A newspaper article on the building of a new dining hall at UNC Chapel Hill. “NEWS OF THE ACADEMIES.” New York Times (1857-1922), August 03, 1913, ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times. http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/97517300?accountid=14244.

This article, written on August 3rd, 1913 in the New York Times, describes the major happenings in schools across the country at the time.3 One section of the article in particular stands out as it describes the plans made to build a new dining hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.3 The modern-day location of this dining hall can be determined as a person named Milburn is said to have designed the building, and in an article in the Carolina Quarterly Barclay Jones speaks of a man named Frank P. Milburn who designed “Swain as the cafeteria”, which corresponds to Swain Hall.2 The article highlights the new features such as a “butcher shop” and refrigerating and ice plant” that will be added as part of the dining hall and how they will aid in improving the storing, cooking, and distribution of food to create a great experience for both employees and students visiting.3 The article also mentions how the dining hall will have a seating capacity of 600-900 people and be positioned on north campus in an effort to feed more of the students when previously they did not have the means to do so.3

This source shows that the Progressive Era, set from 1896-1920, had a direct impact on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in turn the food prepared and served there as it was a “period of industrialization with its unparalleled succession of technological developments.”1 The inclusion of the many features of the dining hall in the article, especially the “cold storage” and “storage for groceries and supplies,” seems to indicate a larger and more varied amount of food is meant to be stored there.3 Having a bakery and butcher shop would also allow for creative new ways of preparing foods to increase variety.3 Prior to the time period, the university struggled to provide enough space and food for all of the students, and during the time period, more and more advancements were made that allowed for the University to begin to modernize and expand their resources as they related to food in order to incorporate new foods into their dining halls for the years to come.

-Finley Sun

 

Works Cited:

  1. Adams, Guy B. “Enthralled with Modernity: The Historical Context of Knowledge and Theory Development in Public Administration.” Public Administration Review52, no. 4 (July 1992): 363. http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/197163520?accountid=14244.

 

  1. Jones, Barclay. “Space, Time and Chapel Hill.” Carolina Quarterly6, no. 1 (Fall 1953): 7-12. http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1304143302?accountid=14244.

 

  1. New York Times, “NEWS OF THE ACADEMIES.”