UPDATE: The Marble Floors In Alumni Memorial Hall Are Gone

We closed Alumni Memorial Hall in January to begin a major renovation project on the building’s century-old marble floors. Periodically during construction, we’ll check-in here with construction updates and history tidbits.

Alumni Memorial Hall, completed in 1910, has been home to UMMA since 1946. For more than a century, students, faculty, community members, and visitors have crossed the same white marble floor installed when the building first opened. Now, as we previously reported, after more than a century of wear (including snowy boots during 100+ Michigan winters), the original stone floor has reached the end of its lifespan and must be replaced.

At the time of writing (end of February 2026), almost all of the previous floor has been removed. It has been careful, deliberate work. Each slab is heavy. And beneath it, layers of concrete and fill reveal the bones of the building.

AMH was originally built as a memorial to U-M alumni who died in the Mexican American, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars. It has housed art in some capacity since its opening, but served primarily as office spaces for the Alumni Association, the Michigan Alumnus, and the Alumni Catalog office before officially becoming the Museum of Art in 1946. Throughout its life, the building has also been a gathering place for the campus and broader community.

In 1925, when University President Marion LeRoy Burton died unexpectedly, more than 18,000 mourners passed through what is now the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Apse to pay their respects. Photographs from the time show his casket positioned beneath the soaring balcony of the apse, framed by a towering Winged Victory sculpture, immersive flower arrangements, and a military honor guard.

Now, as crews lift the marble floor and reveal the concrete fill layer beneath, they’ve uncovered something unexpected: a single footprint pressed into the foundation below. No accompanying marks. No explanation. Just one clear step, set in place more than a century ago when the building was first constructed.

It’s impossible to know who left it (a construction worker? A mischievous passer-by?) but it’s a reminder that this building and the stories it holds have always been shaped by people. By their hands and their feet. By their challenges and their triumphs. The grand public moments—like a presidential funeral—are part of the story. So are the smaller, almost accidental traces left behind.

As Alumni Memorial Hall enters its next chapter, we’re reminded that this renovation isn’t just about replacing materials. It’s about caring for a space that has served the University of Michigan community for more than 115 years, and preparing it to serve the next generation as well.

We’ll continue sharing updates as work progresses.