Frozen in Time: Whitney House at St. Cloud State University [VIDEO]
ST. CLOUD - This week for our Frozen in Time series, we visited the historic Whitney House on the campus of St. Cloud State University.
The house was originally built in 1917 for the prominent Whitney family, who eventually ended up giving the building to the University as a gift in 1956.
The Whitney House became a women’s dorm for several decades after it was given to the campus. Despite limited room, up to 30 students could live in the building. Former St. Cloud State history professor Bill Morgan says Whitney also gained fame when former first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt spent a night in the home.
"The most famous visitor here was Eleanor Roosevelt in 1941 when her husband was President," Morgan says.
Whitney is also unique on campus for its architecture. The different style, color and design makes it different from any other building on campus.
It's Georgian Revival in style, it's the fanciest building on campus really-it's the richest in terms of details," Morgan says.
The building is now used for the College of Social Sciences and Psychology department offices. There are also possibilities that the Whitney House could potentially be renovated from the inside the in the future.