MU Hotel to Become Student Housing

BKLYNCyclone

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Sep 16, 2007
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I lived in Helser for a year and a half '99 & '00. Didn't hate it, but I was a design student, so it was close to everything. My roommate was from a town of 400 or so people which in and of itself wasn't unique. However my mom was born and raised there, and my grandparents and cousins all still lived there. They made up like 5% of the town... My girlfriend at the time lived in Friley. Rooms were better in Friley, and that place has a ton of history. It'll never be knocked down (at one point is was the only building with it's own zip code I believe). Anyway, my girlfriend, (now my wife), actually worked at the MU hotel behind the front desk. It was a good deal as they operated the ticketmaster terminal for the m-shop, so we were always able to get tickets to the stuff that would sell out instantly.

One odd thing was that she was a student employee, but still had to work an overnight shift on the weekend every other week. I used to stay with her there on those nights every now and then. I hated those shifts, and they weren't even mine.
 

HFCS

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Aug 13, 2010
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Pretty big announcement today. The Hotel Memorial Union is shutting down on July 1. The university is converting some of the rooms to temporary student housing starting this fall.

I know they have people living in residence hall dens so I imagine the MU hotel room space will be the first overflow before they go into den space. But ISU is absolutely jammed for dorm rooms at the start of the fall semester before some people end up in Greek housing and elsewhere. I think it would be pretty cool to live in the Memorial Union as a student for a little while.

Here is the press release: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2016/04/27/mu-residence-hall

Living in the MU in hostel style would be way better than in a res hall den in hostel style. It'd be like being a ridiculously wealthy person in some ways. Your own restaurants, shopping, bowling alley, arcade, movie screenings, bar, concerts, cultural events.
 

StClone

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Dec 17, 2009
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How many rooms did the MU Hotel have? Hard to find an answer to that. On my bucket list was to spend a night at the MU Motel and no way I can make it before August.
 

StClone

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Dec 17, 2009
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I did find some condoms under a bed there once, so probably not your room...but...they weren't opened, so maybe it was?
Campanile, ISU campus the MU and old Campustown - Excuse the off-topic, but among recalled sights and sounds of my Iowa State experience has to include for me a trip to the old water treatment plant by the State Nursery way down on South Duff. Following the paths among the pools one could see multitudes of multicolored "rubber bands" roiling in the fetid water. More than you could ever believe.
 

laminak

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Jun 13, 2010
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Knocking down part of Friley would be terrible. Best dorm ever.

Plus all the haunted rooms are on that end.

Wouldn't ISU lose their "we have the second biggest dorm in the USA" line if they knocked down part of Friley?

Friley was great. I, too, was near the arch. No air stunk, however it made up for it in location, room size, and had a lot of character.

I was disappointed they tore up "Friley Beach" (old football field) after I graduated.
 
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Farnsworth

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Apr 11, 2006
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Wouldn't ISU lose their "we have the second biggest dorm in the USA" line if they knocked down part of Friley?

Friley was great. I, too, was near the arch. No air stunk, however it made up for it in location, room size, and had a lot of character.

I was disappointed they tore up "Friley Beach" (old football field) after I graduated.

You mean largest civilian dorm in the country! I lived in Godfrey, never really ventured down by the arch.
 

Farnsworth

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Apr 11, 2006
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I lived in the last livable dorm before the "haunted rooms" in Friley Dodds. They only scary thing was the inch long cockroachs coming up out of the drains.

Ya I'm not a ghost believer but some of the stories are good. Especially the converted janitor closet that used to be a hall director room.
 

laminak

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I lived in the last livable dorm before the "haunted rooms" in Friley Dodds. They only scary thing was the inch long cockroachs coming up out of the drains.

I lived in Friley Dodds and didn't recall the "haunted rooms". Were those the two separated rooms past storage/gym/laundry room? We referred those as the cubby hole/party rooms.
 

LindenCy

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Mar 19, 2006
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Campanile, ISU campus the MU and old Campustown - Excuse the off-topic, but among recalled sights and sounds of my Iowa State experience has to include for me a trip to the old water treatment plant by the State Nursery way down on South Duff. Following the paths among the pools one could see multitudes of multicolored "rubber bands" roiling in the fetid water. More than you could ever believe.

I could see that, but would be glad I didn't. Nasty.
 

carvers4math

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Mar 15, 2012
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Son said the Helser rooms had some weird cubbie place in them that people hid stuff for their successors. His had a bottle of some kind of booze, rum I think.
 

JSmoove

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Jan 19, 2012
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Son said the Helser rooms had some weird cubbie place in them that people hid stuff for their successors. His had a bottle of some kind of booze, rum I think.
Mine had a Playboy from '98, a taped up picture of some topless lady with huge cans, an empty pack of heaters, and some old CD's. It was quite the treasure trove.
 

carvers4math

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Mar 15, 2012
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Mine had a Playboy from '98, a taped up picture of some topless lady with huge cans, an empty pack of heaters, and some old CD's. It was quite the treasure trove.

The guys next door to him just got smelly tube socks, seems like a **** move.
 

cyIclSoneU

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Apr 7, 2016
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Is anyone living here or knows anyone who is? What is it like? I was really curious about this set up when I first heard about this happening.