Case 4

Pammel Court Physical Exhibit - Case Four

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Building Iowa State

Recognized for the direct role it played in creating a community for married students and their families, Pammel Court also affected the greater educational community at Iowa State, as the school’s increased enrollment profoundly changed the campus landscape in the decades after World War Two. 

With Pammel Court alleviating Iowa State’s immediate housing shortage, the school began to focus on other issues related to its expanding student population. Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, Iowa State, with funding from the State of Iowa, embarked on an ambitious plan to expand and strengthen its academic programs.

During these years, the school’s administration invested in the construction of new buildings to house academic departments and to provide larger classrooms for its growing student population.  New faculty and staff were hired at a record pace. As a result, Iowa State expanded the number of degree programs by adding a number of new engineering, technology, and science courses to the academic curriculum. In 1959 the school’s expansion efforts paid off as Iowa State College was renamed Iowa State University of Science and Technology.  

Images in the case:

Iowa State College Takes Possession of Pammel Court

Iowa State College Takes Possession of Pammel Court, 1948. (RS 7/4/3, box 3, "Pammel Court" folder). Department of Residence Buildings' Records. University Archives

On September 1st, 1948, the federal government, which had subsidized Pammel Court’s housing and furniture since 1946, turned over the housing project to Iowa State College.  From that date forward, Iowa State would keep the revenue generated from married student housing. The initial housing subsidy by the federal government left the college with a large-scale revenue generating device in Pammel Court.  Without having to incur the construction costs of providing married housing, the school could invest its resources elsewhere on campus.

News of Iowa State

“News of Iowa State, February 1956.” (RS 7/4/12, box 11, folder 12). Julian C. Schilletter Papers.

By the mid-1950s, Iowa State began plans to erect Hawthorn Village Apartments for married students to the east of Pammel Court. The new apartments would replace many of Pammel Court’s original demountable and barracks units that would be demolished in the mid 1960s.


Total Student Enrollment at Iowa State, 1935-1975.

Total Student Enrollment at Iowa State, 1935-1975.

Graph Prepared by Brandon Duxbury and Nathan Pattee from Report of the Iowa State Board of Education 1930, 1950, 1970. (Published by the State of Iowa). This graph illustrate enrollment by department of study and by student population.  Note the dramatic rise in science enrollment by 1960, a reflection of both the school’s commitment to science and technology and the increased emphasis on federal science funding during the first decades of the Cold War.


Student Enrollment by College at Iowa State, 1935-1975.

Student Enrollment by College at Iowa State, 1935-1975.

Graph Prepared by Brandon Duxbury and Nathan Pattee from Report of the Iowa State Board of Education 1930, 1950, 1970. (Published by the State of Iowa). This graph illustrate enrollment by department of study and by student population.  Note the dramatic rise in science enrollment by 1960, a reflection of both the school’s commitment to science and technology and the increased emphasis on federal science funding during the first decades of the Cold War. Note that in the graph the number of married students enrolled at Iowa State peaks in the early 1970s.


Cost of New Construction by Decade, 1910-1969.

Cost of New Construction by Decade, 1910-1969.

Graph Prepared by Brandon Duxbury and Nathan Pattee from H. Summerfield Day, The Iowa State University Campus and Its Buildings 1859-1979. Ames, Iowa State University 1980. (LD2543.l6 D39X). This document is available online, in Special Collections and University Archives, and in Parks Library General Collection.


Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Historic Aerial Photo Project. Basemaps 1930 and 1970 are used in this split map. These two aerial images show the Iowa State Campus (from left to right) in 1930, and 1970. (Move the cursor, or click to left or right of white line, to see the differences between the two years.) A comparison of the 1970 aerial image to the other image illustrates how much the campus grew during the building expansion period between 1930 and 1970.