An exterior photo of the Nebraska Union from 1964 shows the completed editions and north entry car port, which were finished in 1959.

A May 22, 1959 article in the Daily Nebraskan announced a slew of planned activities when the new edition opened the following fall. Duane Lake, managing director at the time, heralded the renovations for allowing the Union to become the “center of campus activities,” and an “instrument of social education” for students. Lake also told the newspaper that the renovations were designed to allow for two more floors in the future.

The first student union on campus was dedicated in 1933, but campus quickly outgrew the space. According to a Sept. 18, 1959 issue of the Daily Nebraskan dedicated to the opening of the new renovations, previous planned expansions were superseded by World War II. In 1952, it was announced that new expansion plans were completed, and a bond issue for the construction was passed in 1955. Construction began in spring of 1958.

When the new building was opened in the fall of 1959, Chancellor Clifford Hardin said, “The University of Nebraska is proud of its new Nebraska Union, and with reason. It is a modern, functional and beautiful campus center, designed to serve the needs of a growing university community.”

“From the Archives” is a weekly feature in Nebraska Today. Images are provided by Traci Robison, outreach archivist and assistant professor of practice with Archives and Special Collections in the University Libraries. Explore the Archives and Special Collections online. For more information, contact Troy Fedderson at tfedderson2@unl.edu or 402-472-8515.