Click here to read the State News Article from April 3, 1987

Wills House, on the the edge of Michigan State University's Campus on Michigan Avenue, is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It was built in 1927, not by Michigan Agricultural College (as the university was known back then), but by the National Weather Service. The house was to serve as a weather reporting station for lower mid-Michigan, and just happened to be adjacent to MAC's campus, which was barely crossing the Red Cedar River at that time.

The house was later named for it's first occupant and owner, H. Merrill Wills. The Tuscan-style house was designed and built by Bowd and Munson Architects of Lansing, specifically for serving as a weather laboratory. For example, the original plans of the house label the small closet in the south-east corner of the house the "balloon room" referring to the storage space for the station's weather balloon. Another unique feature to the house was the leveling off of the south-side roof, forming a platform, centered by a small observatory. Very little has changed in the structure of the house over the years; the east ground patio, and the east- and west-verandas have been since enclosed.

It was from the roof platform and observatory tower that Wills did his work, launching his weather balloon and recording observations. Wills assembled and relayed meteorological reports and returns that came in from other Michigan stations and relayed forecasts that came in from Chicago. His reports were regularly featured on WKAR radio, the first radio station to broadcast agricultural and weather reports. He also relayed his own forecasts and observations made from his station.

Wills was a close friend of Frank Kedzie, the eighth president of the University, who's father Robert Kedzie was one of the original faculty of MAC in the chemistry department. Wills and Kedzie worked closely together within the natural science departments, and this relationship contributed to Wills' position of guest instructor of meteorology.

In the 1940's, with increasing technology for both meteorological measurement as well as communication, Wills retired from the National Weather Service and donated the house to Michigan State College. The college decided to utilize the house for office space, which became very useful as the University experienced huge growth in the 1950's and '60's. From 1949-1965, the MSU Personnel (Human Resources) office was located on the first floor. In addition to university offices, Wills House also provided space for non-university entities, such as the Michigan Press Association, who resided on the first floor from 1969-1976.

For much of the time, Wills House donated its office space to agricultural and extension programs or departments. The MSU Expanded Nutrition Program, the Future Farmers of America, and the Future Homemakers of America have all had offices in Wills House. Most recently, the Bailey Scholars Program for agricultural students, occupied the building until the east-wing addition to the Agriculture Building gave the program a new home in 2001. MSU's Virtual University Design and Technology group has been the sole proprietors of Wills House since the end of 2001. The MSU Grounds Department also utilizes the basement of the house for equipment storage.

There is very little information available about Wills House and its history and former owner. The University records/Historical Archives only has two sources referring to H. Merrill Wills and Wills House: one was a one-page typed manuscript by MSU historian Madison Kuhn. The other is an article from the State News from April 3, 1987, that references the manuscript. Much of the structural details of the house are contained in photocopies of the original blueprints kept and maintained by the Virtual University Design and Technology group.