Some of the earliest buildings for dentistry at the University of Michigan were actually housing for professors. One of these was converted to hold the College of Dental Surgery - as it was then known - in 1879. The land that building was on is now home to the Clements Library.
After years of moving around and making do, construction was begun on a new building in the School of Dentistry's current location, in 1907. The three buildings on the present site were picked up and relocated. That building was renovated in the 1920s, and then in 1938 or 1939 the Prettyman House, run by a former football star on the corner of Fletcher and North University, was removed to make way for the Kellogg Institute. (In this photo from the Bentley Historical Library, you can catch a glimpse of the Carillion Tower in the corner.)
Years later, that "Old Dental Building" was removed, in 1970, to make room for the current Dental Building, where renovation was completed in 2022.
It gets confusing! One constant? The University of Michigan was a leading dental school form the beginning. Another constant that doesn't go unnoticed at the museum is that multiple sources note that the library and teaching collections were always central.
A detail from an undated drawing shows the Dental College, at right. This image is from Ruth Bordin's 1967 book, Michigan: A Pictorial History.
Find more on the history of our buildings, just click here to scroll down a bit in our Student Reflections exhibit page on our website.