Originally home to the Department of Home Economics, the Rivers Building opened in 1968 during a period of rapid campus expansion. Its namesake, Thomas Wilson Rivers, made the first $1,000,000 contribution to East Carolina for academic programs. The building occupies the school’s former outdoor tennis courts. A 2004 renovation added over 38,000 additional square feet. It now serves as home to the College of Human Ecology.
- Other names
- Nursing & Home Economics Building
- Built
- 1968
- Construction cost
- $1,981,252
- Gross sq. ft.
- 73,997 (original)
- Assignable sq. ft.
- not known
- Architects
- Dudley & Shoe, Greenville, NC. See Manuscript Collection regarding this firm’s records.
- Namesake
- Thomas Wilson Rivers was a longtime ECU advocate, a world traveler, and a Navy Veteran. In 1987 he made the first $1 million contribution to ECU for academic purposes. The fund was used to create the Foreign Exchange Endowment Fund and Distinguished Professorship, student scholarships for study abroad, and helps fund lecture and faculty travel to overseas conferences.
- History
- This nearly 84,000 square foot new building was built for the Home Economics Department, now the School of Human Environmental Sciences, and the School of Nursing. It is located adjacent to Fifth Street on the north, and A.J. Fletcher Music Building on the south. It was built on the site of the varsity tennis courts. The School of Human Environmental Sciences occupies the south end of the structure which contains two units connected by enclosed passageways, while the School of Nursing is located in the two-story north end. This building was built as a two-part project, using both state and federal funds, with the north end being started first in 1966 and the south end being started in 1967.
During its earlier years, the School of Nursing was housed in various locations. Initially offices were housed in two rooms in Spilman. It also occupied temporary quarters on the third floor of Rawl, and later Graham.The building was dedicated at the Founder’s Day Celebration on March 5, 1997 and is commonly referred to as the Nursing and Environmental Sciences Building. Helen Rivers McLawhorn, Rivers’ daughter, was present at the dedication and spoke on her father’s behalf. Helen is a former employee of Academic Library Services.
In 2004 construction began on an $11.9 million project, paid for by the $190 million ECU received in 2000 as part of the North Carolina Higher Education Facilities Bond program, provides 38,000 square feet of new classroom and faculty office space for the School of Nursing and the College of Human Ecology.
The building reopened just before the start of the fall 2004 semester and is home to the School of Nursing and a number of schools within the College of Human Ecology, including: Child Development and Family Relations, Interior Design and Merchandising, Criminal Justice, Social Work and Nutrition and Hospitality Management.
- Additions
- 1996 – A new fire alarm system was installed.
February 7, 1997 – The third floor was added at a cost of $6.7 million.
1998 – The roof was repaired at a cost of nearly $300,000.
2004 – $11.9 million, 38,000 square foot addition