‘Coogs’ House: 100 Years of UH Campus Design’

With the University of Houston’s 100th anniversary on the horizon, a team of archivists, librarians, and campus leaders has assembled to create the largest, grandest historical exhibit UH Libraries has ever produced. “Coogs’ House: 100 Years of UH Campus Design” aims to educate and delight visitors with a visual celebration of pivotal moments in the history of the University’s campus planning. But the exhibit is about far more than the built environment. Behind the scenes, months of research and archival discovery have shaped the exhibit’s central question: How do you show and tell the story of a university that grew from a small night school into one of the nation’s largest public research institutions? The answer, according to the exhibit’s creators, begins and ends with students.

A Story Rooted in Student Need

The exhibit’s guiding idea emerged from research conducted for the University’s Centennial Plan, led in part by architecture professor Patrick Peters. As planners designed the physical future of UH, they also looked back, examining how past generations shaped the campus and its mission. That research revealed a consistent theme throughout the last 100 years: Student needs have driven the University’s growth from the beginning. The University of Houston traces its start to March 7, 1927, then known as Houston Junior College. At the time, educational options for many Houstonians were limited. Students needed a place to pursue college studies that fit their lives and schedules, and they successfully persuaded leaders to establish an institution that allowed for greater access to higher education. “Students created the need for the University,” says Mary Manning, archivist and exhibit curator. “Student enrollment shaped the University, and the University itself has shaped student success.” The college became the University of Houston in 1934. Two years later, the institution acquired land for a permanent campus, later opening its first building, Roy Gustav Cullen Memorial Building, in 1939. At first part of Houston Independent School District, then a private institution, UH later became public, receiving state support, building more, hiring top faculty and researchers, and attracting students who demanded an elevated educational experience. That spirit of student agency soon became the standard across campus life. As enrollment grew, academic programs expanded, new facilities were built, and the University evolved in response to the dynamic student population. It’s a theme that became the foundation of the exhibit narrative.

Following a Century of Growth

The exhibit, opening in January 2027, will occupy a sweeping footprint, stretching from the entrance of MD Anderson Library Special Collections on floor 2 and wrapping around the atrium. Visitors will follow a largely chronological journey through the University’s history, beginning with early campus plans in the 1930s and tracing decades of expansion, transformation, and achievement. Eras of the physical campus serve as the exhibit’s organizing framework. Historical photographs, architectural drawings, publications, and artifacts illustrate how the built environment evolved alongside the University. Beyond the University’s architectural history, buildings become evidence of bigger stories: Students studying and socializing, veterans returning from war, researchers pushing scientific boundaries, and artists finding creative homes. The exhibit reflects the evolution of the University’s structures and landscape intertwined with the student imprint. “University of Houston is the students’ house,” Manning says.

Discovering the Turning Points

As exhibit archivists mapped a century of UH history, several pivotal periods emerged. World War II stands out as one of the most consequential. During the war, University facilities supported military education and training efforts, and new buildings rose to meet wartime needs. The physical campus became a direct reflection of broader national trends, and when the GI Bill brought waves of veterans and their families to campus, dramatically increasing enrollment and prompting rapid expansion, the University responded by providing housing and facilities called Veterans Village. Later decades brought additional transformations. Partnerships with institutions such as NASA strengthened research programs and facilities. Major philanthropic gifts, including support that helped establish nationally recognized arts facilities, attracted distinguished faculty and talented students. Each chapter reinforced the same pattern: Changing needs led to new spaces, and new spaces enabled new possibilities.

Beyond the Timeline

While the exhibit follows a chronological arc, some stories called for their own space. Seven standalone vignettes will be featured as accompaniments to the main narrative. These focused sections allow visitors to explore episodes that carry significance beyond a single point in time. Among those stories are the University’s origin as Houston Junior College, great moments in athletics, trailblazing student leaders, and transformative cultural shifts. The vignettes serve a dual purpose: They enrich the broader narrative while ensuring landmark stories are explored in greater depth than a traditional timeline allows.

What the Archives Show

The exhibit celebrates University history and reveals the hidden labor behind preserving institutional records. Many of the most compelling discoveries came not from well-known publications but from recently processed archival collections. Archivists are finding, organizing, and digitizing photographs, documents, correspondence, and organizational records that allow for a fuller, more accurate understanding of the past. This work also enhances access to UH history, making materials searchable and discoverable for students, alumni, scholars, and community members. Those efforts have influenced exhibit development, providing historical evidence that might otherwise have remained hidden.

Creating a Sense of Pride

The exhibit materials are undeniably rich with nostalgia while being nicely academic. Architectural styles, campus planning documents, historical renderings, and institutional records may not immediately sound exciting, yet the exhibit team knows the deeper story transcends those details and serves to inspire Cougar pride in each visitor. At its heart, the Centennial exhibit is about the people who made the University. It is about students who demanded educational opportunity, faculty who built programs, alumni who carried the University’s name into the world, and communities that helped shape the institution across generations. As March 7, 2027 draws near, the meaning of our journey becomes clear. The University’s history is a record of growth and construction as well as a testament to the people whose vision, determination, and belief built an enduring institution together. Their collective efforts transformed an idea into a thriving University. As we celebrate this legacy, the Cougar community looks ahead with confidence that the same spirit of collaboration and innovation will guide the University’s next hundred years.