A glimpse into the history of Southeast's buildings, facilities

The Missouri Normal School building was built in 1875 and was designed by Charles B. Clark. It was four stories tall and the only school building in use. On April 7, 1902, the Normal School building burnt down, and Academic Hall was built in its stead. (Photo courtesy of the Southeast Missourian Archives)

The River Campus at Southeast Missouri State University first began construction in 2005, and was officially finished in 2007. It was a $54 million project, and used original buildings from 1873 as the foundation for some of its current class- rooms. (Photo courtesy of SEMO.edu)

The Show Me Center was built in 1987 and was a $16.6 million dollar project. It replaced the Houck Field house as the main host of SEMO athletics. Today, it houses a stadium that is used for sports games, concerts, and other activities. (Photo courtesy of the SEMO Archives)

The St. Vincent's Seminary and College stood in the place of the current River Campus. It opened in 1838 and was operational until 1979. In 1862, the St. Vincent's College student body was cut in half due to a drafting procedure for the Civil War. (Photo courtesy of the SEMO Archives)

On Dec. 8, 2021, crews began demolition of the aging south bleachers of Houck Stadium. A complete renovation of the south side was planned for 2022. The renovation of the stadium was originally approved at a Board of Governors meeting Sept. 24, 2021, spurred by safety concerns about the aging concrete. (Photo by Nathan Gladden)