The first in my little campus exploration adventure series, I think. I went out when I had an extra hour and just walked into the building. I kept my eyes and ears open and my phone ready for taking notes and photos...
Reese Phifer Hall was built in 1929 and dedicated in 1930 as the Alabama Memorial Union building (supposedly as a war memorial to students who had served) and didn't become the Communications Building until some 40 years later. In 1991, it was renamed after one J. Reese Phifer, a local benefactor to the university.
In its early days, it was home to the university's only campus-wide telephone as well as the only cafeteria and the University Supply Store. It also held to the University Post Office and the University Barbershop!
Downstairs are studios for Alabama Public Radio as well as the on-campus radio and television stations and has been the home to the school's radio broadcasting since it was built. In the west wing is the William E. Winter Reading Room, which is filled with newspapers and other periodicals and a Mac lab.
I had been told about Reese Phifer by a friend of mine who has been considering a journalism major, and it seemed to me like a nice interesting place to start. Why? Two reasons: First, it has a dome. Second, it is a rumored labyrinth. I was not disappointed in either. The various winding and turning staircase patterns reminded me of works of Escher, and I found it nearly impossible to follow basic building pattern intuition. I got gloriously lost immediately.
I actually stumbled upon the Reading Room I mentioned earlier and ran into Anne Borne, the - er - librarian. She is a delightful lady and when I told her I was visiting to see the place (and expressed some interest in journalism) she showed me all over, including under the tarps and into the in-progress renovations for the room. I found the newspaper for my hometown on the resource rack and she told me about her work and some of the stuff they had - undigitized journals, periodicals, research, all sorts of things.
When asked about the building further, she referred me to Dr. Jim Oakley, 26 year veteran to the College of Communications.
In Dr. Oakley's office, I found a good humored, swell old fellow who knew just about everything there was to know. We shared more than one good joke and some good conversation.
I was shown what had once been the student lounge and told how the building's already grandiose entrance used to be even bigger. He told me that Reese Phifer is actually two buildings put together, which is something that I found out while I was still browsing around.
He also told me a story about an old ex-student named Charles Adams who used to work and live in the building back when it was called the Alabama Union and had a tiny little apartment complex inside. He made a copy of the memoir he wrote about his time in the hall and gave it to me. I immensely enjoyed reading it. It told all about the old building back in its early days: the constantly leaking roof, the strict matron Mrs. Sanders, how they used to censor some of the magazines with a pair of scissors, and 'step sitting' on the enormous, gorgeous front steps. I have to leave out most of the stuff for want of space.
However, I do need to let you all in on one little secret of Reese Phifer: the local ghost.
Some years ago, one Dr. Caison was said to have commited suicide in one of the rooms on the third floor on the east wing. Adams wrote that the superstitious custodians refused to go in to clean it. There have been stories from students and faculty alike who have reported seeing Dr. Caison walking about the halls, and after a little bit of searching, I was able to find the infamous room for myself. It is now an occupied office - room 402B. However, be sure to ask reception if it's okay first, and the likely answer will be a 'no'.
Finally, last on my agenda was to go up into the rotunda on top, so I sheepishly asked to go see the dome and Dr. Oakley gladly got his keys and took me right up. As I walked around the enormous empty space, he told me about how the university band used to practice there, back when it was MUCH smaller - the band that is! There's not much up there now - just some paper scraps from decorations and almost 100 years of echoes, but it had a cool quality to it. And besides, it's a dome at the top of a building! Gotta check those out.
After coming back downstairs and talking a little more, I said good bye to Dr. Oakley and headed off to Cal II, thoroughly pleased.
Stats:
Cools - great ambiance, fun to commute, lots of classrooms, newly renovated, beautiful terraces
Not So's - difficult to navigate in any way, on corner of two busy roads
Close to - quad, sorority housing, stadium, the Strip
Far From - Honors housing, Rec Center, Ferguson Center
Beauty - 7.5
Temperature - Neutral
Overall - 8.2
I'm Jonathon, and this is my life.
Sources:
http://tour.ua.edu/tourstops/reese.html
"Reflections on the Alabama Union, AKA Reese Phifer Hall" by Mr. Charles E. Adams
local faculty
my own investigations
Reese Phifer Hall - College of Communications and Information Services
Reese Phifer Hall was built in 1929 and dedicated in 1930 as the Alabama Memorial Union building (supposedly as a war memorial to students who had served) and didn't become the Communications Building until some 40 years later. In 1991, it was renamed after one J. Reese Phifer, a local benefactor to the university.
In its early days, it was home to the university's only campus-wide telephone as well as the only cafeteria and the University Supply Store. It also held to the University Post Office and the University Barbershop!
Downstairs are studios for Alabama Public Radio as well as the on-campus radio and television stations and has been the home to the school's radio broadcasting since it was built. In the west wing is the William E. Winter Reading Room, which is filled with newspapers and other periodicals and a Mac lab.
I had been told about Reese Phifer by a friend of mine who has been considering a journalism major, and it seemed to me like a nice interesting place to start. Why? Two reasons: First, it has a dome. Second, it is a rumored labyrinth. I was not disappointed in either. The various winding and turning staircase patterns reminded me of works of Escher, and I found it nearly impossible to follow basic building pattern intuition. I got gloriously lost immediately.
I actually stumbled upon the Reading Room I mentioned earlier and ran into Anne Borne, the - er - librarian. She is a delightful lady and when I told her I was visiting to see the place (and expressed some interest in journalism) she showed me all over, including under the tarps and into the in-progress renovations for the room. I found the newspaper for my hometown on the resource rack and she told me about her work and some of the stuff they had - undigitized journals, periodicals, research, all sorts of things.
 |
| Anne Borne in the William E. Winter Reading Room |
 |
| the breezeway connecting the east and west wings |
I was shown what had once been the student lounge and told how the building's already grandiose entrance used to be even bigger. He told me that Reese Phifer is actually two buildings put together, which is something that I found out while I was still browsing around.
He also told me a story about an old ex-student named Charles Adams who used to work and live in the building back when it was called the Alabama Union and had a tiny little apartment complex inside. He made a copy of the memoir he wrote about his time in the hall and gave it to me. I immensely enjoyed reading it. It told all about the old building back in its early days: the constantly leaking roof, the strict matron Mrs. Sanders, how they used to censor some of the magazines with a pair of scissors, and 'step sitting' on the enormous, gorgeous front steps. I have to leave out most of the stuff for want of space.
 |
| above this entrance are the spaces where the windows from Adam's apartment used to be |
 |
| the view from the bedroom window, which isn't there anymore |
However, I do need to let you all in on one little secret of Reese Phifer: the local ghost.
Some years ago, one Dr. Caison was said to have commited suicide in one of the rooms on the third floor on the east wing. Adams wrote that the superstitious custodians refused to go in to clean it. There have been stories from students and faculty alike who have reported seeing Dr. Caison walking about the halls, and after a little bit of searching, I was able to find the infamous room for myself. It is now an occupied office - room 402B. However, be sure to ask reception if it's okay first, and the likely answer will be a 'no'.
 |
| The spot where Dr. Caison committed suicide. |
 |
| the window outside, which I initially used to help me find the room ("the room's window is the first one from the portico on the third floor east" - Adams) |
Finally, last on my agenda was to go up into the rotunda on top, so I sheepishly asked to go see the dome and Dr. Oakley gladly got his keys and took me right up. As I walked around the enormous empty space, he told me about how the university band used to practice there, back when it was MUCH smaller - the band that is! There's not much up there now - just some paper scraps from decorations and almost 100 years of echoes, but it had a cool quality to it. And besides, it's a dome at the top of a building! Gotta check those out.
After coming back downstairs and talking a little more, I said good bye to Dr. Oakley and headed off to Cal II, thoroughly pleased.
Stats:
Cools - great ambiance, fun to commute, lots of classrooms, newly renovated, beautiful terraces
Not So's - difficult to navigate in any way, on corner of two busy roads
Close to - quad, sorority housing, stadium, the Strip
Far From - Honors housing, Rec Center, Ferguson Center
Beauty - 7.5
Temperature - Neutral
Overall - 8.2
I'm Jonathon, and this is my life.
Sources:
http://tour.ua.edu/tourstops/reese.html
"Reflections on the Alabama Union, AKA Reese Phifer Hall" by Mr. Charles E. Adams
local faculty
my own investigations
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