A new exhibit in the Muskie Archives foyer tells the story of three apartment buildings that once stood on the Bates campus. Following the Second World War, veterans began returning to Bates to finish college. Many of them were married, some with children, so alternative housing was required.

In early 1945, members of the Bates administration approached the Federal Public Housing Authority about this need, and by summer 1946, surplus Naval Air barracks from the Auburn airport were relocated to the corner of Russell and Bardwell streets, the current sites of Wentworth Adams Hall and the Olin Arts Center.

Stop by the Archives to learn how residents of veterans’ housing formed a unique community on campus and contributed a new perspective to Bates culture.