Wallenberg home in Ann Arbor to be demolished for U-M dorms
Diplomat, World War II hero disappeared in 1945
The former home of a World War II hero credited with saving thousands of Jewish people during the Holocaust may face the wrecking ball to make room for more dorms at the University of Michigan.
U-M alum Raoul Wallenberg was born in Sweden and educated in Paris and at U-M before serving as a diplomat across World War II-era Europe.
Wallenberg disappeared after being detained by Soviet forces in 1945, but his legacy lives on among the U-M community. The university announced the establishment of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute to combat antisemitism in December. U-M also has a Wallenberg memorial and a Wallenberg medal, with medal recipients presenting annual lectures.
“As a Swedish diplomat stationed in Budapest in 1944, while Hungarian authorities were actively cooperating with the Nazis to deport the city’s nearly half-million Jews to their deaths, Wallenberg became determined to save as many people as he could. It is estimated that 100,000 Jews were saved because of his fearless efforts,” said Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the Zekelman Holocaust Center.
The University of Michigan is embarking on the new dorm project amid a student housing crisis fueled by record enrollment and high demand for affordable housing.
The Ann Arbor campus saw 53,065 students enroll in the fall 2023 semester, including 7,466 first-year students — a 3% increase in undergraduate enrollment and a 2% increase in total enrollment from 2022, according to U-M. The university currently features 15 residence halls on its Ann Arbor campus.
U-M is working on the New Central Campus Residential Development, set to wrap up by summer 2026. The Board of Regents approved the $631 million project in September, with the Wallenberg home falling within the two-block construction area. The project will feature a 2,300-bed and 900-seat dining hall campus housing, with five residence halls, green courtyards and quadrangles, and a pedestrian walkway.
The historic home sits at 308 E. Madison St. in Ann Arbor. The five-bedroom, three-bathroom Dutch colonial home was built in 1910, according to Zillow.com.
The new housing complex will feature a dedication to Wallenberg, the university said in a statement.
“Raoul Wallenberg is a world hero and the university is extraordinarily proud of our connection to him. As such, space within the phase two development will be named in his honor,” U-M said in the statement. “We don’t have additional information to share at this time but will be happy to keep in touch and update you as the project develops.”
Wallenberg’s legacy will live on beyond his former campus residence, Mayerfeld said.
“We know how proud the University of Michigan is to call Raoul Wallenberg an alumnus. We, too, share in that pride,” Mayerfeld said. “More important to his legacy than his student housing, however, is the opportunity to learn about the difference one person can make.”
A timeline for the start of construction and a potential impact on the Wallenberg house is yet to be determined.