Now home to the Honors College, the Mamie Jenkins building was built in 1909 to serve as the school’s infirmary. A Spanish flu epidemic on campus forced administrators to repurpose the building, as doctors noted it was next door to the Dining Hall. It has also served as a home economic practice house, Alumni Affairs office, and home to the Institute of Coastal and Marine Resources. Its namesake served as one of the original faculty members before retiring in 1946. The building was dedicated to her memory in 1954 as a reward for decades of distinguished service to East Carolina.
- Other names
- Infirmary, Alumni
- Built
- 1909
- Construction cost
- $9,205
- Gross sq. ft.
- 3,787
- Assignable sq. ft.
- 3,003
- Architects
- Hook & Rogers, Charlotte, NC
- Namesake
- Mamie E. Jenkins (1875-1957), an English teacher for 36 years, played an important role in the development of what we now know as ECU, from its beginning in 1909 until she retired in 1946. Miss Jenkins attended Trinity College, now known as Duke University, in 1896 and received her BA degree. She was also one of the first four female graduates of that College. She received her Master's degree at Columbia University and while teaching, did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin as well as other schools. She was also one of the first three faculty members to be elected to serve at East Carolina Teachers Training School. She edited the Training School Quarterly from 1914-1922, was faculty advisor for the Techo Echo newspaper which she helped to establish, and originated the school motto "To Serve."
- History
- One of the six original buildings, this small brick structure with sweeping arches and red tile roof exhibits the Spanish-mission style of architecture which was prevalent on the early campus. The building served as an infirmary until 1929, then became the home economics practice house and later housed the Institute of Coastal & Marine Resources.
In May of 1954 the alumni building was officially named in honor of Mamie E. Jenkins.In 1993 the ECU Board of Trustees looked at adding several buildings, including the Mamie E. Jenkins Building, to the National Registry of Historic Places. The buildings were not added to the registry due to concerns over future construction and renovations that might be necessary.
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