Follow us to the basement of 1920s Anderson Hall for a sandwich and soda at the College Canteen!
Nearly 150 years ago, Kansas State University celebrated the completion of its flagship facility: the building we know and love as Anderson Hall.
Housing everything from a creamery to a chapel to a medical dispensary and more, Anderson has served K-State in a seemingly limitless capacity since 1884. Many Wildcats are surprised to learn about the versatility of this stately structure, but most find one five-year period in the early 20th century especially fun to visualize.
That’s when Anderson was home to a “campus canteen.”
Taste of the past
The year is 1919. Imagine entering Anderson and heading down the main stairs to the basement to find, as described in the 1920 Royal Purple yearbook, a 16-foot white Carrara glass soda fountain, white opalite tables, an oak lunch counter, marble showcases and French bevel plate-glass mirrors. A Kansas State Collegian article from June 10, 1943, described the College Canteen as having “alcoves big enough for four people built along the south wall” and “quartet tables with marble tops and old-style wire-back chairs.” A large glass candy counter was popular among students.
In this oasis, K-Staters could purchase hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, ice cream and a high-grade line of candies, fruits and knickknacks from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. One thing they wouldn’t find? Cigarettes. Smoking was strictly forbidden campuswide.
You didn’t hear it from us, but according to the Collegian article, the canteen was suspiciously busy during the hour students were required to attend chapel, which was held directly above it on Anderson’s main floor.
Treating the troops
But Anderson Hall was actually the canteen’s second home. In “History of the Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science,” Julius Terrass Willard wrote that the canteen was originally established to meet the needs of U.S. Army troops, who were housed in barracks on the north end of campus.
It moved to Anderson following World War I. But in 1924, the state required owner Elmer F. Kittell to relocate the gathering place elsewhere on campus.
It was fun while it lasted! Thanks for joining us on this dive into Anderson’s past. Will you help K-State secure its future?
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