As we exit Grote-Thompson Hall to the right, we come to a
building that also stands with Thompson and Rader as structures of the original
crescent of University Boulevard.
Perhaps the most familiar of campus buildings to older
generations of Rowan County natives is Breckinridge Hall. Breckinridge was erected on the corner of University Boulevard amidst
the huge campus oak trees in 1931 to provide Morehead State Normal School with
its own laboratory for teacher training.
A four-story classroom and office building, Breckinridge was
named in honor of Robert J. Breckinridge, a former State School
Superintendent. Previously known to many
as Breckinridge Training School and University Breckinridge School, it was used
for 51 years as the University’s laboratory for prospective teacher training in
which all 12 grades were housed. The
students who attended Breckinridge Training School were commonly referred to as
“Breck Brats.”
When university status was granted in 1966, just after the
building was expanded in 1965, the Board of Regents approved the name change to
University Breckinridge. Poor economic
times forced the University to merge University Breckinridge with the Rowan
County school system in 1981. The
training school provided a rare and unique education for students until it was
finally closed for good in 1982. Some of
the school’s faculty transitioned to teaching college courses at MSU.
The
spirit of “Breck” lives on in the hearts of so many who attended and because of
this, The Breckinridge School Society was established in June of 1993.
With the departure of the high school, the facility was
closed for renovation. The $14 million project was completed and an expanded and
renovated Breckinridge Hall was reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May
10, 2002, “dedicated to the proud past of Morehead State University and to the
bright promise of its future.” The
renovation allowed various areas to be named for special individuals including:
W. David Brown Seminar Room, Capt. Michael K. Gallagher Audio Studio, Kozy
Hamilton Costume Shop, Harlen Hamm Speech Suite, Lucille Caudill Little
Theatre, Larry Netherton News Production Booth, Mary Jo Netherton Foreign
Language Lab, and the Thom Yancy Television Seminar Room.
Today, Breckinridge Hall is home to the Department of Communication
and Media and Leadership Studies for Morehead State University. It also houses two programs from the
Department of Music, Theater and Dance, and foreign languages.
The award-winning, National Public Radio affiliate, Morehead State Public Radio also operates out of Breckinridge.
Like its neighbor to the left, “Breck” resides
on the National Register of Historic Places as it proudly stands boasting a
truly diverse and rich historic background 86 years after construction.
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| Breckinridge 2017 |
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| Breckinridge 1948 |
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