Milliken, we hardly knew ye

Milliken, then called simply the College Infirmary, was built in 1937 and 1938, replacing the aging Pratt Health Cottage. At the time, the campus was rapidly expanding, with the construction of the Campus Police building in 1932, the new Alumni Gym in 1936 and the Little Red Schoolhouse in 1937.

According to The Student, the infirmary was equipped with then-state of the art equipment and, in addition to the requisite examination rooms and posh waiting rooms (pictured above), the infirmary had available quarters to house staffers who could not otherwise find residence in town.

In 1971, due to increasing enrollment, for the first time and certainly not the last, students were housed in the infirmary building. Examination rooms and unused offices were turned over to 11 upperclassmen who had opted out of room draw the previous spring.

The situation was less than ideal and only a temporary solution. Students staying in the infirmary complained of loud noise coming from the occupied rooms at night, making recovery more difficult. Also, Dean of Students Robert Ward noted that the students would likely be relocated from the infirmary over the course of the semester, The Student reported.

The infirmary continued to be used intermittently as overflow housing as the need arose, but it was not until 1984 that the College converted Mueller House on College Street into the Keefe Health Center and Milliken became a dormitory on a full-time basis.

From 1984 until last spring, Milliken housed 40 students in singles and doubles and, owing to it’s U-shape, featured a nice courtyard for student use. Last fall, the Board of Trustees announced that Milliken would be razed as part of the new Campus Master Plan. The building will be replaced by two 50-bed dorms.