Facilities

Administration Building

Built in 1907-1910, this Tudor Revival structure with its four towers is the landmark of the campus. In 1979, a fire destroyed the north wing and the west wing, the latter of which is largely restored. In addition, the entire second floor and a portion of the third floor have been extensively renovated. This historic building houses Admissions, Career Services, Graduate Office, Registrar’s Office, Scholarships and Financial Assistance Office, Cashiering, Bursar’s Office, and other administrative and student services offices. It was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2010.

Alumni House

Located on College Avenue, this structure is owned by the non-profit Northwest Foundation and houses the Office of University Advancement and Alumni Relations. This former private residence is the social center for alumni and friends of Northwest.

Everett W. Brown Education Hall

Located across from the J.W. Jones Union, this Neo-Gothic ornamented structure was renovated and rededicated in 1987 to Everett W. Brown, an alumnus, long-time staff member, eight-term member of the Missouri House of Representatives and former appointed member of the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Originally dedicated in 1939, Brown Hall houses the School of Education, as well as the Horace Mann School for elementary education.

Center for Innovation

The Dean L. Hubbard Center for Innovation built in 2009 houses two academic units. The west side of the building is the new home of the School of Agricultural Sciences. Renovated in 2017, the west side of the CI features classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and a shared research lab. The east side of the building houses a portion of the Department of Natural Sciences. Similar to the west side, the Natural Sciences wing features classrooms, faculty offices, and teaching/research laboratories.

Colden Hall

Completed in 1959, this V-shaped structure is named for Charles J. Colden, the first president of the Board of Regents. This major academic structure was completely renovated in 1996-1997 providing environments for technology to supplement and facilitate learning, and with flexibility for advancements in the future. Located on the second floor are the faculty and staff offices for Business; Computer Science and Information Systems; Language, Literature, and Writing; and Behavioral Sciences.

Mabel Cook Recruitment and Visitors Center

Located at the southeast entrance to campus, the center is named for a graduate of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, who later served on the faculty and chaired the department. As a student, Mabel Cook initiated the idea for Kappa Omicron Phi, now a national family and consumer sciences honor society called Kappa Omicron Nu. The house is now used as a visitors center for prospective students and their families as well as housing Admissions personnel and Student Ambassadors.

Raymond J. Courter College Park Pavilion

The Pavilion in College Park located west of the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts was completed in 2005. It includes a 5,600 square foot outdoor amphitheatre with stage, theatrical lighting, storage and restrooms for University and community events. The Pavilion is named in honor of Raymond Courter whose influence over 37 years of service and as chief financial officer guided master planning for capital construction projects resulting in additions or improvements to nearly 30 campus buildings and structures.

DeLuce Fine Arts Building

Located on the south side of the campus, this circular structure was dedicated in 1965 and honors the long-time faculty member and nationally-recognized leader in art education, Olive DeLuce. DeLuce contains studios, the DeLuce Gallery, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and faculty and staff offices for Art and Music.

The 549-seat Charles Johnson Theater, housed in DeLuce, is named for the first chairman of the Spring Festival of the Arts, which evolved into the year-long Northwest Encore Performances. The Charles Johnson Theater also has a two-manual, 21-rank McManis pipe organ.

Fire Arts Building

This triangle shaped building constructed in 2004-2005 is located to the southeast of the DeLuce Building. It houses ceramics, sculpting, and welding art classes.

Foster Fitness Center

In March 2014, the Northwest Board of Regents approved the renaming of the former Foster Aquatic Center to the Robert and Virginia Foster Fitness Center.  The Fitness Center consists of nearly 20,000 square feet of open floor space accommodating state-of-the-art cardio and weight lifting machines, a human performance lab and classroom space.  In addition, the facility houses a specified area for aerobics, spinning, yoga, and various fitness courses.  A fitness mezzanine housing cardio equipment with windows providing natural lighting overlooks the facility.

Garrett-Strong Science Building

This building on the north side of campus honors two former department chairmen: William T. Garrett, Department of Biological Sciences; and J. Gordon Strong, Department of Chemistry and Physics. Completed in 1968, Garrett-Strong contains laboratories, lecture halls and classrooms, as well as faculty and staff offices for Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Geology; Geography; and Mathematics. The entire building was renovated in 2000-2001 resulting in a state-of-the-art facility. The botany laboratory and greenhouse building were added in 2002.

Thomas W. Gaunt House

Located across from the Alumni House on the south end of campus, the Gaunt House was constructed in 1870 by a retired sea captain whose tree nursery was located on what is now the main campus. The Classical Revival-style structure has been the home of University presidents since the founding of the institution in 1905, and it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1999-2000, a new addition was added that expanded the kitchen to include daily family use and a food preparation area for large group gatherings. A new outside patio was also added. Extensive renovations to the entire house were completed in 2009-2010.

Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts

Built in 1984, the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts is named for Ron Houston, whose generosity led to a significant expansion of performance facilities available to Northwest theatre students. The center also includes the Mary Linn Auditorium, named after Mary Casteel Linn, a former University Regent and dedicated patron of the arts. The 1,099-seat theater can accommodate a full symphony orchestra, or it can be scaled down for more intimate productions. The Houston Center also houses a “black box” theater as well as the offices and production shops of University Theatre. A Studio Theatre addition connected to the Houston Center for the Performing Arts on the southeast side opened in 2008. The Studio Theatre functions as a drama laboratory and contains state-of-the-art technology, including an articulated lighting grid, a makeup lab/classroom and a new lighting and sound control system. The Studio Theatre seats up to 250 people, depending on how the space is configured, and provides a more intimate environment for student and departmental performances.

Hughes Fieldhouse

Located just northwest of College Park and Bearcat Stadium on the Northwest campus, the Carl & Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse will serve as a host site for a wide range of University and community activities.  The project represents the single largest public-private partnership in Northwest's 112-year history--and one of the largest public-private partnerships ever in the region.  The Hughes Fieldhouse features:

• 137,250 square-foot recreation and multipurpose facility including recreation and exhibition space,
• indoor flooring system,
• 100-yard practice turf,
• 300-meter indoor competition track,
• spectator seating, and
• tiered meeting rooms.

J.W. Jones Union

The opening of this structure in the center of campus in 1952 fulfilled a long-time dream of J.W. Jones, sixth president of the University. In 1966, an addition on the north more than doubled the size of the building. During 1998-2000 the entire facility underwent a complete renovation and reconfiguration of spaces. Dining services, including Bearcat Commons, underwent renovations during the summer of 2013.

Alfred McKemy Center for Lifelong Learning

Located south of the Dean L. Hubbard Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, location of the School of Agricultural Sciences, this structure was completed in 1977 and is named after a former member and president of the Board of Regents. Renovated in 2017, it contains a large lecture hall, Commodity Trading Room, computer laboratory and recording studio used to support profession based learning experiences within the School of Agricultural Sciences.

Memorial Bell Tower

Completed in 1971 and refurbished in 1989, and completely renovated in 2004, this 100-foot high structure located in the center of campus dominates the campus vista. The Bell Tower was constructed from funds provided by University friends and alumni and has brass memorial and commemorative plaques, an electric carillon and displays the University seal as it has evolved with name changes from Normal School to University.

Ryland Milner Complex

Named for long-time coach, athletic director and alumnus Ryland Milner, the Complex contains two gymnasiums, tennis courts and Bearcat Stadium, all located on the southwest side of campus.

Uel W. Lamkin Activity Center, named for the University's fifth president, was first opened in 1959. During the 1993-1994 academic year, the facility was the recipient of a $6 million renovation and enlargement. Included was the total renovation of the existing structure and the construction of north and south additions. The north expansion, called the Northwest Student Recreation Center, houses a suspended jogging track, three basketball courts and five racquetball/handball courts. Included in the south addition is the Fitness Center on the lower level, a lobby on the main level, and offices and meeting rooms for coaches on the top level. The area where basketball and volleyball competition is held has been named the Bearcat Arena. The Arena wood floor was replaced in 2011. Also housed in the Activity Center are classrooms and ticket and concession areas on the main level. The lower level has weight-lifting, dressing rooms and athletic training facilities.

Martindale Hall, opened in 1926, was the original University gymnasium. Remodeled and renovated in 1973-1975, Martindale honors Nell Martindale Kuchs, a faculty member and early leader in women’s athletics. Martindale has a regulation-sized basketball court, replaced in 2011, which can be split for two separate activities such as gymnastics, dance and volleyball. The building also contains classrooms, physical education faculty offices, a dance studio and women’s dressing rooms.

Bearcat Stadium is a playing field with permanent seating accommodating 6,200 spectators and stadium capacity of 7,500. The field is surrounded by the Herschel Neil Track, a resilient all-weather track named after the 1930s Northwest student who held numerous NCAA records. During calendar year 2000, the east grandstand and southeast ticket houses were completely renovated to enhance customer services. In 2002-2003, the west grandstand and pressbox were replaced by an enlarged facility featuring chairback, railback and traditional seats, 10 suites, and an upper media/coaching area and filming tower. A new scoreboard was also added with video replay capabilities. The stadium was renamed in 2004 from Rickenbrode to Bearcat Stadium to honor the Northwest family members who helped to fund the replacement structures and additional facilities. In 2007 the natural turf field was replaced by artificial turf and officially named Tjeerdsma Field to honor the success of Melvin L. Tjeerdsma, the former head football coach. Lights were also added to allow for night use.

Athletic Grounds Support Building, constructed in 2006-2007, is located west of the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts. It houses athletic field equipment, paint supplies, lawn equipment, and employee support functions.

The Frank W. Grube Tennis Courts, completed in 1981, are named after the long-time Department of English chairperson and first varsity tennis coach of the University.

Bearcat Field is the home of the Bearcat baseball team and is located on the west campus, and has a grass infield, a scoreboard and press box facility.

A Softball Field was constructed in 1996 near Phillips Hall on the west side of campus. Home to the Bearcat softball team, the dirt infield is made from aqualime, a textured soil that allows moisture to go through to the ground.

Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area (MOERA)

A 315-acre rural lake front tract of land located at Mozingo Lake, MOERA is designed for student and community education/recreation activities. Facilities include a challenge course consisting of an Alpine tower, Odyssey III tower, Carolina climbing wall, and group dynamics low element obstacle stations; courtesy dock; a trap and skeet range which can also be used for target archery; a biology research area; a small astronomy observatory and outdoor telescope viewing area; and biology/astronomy and health, physical education, recreation and dance department working/storage buildings. A mixture of walking trails and gravel roads exist throughout the acreage.

B.D. Owens Library

Named for the eighth president of the University, this limestone and glass structure, located near academic facilities as well as residence halls, opened in 1983. With more than 100,000 square feet of space, Owens Library is designed to meet the library needs of the University well into the future, and to accommodate technological advances in information retrieval systems. Included in Owens Library are personal computers connected to the Electronic Campus network, including a multitude of web-based databases, group and private study rooms, and comfortable seating arranged throughout the open stacks. The library also houses Novel Grounds Coffeehouse featuring Starbucks, which opened summer 2013.

Residence Halls, Suites and Apartments

Located in four areas on campus are 17 structures providing variety in living arrangements and common spaces for students. Residence halls offer integrated living/learning communities well suited for freshmen acclimating to college life. Suites provide a small group living environment desired by sophomore and junior students. Apartments offer a transition to independent living for junior, senior and graduate students.

The West Complex includes four High Rise Residence Halls that are seven-story buildings located on the west side of campus. Dieterich Hall (for H.R. Dieterich, education faculty), Millikan Hall (for Chloe Millikan, education faculty), Franken Hall (for Katherine Franken, psychology faculty), and Phillips Halls (for Homer T. Phillips, education faculty) are all coed residence halls. Tower Suites West and Tower Suites East located between Phillips and Franken were completed in 2004.

The North Complex contains Cooper Hall (for Albert H. Cooper, director of extension), and Douglas Hall (for 24-year Regent R.L. Douglas), which are coed residence halls. Cooper Hall serves as the residence and office location of the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing.

The South Complex contains Wilson Hall (for Lon Wilson, dean of men), Richardson Hall (for fourth University president Ira Richardson), and Cook Hall (for T.H. Cook, history faculty). During 1999-2000, these connected structures were completely redesigned and renovated to eliminate the traditional dormitory arrangements.

The East Complex contains Hudson Hall (for the first woman registrar, Nell Hudson), Perrin Hall (for the first dean of women, Alice R. Perrin), and Roberta Hall (for Roberta Steel, who lost her life after a 1951 residence hall explosion). Roberta Hall was completely renovated during the 1993-94 academic year. Hudson and Perrin Halls were demolished and rebuilt in 2005-2007 to create a modified dormitory arrangement.

Forest Village Apartments (Hawthorne, Sycamore and Willow) were completed in 2004 and are located on the north side of Centennial Drive and include a community building providing lounges and meeting facilities for apartment residents, a convenience store, mailboxes and residential life staff offices. The apartments are fully furnished; consist of two- and four-bedroom styles; include a living room, storage closets and a small kitchen and dining space. These units also contain washer, dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, stove and cable TV.

Renewable and Alternative Energy Facilities

In 1982, the University's 72 year-old Power Plant was retrofitted to utilize wood chips, a renewable energy source, along with natural gas and oil. In 1993, the Biomass Processing Building was constructed on the west side of campus to produce paper pellets made from discarded clean paper and corrugated paper. Beginning in 2000, under U.S. Patent Number 6,49,694 the “animal waste to energy production” process using solid animal waste and dry agricultural feedstock from the University Farm operations was initiated to create a virtually odor-free fuel pellet. Along with wood chips and paper pellets this fuel source has reduced the University's dependence on fossil fuels by up to 80 percent. Together, these buildings are known as the Renewable and Alternative Energy Facilities.

Jon T. Rickman Electronic Campus Support Center

In 2003 the Electronic Campus Support program staff and operations moved into the former Missouri National Guard Armory built on campus in 1951 when the Missouri National Guard moved to a newly constructed community facility. In 2008 the facility was renamed to honor Dr. Jon Rickman whose long years of service and dedication to continuously advance the electronic learning and working environment for all students, faculty, and staff established Northwest as the Electronic Campus.

The Station

Opened in 1966 as the Taylor Commons dining hall (more recently known as The Conference Center), this facility provides community building lounges and meeting space for West Complex residents, a convenience store, Papa John's Pizza, mailboxes and residential life staff offices. It also serves as a conference center with movable room dividers and state-of-the-art audio/visual capabilities for teleconferences, seminars, meetings and workshops. It houses the Textbook Services Center and a bakery. Henry Kirby Taylor was the third president of Northwest.

Support Services Complex

Located north of the High Rises, Tower Suites and The Station are structures providing operational space for the majority of the campus physical plant services.

The Facilities Services Buildings erected between 2005 and 2009 and house the administrative team as well as the maintenance, key, sign and carpentry shops.

The Support Services Building was completed in July 2014 and houses the University Police, Purchasing and Materials Distribution Center (built in 2002). The University Police Department facility offers a large dispatch center which is also built as a storm shelter. Additionally, the new building includes a large conference room, interview rooms, a finger-printing station, evidence rooms, an armory for weapon and equipment storage, and men’s and women’s locker rooms. Purchasing provides procurement of materials and services for both internal and external customers. Materials Distribution Center is the warehouse facility that houses central stores, central receiving, the moving crew and is the site for the University's surplus auctions. 

Thompson-Ringold Building

The building, located north of Wells Hall, was built in 1931 and during the years has housed the Industrial Arts programs; Kenneth Thompson and Howard Ringold were long-time faculty of that department. Now it houses the Mail/Copy Center, the Adult Education Literacy program and the Regional Professional Development Center.

Valk Center

Completed in 1970 and named for Donald N. Valk, long-time chair of the Department of Technology, the building during 1993 became the home of the Department of Agricultural Sciences following the closing of the Department of Technology. Facilities within the building include faculty offices, lecture rooms, a computer laboratory, and laboratories for plant science, animal science and soil science. The lower level of Valk, used formerly for warehouse storage, was renovated in 2008-2009. Enhancements include new building entries, exterior stairwells, classrooms, faculty offices, student gathering and display areas for the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. With the movement of the School of Agriculture to the Hubbard Center in Fall 2017, the upper level is utilized for general classrooms by multiple departments and also houses the Army National Guard GOLD program.

Wellness Services

Built in 1997, this structure with its pitched roofs in interlocking planes is a distinctive addition to the northwest corner of the campus. It provides a user-friendly environment in which to meet the health care needs of Northwest students living on and off campus. In 2006-2008 a new addition was added to house the Personal Development and Counseling Services and University Wellness Services in the same facility. The facility was renamed to reflect the comprehensiveness of these programs.

Wells Hall

Dedicated in 1939 as the University library, Wells Hall is named for the University’s first librarian, Edwin C. Wells. Since the opening of Owens Library, Wells houses faculty and staff offices for Communication; Theatre; and Mass Media, as well as KZLX-LP-FM, KXCV/KRNW-FM, KNWT-TV, classrooms, the Northwest Missourian student newspaper, and Tower yearbook.

R.T. Wright Farm

The 448 acres two miles north of campus provide laboratory experiences in agronomy, animal and dairy science, and horticulture. The farms are named after R.T. Wright, former chairperson of the Department of Agricultural Sciences and a recognized leader in agricultural education.

A modernized swine complex and enhanced dairy were built in 2000. A solid animal waste separator, fluid lagoon and blending operation were incorporated in the design to facilitate the blending of solid waste with other farm feedstocks for the production of a pelletized alternative fuel used in the University Power Plant. This comprehensive approach to farm management provides a hands-on laboratory for students in the School of Agricultural Sciences.