Emil Weddige
American, born Canada, 1907 - 2001The Michigan Union (from ‘11 Lithographs Commemorating the 150th Year of the University of Michigan’), 1964 - 1966
Not on view
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions17 7/8 × 22 1/8 in. (45.4 × 56.2 cm)
Image: 14 9/16 × 18 15/16 in. (37 × 48.1 cm)
Gift of the University of Michigan, 1968.15.10
The Michigan Union building is an iconic piece of architecture on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. Designed by architects Pond and Pond to be an “all-inclusive organization to promote feelings of unity for men on campus,” the building was opened in 1919. Historically, the Michigan Union provided a place for meetings, lodging, and recreation with its own bowling alley, billiards room, and swimming pool. Women were allowed to visit only when escorted by male students and had to enter the building through the North entrance—restrictions that weren’t revised until 1968. Today, the Michigan Union is open to all students, staff, alumni, and guests of the University of Michigan campus.
Born in Sandwich, Ontario, Emil Weddige’s family moved to Detroit when he was two years old. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in art from Michigan Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University), then went on to study at the Art Students League in New York. Weddige would have been introduced to the Michigan Union building when he returned to the state to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan. He became professor at their College of Architecture and Design and worked there until he retired.
