This is Miller Hall where we stayed on the old Albion College campus.
It was built in 1901 and served as the men's dorm until the college closed in 1951. It sat vacant and fell into extreme disrepair until a forward-thinking group of people bought the campus in 2007 to restore it. And boy did they ever restore it! It is amazing. The architecture and design elements were beautiful to begin with and I love the brick walls, the huge windows, the archways, the weathered radiator on the front porch, the original wood floors, and everything else about Miller Hall. The grounds are nice considering how big the campus is and how long it sat vacant. There is a hot tub, a pool, a sand volleyball court, fire pits, and plenty of shade.
What I loved most about staying here was the sense of togetherness. Instead of getting together just for the day then returning to our respective houses or hotels, we were able to be together without interruption or distraction from our outside lives. We chatted while preparing meals, playing games, cleaning up, getting kids ready for bed, roasting marshmallows, doing hair, chasing peacocks, feeding babies, going on tractor rides, chasing kids, doing crafts, playing ping pong, you name it. It was fun to see my cousins as parents and a little shocking to realize how old we are. If only Grandma and Grandpa could have been there to see what a great family they raised. They would be proud.
Thanks to my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins for making this reunion so memorable.
Here's looking forward to the next one in 2013!
It was built in 1901 and served as the men's dorm until the college closed in 1951. It sat vacant and fell into extreme disrepair until a forward-thinking group of people bought the campus in 2007 to restore it. And boy did they ever restore it! It is amazing. The architecture and design elements were beautiful to begin with and I love the brick walls, the huge windows, the archways, the weathered radiator on the front porch, the original wood floors, and everything else about Miller Hall. The grounds are nice considering how big the campus is and how long it sat vacant. There is a hot tub, a pool, a sand volleyball court, fire pits, and plenty of shade. What I loved most about staying here was the sense of togetherness. Instead of getting together just for the day then returning to our respective houses or hotels, we were able to be together without interruption or distraction from our outside lives. We chatted while preparing meals, playing games, cleaning up, getting kids ready for bed, roasting marshmallows, doing hair, chasing peacocks, feeding babies, going on tractor rides, chasing kids, doing crafts, playing ping pong, you name it. It was fun to see my cousins as parents and a little shocking to realize how old we are. If only Grandma and Grandpa could have been there to see what a great family they raised. They would be proud.
Thanks to my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins for making this reunion so memorable.
Here's looking forward to the next one in 2013!
The entrance to Miller Hall (I'm totally digging that archway)
The radiator on the front porch
The main hallway between living areas and dining area
The dining/gathering area of the kitchen
The kitchen
The entry to the living areas from the kitchen
A bad picture of the cool room where my parents stayed
Stairs to the second floor
The second floor hallway (again with the bad picture - sorry!)I didn't get a picture of the third floor but it is a huge media/game room
Axline Gymnasium - I'm looking forward to the remodel of this buildingI cannot wait to see what they do with the rest of the campus. You can read more about the campus here.
1 comment:
That is the coolest thing ever. My grandma and uncles all went to school in Albion at the normal school, I've heard lots of stories about it. I would love to take my family there someday. I had no idea someone did that!
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