History of Grawn Hall

Opened: April 1915
Cost: $100,000

The College of Business Administration’s Grawn Hall is the oldest building at Central Michigan University. It was dedicated on July 8, 1915, by Michigan Governor Woodbridge Ferris.

The 92-year-old building narrowly escaped destruction by fire on two occasions. The first happened on January 31, 1933, when the memory of the Old Main fire was still fresh in the minds of the administration. The other, which did $25,000 in damage, was on March 10, 1954.

The building was named for Charles T. Grawn (1857-1942) who started his educational career at age 18 as a rural teacher in Kent County – and ended his career in education as Central’s president in 1918. He resigned that year in order to devote his time to business interests.

Until 1965, Grawn Hall housed the various science and mathematics disciplines. In 1965, the building underwent a $600,000 remodel. At this time, the business department moved into the building.

Then, in 1989, the Applied Business Studies Complex – a $1.7 million 20,000-square-foot addition – was completed. It was funded in part by a $400,000 donation from The Dow Chemical Company of Midland.

Charles T. Grawn (1857-1942)

Grawn Hall – 1924

Grawn Hall – today