Throwback Thursday: Milo Bail Student Center
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We'll share a vintage University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) photo each Thursday on our homepage as part of the popular "Throwback Thursday."
Check back each week for a photo celebrating UNO's history, and to learn more about what's happening on campus and in our community, and future plans for the university.
Visit the UNO Criss Library Flickr photostream for even more photos.
The History of the Milo Bail Student Center
Prior to the creation of the Milo Bail Student Center, UNO relied on other buildings to serve as the campus "living room" where students could gather to study, eat, or hang out.
In 1946, what served as the student union was a place called the “Snack Shack” and operated out of a southern addition to the Arts and Sciences building where the parking garage now stands, facing what is now the soccer pitch. As the campus expanded in the post-WWII era, the ‘Shack’ was soon exchanged for a much larger student center building just west of what was then the Gene Eppley Library (now the Eppley Administration Building).
By 1962, the student center’s bowling alley was open for business. Located on the north side of the building where Student Health Services was located until 2010 and where the Gateway offices are currently located, the alley featured four lanes which could be used at the cost of 40 cents a game and 15 cents for shoes. The alley lasted for just over a decade before, in the mid-1970s, it was closed to make room for office spaces despite protests from students due to the fact that it had been operating at a loss for quite some time.
Originating as a two-level structure, renovations and the addition of a third level and an outdoor mall were introduced in the late 1960s and finished by 1971. The student center underwent renovations again in 1975, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2007, and, most recently, in 2009.
The Future of the Milo Bail Student Center
The Milo Bail Student Center is once again undergoing renovations and has additional plans for the future of the building.
Visit the MBSC Renovation Project page for a complete overview of upcoming changes including an updated MavCAFE and new MavGRILL
Renovation Plans for the Future
The Student Center renovation project has offically begun as of May 2015 and is scheduled for completion before the Fall 2016 semester begins. Below are some important links to help you navigate the building through the renovation project. The project will move through phases and certain areas will not be accessible for periods of time. The Student Center staff is committed to making this transition as easy as possible for you, so let us know if you experience any issues associated with the renovation project.
Here's a 3D look at the renovations:
Virtual Tour