For 25 years, the Towers dormitory complex has cast a tall shadow over the Southeast Missouri State University campus.

Like Academic Hall, it is a university landmark.

Paul Carr, director of residence life, said the Towers complex is "a visible symbol of the university."

"It's a fixture," said Carr, adding that its visibility has been enhanced by the newer Show Me Center nearby. "Now, everybody who goes to any event in the Show Me Center goes right past the Towers," he said.

The complex consists of four 12-story dormitories positioned around a central dining center.

At the time they were built, they were the tallest buildings in Cape Girardeau. But because they were built in a valley, the high-rise residence halls do not dominate the Cape Girardeau skyline.

"The understanding I have is that they were built where they were so they would not be taller than Academic Hall," said Carr. Academic Hall is on top of a hill.

"They were built a little bit low, and as a result students have had to walk uphill ever since," quipped Carr.

In 1964, the idea of building high-rise buildings prompted debate, with some arguing for a complex of low-rise buildings.

To settle the debate, the university sought the advice of Jack Swing, a Champaign, Ill., architect and member of the architecture faculty at the University of Illinois. Swing favored the idea of constructing the high-rise dormitories and the regents approved the plan.

The complex was built in what was a muddy, low-lying area known as "the home of the birds" because of the millions of blackbirds that used to roost in the old orchard area.

Two of the high-rise buildings and the dining center opened in 1967. They were first used on a limited basis in the summer of that year and on a regular basis beginning with the 1967 fall semester. The remaining two buildings opened in fall 1968.

In all, the complex cost more than $7.8 million. The university financed the project through a long-term federal loan.

The complex was built to house slightly more than 1,500 students. Today, it's designed to hold about 1,300 students because the university now uses some of the rooms for single occupancy rather than the traditional double occupancy, Carr said.

The complex provides about half of the residence hall space on campus, he pointed out.

Although the university has changed over the years, the Towers complex continues to provide needed campus housing. "It still serves its purpose fairly well," said Carr. "It's the preferred housing for a number of students.

"It is a traditional residence hall environment. You would find the same type of residence hall environment on virtually every college campus across the country," he said.

At the time it was built, state institutions all across the nation were facing growing enrollments. "There was this major influx of humanity into the residence halls in colleges and universities," he explained. "There was a real housing shortage so people started to build up," said Carr.

"I think if we were building it today, we might have a slightly different design," he said.

Today there is far less campus construction than was the case nationally in the 1960s, Carr said. "Where they are building, they are at least trying to keep the size of the buildings lower."

On the outside, little has changed with the Towers complex. But on the inside there have been changes in operations and asbestos has been removed from the buildings, Carr said.

"It was a major cost to get that stuff (asbestos) out of there, but it didn't change the major design or function of the buildings," he pointed out.

Towers North and East were built to house female students while South and West dormitories were built for male students.

Towers West and East still retain their original roles, but North and South dormitories have been turned into co-ed residence halls, with men housed on some floors and women on others, said Carr.

"It's more student oriented, more student controlled than it probably was in the past," he said.