Student Services Building / Turner Student Services

On November 21, 1957, the University authorized eminent domain to purchase and raze two properties for the construction of a new Student Services Building. The 610 East John Street property was owned by Henry K. Vreeland, which was a "lot approximately 50 feet by 120 feet on which there is a frame house made into small apartments and an office used by the owner for his house trailer sales business the yard is used as a display area for trailers", while at 614 East John Street, Cyrus W. Vaughn, Jr., and Maxine M. Vaughn owned a "lot approximately 50 feet by 120 feet on which there [was] a small one-story frame building, used as a restaurant, and a paved parking area the building is leased until December 31, 1960 the owners state their asking price includes compensation to be paid the tenant operating the restaurant for cancellation of his lease prior to its expiration". [1]

In 1958, the University purchased the 610 East John Street property for $45,000 and the 614 property for $49,700 [2] [3] and construction began on the new $1,350,000 [4] [5] student services building. The Turner Student Services building opened its doors four years later, in 1962, as the Student Services Building. [6] It was designed by Perkins & Will, in conjunction with campus architect Ernest L. Stouffer, with Kuhne-Simmons Co, Inc performing the general contracting. [7]

In April 1979, the Board of Trustees proposed that the building be renamed in honor of Fred H. Turner, and in November 1979 the building was rededicated. Turner became the first Dean of Students in 1943, after the long-standing practice of having separate Deans of Men and Women were merged. He later became the University Dean of Students when the three campuses of Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield were merged into a single University system. [8]