30 years in the Wright place

This month we’re celebrating 30 years of the Wendell W. Wright Education Building. As we observe this milestone, we also are looking forward to what the next 30 years—and beyond—will bring.

The Wright Education Building wasn’t always at Rose Avenue on the east side of the IU Bloomington campus. Originally the name of a building on the corner of East Third Street and Eagleson Avenue that is now part of the IU Jacobs School of Music, by 1981, it was agreed that a new building would be high on the priority list of capital funding projects.

Planning for the current building began in 1983. The goal of the new building was for it to be the premier location for exploring application of technology to teaching and learning​. After some funding challenges were overcome, IU Trustees approved the final design of the building in 1988, and in 1989, a groundbreaking ceremony was held.

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Construction on the Wright building in 1991

The new building was finally opened for the fall semester in 1992. Since then, it’s been the physical home for the School of Education, serving as a premier place for research and learning.

We look forward to the future of the IU School of Education in the Wright building and the many changes the building may undergo. One major change is happening right now: the Education Library is being completely renovated, with an expected reopening next spring.