I'm writing a history of the MSC for my blog, and I intend to capture details not listed in http://www.msc.tamu.edu/facilities/history.html

It seems that in the '50s there were far more shops and eating facilities than later in the MSC's life, and I'm wondering if anyone has information on that (probably not).

Moving on, what were the changes made in the 1989 renovation? It seems like the MSC was largely in a 1970s time warp (awesome, I know).

Was the bowling alley closed in 2005, or did I get something incorrect?

It seems like there was a net loss of eateries. In my research, this includes the "old eateries" prior to 2005: Rumours, MSC Cafeteria(?), Hullabaloo Food Court (Chick-fil-A, Sargino's, The Other Burger, Downtown Deli), 12th Man International Food Court (01 Armydillo's, Olla Roja, Elephant Wok).

Compare and contrast to "new eateries": Rev's American Grill, Smokin', Cabo, Cool (fro-yo and others only--if that even counts), Pile On, Panda Express, Ciao.

I found some old photos from 10 days before remodel (by one "Cody_Green") and those make me nostalgic.

Does anyone have a map of the MSC from the days before?

Also, any random memories would be nice...recently there was a post about rather generous portions of delicious Chicken Fried Steak in the early 1980s.

Thanks a bunch!

(P.S.: YES, I am an Aggie, I just don't feel like giving TexAgs my personal information for an Ag Tag)

[This message has been edited by PS3D (edited 4/26/2012 9:31a).]

Try Amy Bacon's book on the history of the MSC?

Hm, didn't know there was a book about it. I want to get things different than what a book would have, but it still looks fascinating none the less.

I hope the MSC bookstore (er, "Barnes & Noble at Texas A&M University") carries that, it would be nice to at least page through it.

Please verify the following:
The 1989 renovation(?, I thought it was 1991) added the Stark Gallery next to the Flag Room. The Flag Room used to have windows directly to the outside.
This remodal also expanded the Campus Bookstore toward Joe Routt(greatly reducing the amount of grass on that side of the building). Edit: Actually, the bookstore may not have even been on the first level prior to the 91 renovation. Not sure about that.
Up until the late 90's or so there was a barber shop in the basement. Not quite sure when it closed. There was a radio station also. I know the student station was in the Koldus building when it was built but this might be back at the MSC now?

The basement eating options have come and gone so much that it might be too confusing to discuss them. Rumors was a funky place stuck in the 70's(in a good way) that served a type of sub before this latest redo. I always ignored it but finally went in and wish I had gone there a lot more.

[This message has been edited by Scotch (edited 4/27/2012 8:50a).]

Thanks! Yeah, I think the MSC did have the renovation in 1991. I think during that time, several old trees that were supposed to be preserved went down.

Oh, and I'm finding a few old floorplans via Archive.org. Sweet! (unfortunately, they're mostly unlabeled)

I believe that the student radio station is now in the Graphic Services building.

I think '89 is right. I was here for that renovation, and I was on campus in '89 but gone by '91.

Batt's timeline agrees.

-scot

I went to Barnes & Noble inside the MSC to ask about that book, and lo and behold, it was right there in front. Unfortunately, it seemed more about the history of the MSC programs than the MSC itself. Oh, and I managed to procure a few maps from old versions of mscc.tamu.edu. Unfortunately, I can't yet find the first floor map, and they're unlabeled.

quote:

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Was the bowling alley closed in 2005, or did I get something incorrect?

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I went bowling there sometime in late 2007/early 2008 so it definitely didn't close in 2005. I'm pretty sure we went when it was announced that it would be closed within a month or so.

It was closed summer 2005, though. So it closed for good, what, 2008?

Also, the 1991 renovation: did it connect to Rudder Tower with only the large covered plaza (that I remember), or was there a second level connection? I'm kind of confused by the wording of "three-tiered addition".

I only remember the huge enclosed bridge over the breezeway that contained a copy center in the middle.

Above the second story there used to be access to the gun collection(on the third level?) before it moved over to the Corps center.

I'm sure there is still a third level, but I could not see a way to get there. Also the small staircase that went from the Hall of Honor to the basement is gone.

I remember that there was a staircase that went from the exterior directly to the bowling alley below. That's actually still there...except it's in the 12th Man Hall now, and instead of seeing bowling on the left, it's the MacResource Center.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/msc-tamu/collections/72157626352095104/

[This message has been edited by nonag97 (edited 4/28/2012 2:11p).]

Already seen most of them before. The cookie/candy counter shot is pretty cool, though.

In the 70s there was a cool little coffeehouse called "The Basement" that featured live music, mostly student-performed. This was where Rumors used to be. Very intimate setting with surprisingly good shows. Lyle Lovett was a regular there for awhile and some good outside acts like Shake Russell played there. Not sure when the Basement went away but it was still there when I left in '78.

quote:

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This was where Rumors used to be. Very intimate setting with surprisingly good shows. Lyle Lovett was a regular there for awhile and some good outside acts like Shake Russell played there. Not sure when the Basement went away but it was still there when I left in '78.

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They called a place "the basement" when it was located outside on the first floor? Was that some sort of joke?

Rumours was at the top of the first floor stairway to the right of the entrance that faced G. Rollie (The entrance that took you to the Forsythe Gallery)I had many a lunch there while working in G. Rollie back in the 1980s and 1990s.

Don't forget that bronze statue "Planned for the Future" or whatever it was called. Anyway, that statue was ugly and "disappeared" during one of the renovations/expansions.

I stayed in the MSC Hotel a few times since I graduated. It was cool to stay right on campus when visiting Aggieland. When there wasn't a major game/event it only cost about $30. I imagine that student couples with roommates that never left their dorm room might have spent a night or two there.

Ruth the Fish Lady used to hang out in the basement level cafeteria (whatever that was called).

The cowhide benches have all but disappeared. I saw a few in the MSC last weekend, but they had been recovered in a brown material.

There was always tables reserved in the main hallway for different student organizations and various vendors. You could buy Bonfire pictures, outfit march-in pictures, posters, t-shirts, and other stuff. I don't know if they still sell things from the main hallway.

The old ballrooms had some really, really bad wallpaper. I think one had red and blue vertical stripes - probably from the 1970s. It is hard to explain how ugly those ballroom walls were.

All of the USPS mailboxes for southside used to be in the MSC. When I was in the Corps (Class of '87) you always had an excuse to go to the MSC to check your mail. Really you wanted to see what girls were there. When I was a fish I would buy Chips Ahoy cookies and a Coke at the MSC and have a snack in my second floor dorm room and look out the window (something which fish weren't allowed to do). It was awesome to eat cookies and watch out the window at various activities like quadding and crapouts. There was always plenty to see late in the afternoon on the quad.





[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 4/29/2012 5:15p).]

Come to Cushing. We can tell you anything you'd like to know and more.

Well, I launched my <a href="http://csroadsandretail.blogspot.com/2012/04/msc-old-and-new.html"> post</a> , but there's a lot of it I brushed over/wanted to include but couldn't/etc., so there's always room for improvement.

Cushing would be nice, but I was a bit underwhelmed at the Flickr pages (lots of mostly unlabeled pictures from the 1960s). The main library would be cool to check out, but I remember being a bit unsure because I couldn't take my backpack in.

I've always wanted to add a history of Evans/Cushing/Annex, but I wasn't even able to find Cushing shots before 1994 (metal stacks? awesome!)

TDKMom, you actually had to go down some stairs from the ground level to get to "The Basement", so I guess it was in the area where Rumors was only down a floor. Thanks for clearing that up. I'd love to know if Cushing has any info on that place.

Does anyone remember the animal heads on the wall of the flag room in the 70s? Some group protested and they were removed.

The animal heads were thought to be tacky, they're (reportedly) stored in a Riverside Campus hangar.

Riverside is one of Cushing's off site storage facilities. We have most things moved out of there now and into the Agronomy Rd. Records Management location along with various Congressman's papers, Bonfire Memorial Memorabilia and collections that aren't used often.

I don't recall any building facade decor being at Riverside or Agronomy.

I remember watching my boyfriend, Arnold LeUnes, now husband playing his guitar in "the basement" and sometimes with his band. It was so awesome!

TXAggie1976, it was a nice little venue, wasn't it? Do you remember what years Arnold played there? I played there from 74-78. I may have met him.

"Don't forget that bronze statue "Planned for the Future" or whatever it was called. Anyway, that statue was ugly and "disappeared" during one of the renovations/expansions."

Greetings from the class of '82.

Back betweek 1980 and 1981 I used to work part time at the Rudder theater center. I asked about that statue (and the odd inscription) and received the following story from the staff.

It seems the inscription was a mistake. If you don't remember the statue, it was two students, one male and one female, holding textbooks and looking off into the distance like people with textbooks often do. The figures were joined together at the waist as college coeds often were.

When I asked about the statue the guys pulled out a dusty set of blue prints from a cabinet. They were the original drawings of the plans for Rudder plaza. There were plans for the fountain and the kiosk and this square box that said "Statue - Planned for the future".

Seems the company that was tasked with creating the marble base for the statue was also sent those blueprints and they saw the note and thought that was supposed to be the inscription. Ooops. The inscriptiom was supposed to be something like "Looking toward the future" or something equally lame. But it was too late to fix it (and someone thought "well screw it, it makes as much sense as what the the one it was supposed to be so just don't tell anyone").

So the statue stood there for years until they expanded the MSC and took it away, never to be seen again.

[This message has been edited by Tramp78 (edited 5/3/2012 2:39p).]

http://collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?q=record_ID:siris_ari_327378

Here is a Smithsonian listing for that sculpture. the same guy who sculpted it also did the 12th man state and the large Eagle statue on campus. Two out of three ain't bad.

"A nude male and female, standing side-by-side. Female figure holds a book over her breasts and male figure holds a book in his proper left hand by his side. Figures are abstract below the waist."

There's this one, "Shaping the Future", located near Harrington I believe. Maybe it's the replacement?


Shaping the Future, 1999
By Bill McGlaun
This 12 foot tall sculpture was given in honor of the College of Education's 20th anniversary. It symbolizes the teacher's role in molding and shaping the lives of students through education. Fingerprints, ranging from babies through grandmothers, impressed into the base convey the energy of Texas citizens and their hopes and dreams for the future.

The history of the "Planned for the Future" statue doesn't surprise me...in fact I may have heard that story before. That statue was really bad...I wish someone had a photo of it.

I bought a piano from one of the practice rooms in the basement if anyone wants to come over and get nostalgic.

Also, the amateur radio club was kicked out of the MSC. I believe they are still trying to find a place. I believe the radio station was supposed to move back into the basement.

Tramp your story reminds me of the time I discovered the statue in front of Harrington Tower, of the teacher and her young students, is hollow. I remember thinking, Is this allegorical somehow for the College of Education?

Eta - yea AggiePhil, that's the one!

[This message has been edited by techno-ag (edited 5/3/2012 9:10p).]

Here's a link to your MSC page

http://csroadsandretail.blogspot.com/2012/04/msc-old-and-new.html

PS3D, I sent you an email but never heard back. Did you get it?

I did! But I didn't reply, because I didn't know what to say. I should email you back. I'm sorry.