Eighty-six years ago, the Marquette Law School community waited anxiously to move into a new law building.  The attached photograph is from the spring or summer of 1924 and shows the structure of what would later be known as Sensenbrenner Hall. 

The Sensenbrenner name would not be attached to the site for another three decades and, during its early history, the building was known simply as the Law Building.  (This apellation can be seen on the sign in the right hand bottom corner of the photograph.)

A note in the August 19 edition of the Milwaukee Journal newspaper indicated that by that date the building had been completed.  The official dedication ceremony—the subject of a forthcoming post—would be held later that month.

The Law Building was constructed on the site of the previous law school building, the renovated Mackie Mansion.  Where law school classes were held during construction in the spring of 1924 remains something of a mystery.  Older photographs show that the Mackie Mansion was set back from Wisconsin Avenue a good distance (while the new building fronted directly on the street), so it is possible that classes could have continued in the older building during the construction.

On the other hand, by the time of the construction of the new Law Building, Marquette University boasted a total of 15 university buildings, so there were likely a number of options where law classes could have been held.

(Editor’s note: The photo also shows the difficulty, even then, of finding an open parking space.)