized sports and casual play, popular among students for team-building and fitness.
For shopping and daily essentials, Mary Markley Hall residents can walk to nearby commercial areas. Kerrytown Market, just a short stroll away, serves as a hub for fresh groceries, local produce, and artisanal goods, catering to quick shopping needs. Medical and support services are conveniently close, ensuring prompt access to health resources. Social hubs further enrich the area around the hall. Fraternity and sorority row, located nearby in the Hill Neighborhood, facilitates participation in Greek life events and mixers for interested students.
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