Remembering the Manchester University Administration Building



History & Overview Frequently Asked Questions Alumni Stories

History and Overview

The existing Administration Building is actually three connected sections. The central portion was erected in 1920, combining the original Bumgerdner Hall on the east side and the 1895 Bible School on the west side. In Bumgerdner’s early years, faculty taught their students in early morning and evening by the light of coal oil lamps. All three sections were built for a different time – when buildings were heated differently and not cooled at all, when electricity was cutting-edge technology, and when today’s technology was inconceivable.

Manchester has explored options for the Administration Building, literally, for years. The building’s functionality has decreased gradually through aging, lack of accessibility and inadequate heating and cooling systems.


Looking Back at the Administrative BuildingLooking Back at Meetings in the Administrative Building

Razing the building and replacing it with a new, smaller and more functional Administration Building was one of the main initiatives of the Students First! campaign, approved by the board in 2009.

As we moved through the campaign and considered how best to serve our students, we decided to use a $5.4 million gift from the late Herb Chinworth ’42c to construct the Lockie and Augustus Chinworth Center, rather than build a new Administration Building. The Chinworth Center, which honors Herb’s parents, is connected to the Jo Young Switzer Center (former Union), and it opened in 2019. It houses the Arthur L. Gilbert College of Business and offices that directly serve students. Placing it next to the Switzer Center and Academic Center put it in a more central campus location.

In 2012, Manchester completed renovation of the former Holl-Kintner Hall of Science into a new Academic Center with modern classrooms, study areas, faculty offices, Sisters Café and the Office of Admissions. That emptied the second and third floors of the Administration Building, leaving about 40 administrative employees working on the first floor and in the basement.


The administration building is scheduled to be razed in 2022 and construction will begin on a new addition to the MU campus. A new bell tower will be celebrated during Homecoming in 2022 in recognition of 100 years of MU

In 2019, those administrative employees were moved after bricks started falling from the façade and a major leak was discovered in the roof, in addition to other concerns such as radon levels and mold. We found office space in other campus buildings for those employees.

In August 2021, the bells were removed from the old Chime Tower for restoration. We will construct a new Chime Tower on the mall with elements that honor the historic significance of the Administration Building. The bells will be reinstalled next summer, and we will dedicate the Manchester icon’s 100th year at Homecoming 2022.

The Timeline

Manchester University is rich with history and that is apparent in the memories from the Administration Building. Comprised of the two original buildings from the late 1800s and bridged by an addition from the 1920s, the Administration Building was the site of many significant campus events. The building served as an iconic backdrop and represented the heart of the University.


A Slideshow Tribute

Special Thanks to Bekah Houff, University Pastor, for her contributions celebrating the Administration Building.