Webster Hall (1968)
As the 1960s came to close, so did St. Cloud State’s rapid physical expansion of campus. The School of Business building, constructed to house the fast growing School of Business, was one of the last campus buildings to open before 1970. After the College of Business moved out in 2007 for the newly renovated Centennial Hall, the building was renamed 51 Building. In 2018, the building was named Webster Hall.
Webster Hall, 1970s
Need, Finance, and Contractors
Designed by architects Traynor and Hermanson, construction started in September 1967 and on the site where the Old Main building stood. Costing $1.026 million, the majority of the funds for the project ($825,000) was provided for by the 1965 state legislature. The federal government provided the rest. Construction contracts were awarded to Gunnar I. Johnson and Son (general) for $719,000, St. Cloud Plumbing and Heating (mechanical) for $130,740, Sporleders Plumbing and Heating (ventilating) for $77,390, and M-J-B (electrical) for $99,652.
Construction
According to a August 18, 1967, press release, the three story building was to house four Business school departments – Accounting, Management and Finance, Marketing and General Business, and Business Education and Office Administration. It would also be home to the Bureau of Business Research. Measuring 78 feet by 166 feet, the building was to contain classrooms, seminar rooms, and offices. The building also included “provisions for educational television transmittal and reception and dial information access to the campus library, computer center, and secretarial service,” as well as a climate control system, entrance ramp and elevator for handicapped students, and flexible construction to allow interior walls to moved easily and economically for different room sizes. Just as important, the building design would allow an addition to be added if needed.
In the end, the 48,174 square foot building contained 39 faculty offices, offices for the Business dean, and space for the Bureau of Business Research. Five carpeted riser-type classrooms with capacities for 31 to 100 students were included, as were nine general purpose classrooms, five special purpose classrooms, and three seminar rooms.
Construction, 1968
First Naming and Dedication
On November 20, 1967, the state college board named the building “School of Business”. The name suggestion originated from the Business faculty. As with other campus buildings completed in the 1960s, the Business building was to be named something else. At the state college board meeting from January 11, 1966, another name was proposed - “L.K. McLeland Hall” to honor former St. Cloud State resident director and St. Cloud businessman Lyle K. McLeland. The resolution was tabled for unknown reasons.
Opening in fall 1968, the School of Business building was dedicated on May 14, 1969.
Building Addition
In the early 1990s, campus wanted to construct an addition. According to a February 15, 1991, press release, a two-story addition southwest side would provide an additional 5,000 square feet for 25 to 30 offices. The addition was to be designed by Wemlinger Architecture. To cost around $465,000, the addition would be funded by a loan from the St. Cloud State Foundation. Construction work began in May 1993 and scheduled for completion in 1994. A general contractor built the addition’s shell and campus facilities personnel completed the interior. According to May 2, 1995 Chronicle article, the addition was designed by professional business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi students. The addition was dedicated on April 29, 1995.
Business Moves Out
In mid-2007, the Herberger College of Business moved to the newly renovated Centennial Hall. The building was then renovated to become home for the departments of English, Political Science, and Ethnic and Women's Studies.
Webster Hall with addition, July 1998
New Name
An unsuccessful effort was made in 2007 to rename the building after former St. Cloud State president George Budd. Sometime late during the 2007-08 academic year, the structure was dubbed 51 Building after its street address. In October 2018, the building was renamed to honor Ruby Cora Webster, a 1909 St. Cloud State graduate who is the first documented African American to attend and/or graduate from the university.
The blueprints for the Webster Hall, as completed in 1968, are available on the University Archives’ Search portal.
Architect's drawing, 1967
James Marmas and Robert Wick at dedication, May 1969
Ruby Cora Webster, 1909