Progress sometimes translates into razing old structures to make way for the construction of new, modern buildings.
One structure on the UNMC campus that suffered that fate was Conkling Hall, home to the School of Nursing from 1923 to 1957. From the nursing students' exit in 1957 to its demolition in 1996, Conkling Hall housed many UNMC offices and activities.
In 1920, UNMC housed nursing students in a two-story building called "the barracks," located west of University Hospital, unit one. Around Christmas that year, the barracks burned down, and the university built a new facility for the School of Nursing.
The nursing students' new home was Conkling Hall. Completed in 1923 and located west of Bennett Hall, the brick facility was constructed at a cost of $70,000. The building was named in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Jettur Conkling.
Dr. Conkling was a physician in eastern Nebraska. The naming honored him for providing the first scholarship fund at the school.
Conkling Hall was a dormitory and administrative facility for the School of Nursing with classrooms, a gymnasium, kitchen, laundry facility and spaces for visitor reception, reading and sewing.
In 1957, the School of Nursing moved into a new building, which today is known as the special services pavilion. Conkling Hall then became home for several campus entities and hosted events.
In the 1950s, the Residents and Interns Wives Club, All Wives Club, the Faculty Wives Club and the Gray Ladies all used Conkling Hall for meetings and teas. The facility was open for volleyball in the gym or games of bridge and ping pong. Instructors used the classrooms for basic exams and post-graduate courses. In the 1960s, Conkling Hall provided quiet study spaces, a comfortable lounge and a seminar room for students.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the university renovated and expanded other campus buildings. During construction transitions, Conkling Hall housed several offices, including the College of Medicine registrar and alumni association, public information, student admissions and programs, graduate studies and academic affairs. Other occupants of Conkling Hall included the division of physical therapy, the physician assistant program, the department of preventive and societal medicine and the maternal and infant care and family planning clinic.
Before its demolition in early 1996, UNMC celebrated Conkling Hall, with former residents sharing remembrances and photos. Today, this area is home to the Lied Transplant Center.