My husband and I met at a Halloween Party in Mount Pleasant, MI in 1992 at an off-campus apartment. We subsequently became “college sweethearts” and began dating after that – and married in 1997.

We recently visited Mount Pleasant for two nights (the main reason being to visit family members living close by). As you can imagine, we spent quite a bit of time reminiscing about our college memories, and rekindled those memories by doing a little campus tour.

Warriner Hall, CMU’s administration building, is in the background. Its “Big Ben” style clock – back in the day – could be heard throughout campus (and beyond). I frequently used it to stay on schedule and make sure I wasn’t TOO late for classes!

Our main burning question was whether our old apartment building on South Crawford Road – in which we shared an apartment with one other roommate in 1994 – was still standing – or had been demolished and replaced (as had our other two apartment buildings). We learned that the same building was still there (though the siding is a different color – it used to be blue)! Its old name was Edgewood Apartments, the new name is “Campus Habitat.”

My “Old Apartment” ⇓

The top photo is the building in which we lived (our unit was on the right and in the rear on the second floor). This photo ⇑ shows the wooded area that students – like me – used for taking a “shortcut” to the CMU campus.

My other “old apartment” was on May Street – right by the railroad tracks. The building in which I lived has since been demolished – and replaced. Please note classes were not in session when we did our “tour,” so the parking lot is virtually empty. On some Friday/Saturday nights, it wasn’t uncommon for partying to occur in the parking lots – leaving piles of red plastic Solo cups in their wake.

I managed to take a couple of pics of the “new hotness” (such as it is):

My Other Old Apartment (Redux) ⇓

This was the approximate location of my old apartment building. How it used to shake when the train went by (it was actually kind of terrifying)! Me and three other women lived in a unit facing the parking lot on the second floor. In the background are some “family” apartments owned by CMU.

When we weren’t sleeping, studying, or partying  – we occasionally went to our classes! Most of our old class buildings are the same, though there are some new residence halls and improved/replaced buildings:

New Hotness – Park Library ⇓

Park Library was demolished and replaced after we graduated in the mid 1990s (which still makes us shake our fists, LOL)! Oh the memories of trying in vain to comprehend Ovid, scrolling through microfilm/microfiche for research…Too bad the library wasn’t open while we were there, we thought that it would be a hoot to look at old yearbooks! Maybe next time…

 

Anspach Hall (Same Old, Same Old) ⇓

A vast majority of my CMU classes were in this building – which included courses in literature, language, journalism, etc. The student publication offices were located in this building – including offices for Central Michigan LIFE (the campus newspaper) and Framework (an arts/literature magazine featuring student submissions). I worked for both of these publications while I was a student.

“The Towers – New Hotness – AND Same Old, Same Old…” ⇓

When I was at CMU, there were only four buildings encompassing “The Towers” (AKA high-density Freshman storage). Since then, three more buildings have been added to the monolithic complex – nearly doubling its size. the older buildings are in the center, the newer buildings are on the sides. The only time I ever set foot in the “Towers” complex was during my orientation – and only to take advantage of the dining hall meal that was included in the cost. I passed on the opportunity to sleep overnight in one of these rooms – why would I do that when I had an off-campus apartment?

North Art Studio (Same Old, Same Old) ⇓

If you were an art student (like my husband was when he was a student), chances are you had at least a couple of classes in the North Art Studio. This building hasn’t changed since we were students.

 

New Hotness – Fabiano Hall ⇓

Fabiano and Celani Halls were added as new residence halls in the mid 2000s. They are located near Anspach Hall and are part of the Woldt/Emmons/Saxe residence complex.

Bovee University Center (aka “The UC”) – Same Old, Same Old…⇓

This is where most of the student activity offices were located, and the CMU bookstore (which is still here).

And Some Off Campus Spots: 

Old and Busted – SBX/Malt Shop Location ⇓

The “strip mall” that formerly contained the Student Book Exchange (referred to by students as SBX) and the Malt Shop used to be in this now empty shopping complex. After selling your old books, you could go to the Malt Shop and waste some money playing “Gauntlet” – and enjoying dollar pizza slices on Sunday. The Malt Shop, according to published reports, moved to a different location after closing here – then closed down for good in 2018.

Downtown Mount Pleasant ⇓

Here are some random shots of downtown Mount Pleasant dressed up in holiday lights.