YMCA
Even though the Young Men’s Christian Association had been active on campus since 1889, the organization did not have its own building until 1914, according A Centennial History of Texas A&M by Henry Dethloff. The Y.M.C.A. Building became a hub of campus life with its chapel, bowling alley and pool, which no longer exist in the building. The front steps became the site of the first Midnight Yell in the early 1930s. The facade features architectural details such as four columns two stories tall and entablatures. The building is located on Military Walk, but street access is on Houston Street. Sampson J. Fountain, head of the architecture department, designed the building. Fountain was the son of Charles Fountain, head of the English department and namesake for the Corps dorm Fountain Hall. Donations from students, alumni and the John D. Rockefeller Foundation funded the building construction. The Y.M.C.A. building was closed for renovations in 2010 and a time capsule from the class of 1914 was found. The copper box held a 1912 student handbook, an issue of The Battalion, a list of members of the class of 1914, among other documents. It was completed and rededicated in November 2012. The building is home to the philosophy department and offices for campus administrators.