College Hall (Michigan State University)
Encyclopedia
College Hall was the first building
erected on the campus of the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (now Michigan State University
), and the first in the United States to be erected "for the teaching of scientific agriculture." Reputedly designed by John C. Holmes
, it was built in 1856 and housed the school's classroom
s, office
s and laboratories
, the school's library
/museum
, and a multifunction lecture hall
/chapel
. Along with Saints' Rest
, and a horse
barn, it was one of three buildings completed when the college opened for classes in 1857.
By the turn of the 20th century, College Hall had outlived its usefulness, and its future was in doubt. Because Michigan
state government officials had taken the lowest construction bid possible, College Hall suffered from an extraordinary number of construction defects. These included hollow bricks, doors that would not open, a leaky roof (replaced by student labour in the first year), soft pine floorboards that shrank so they did not reach the walls, and even a tree stump embedded in the foundation. The College considered demolishing the historic edifice, but students organized a campaign to save it from the wrecking ball
. They convinced the college to convert the hall into a student union
.
The college went forward with plans to save the structurally unsound building, but it was beyond preservation. The renovation
weakened the shoddily-built structure, and in August 1918, the building collapsed while a marching band
played "The Star-Spangled Banner
" outside the building. No one was injured in the collapse. After the College cleared away the debris, they entertained several proposals to replace College Hall, but in the end they erected a clock tower
on the northeast corner of the site. Beaumont Tower
became the new architectural symbol of Michigan State College. Nevertheless, College Hall was not forgotten; to this day it is featured on the great seal
of Michigan State University.
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
erected on the campus of the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (now Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
), and the first in the United States to be erected "for the teaching of scientific agriculture." Reputedly designed by John C. Holmes
John Clough Holmes
John Clough Holmes was responsible for the establishment of Michigan State University. As the co-founder of the Michigan State Agricultural Society, John Clough Holmes spearheaded the movement to build an agriculture college in Michigan...
, it was built in 1856 and housed the school's classroom
Classroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
s, office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
s and laboratories
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
, the school's library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
/museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, and a multifunction lecture hall
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
/chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
. Along with Saints' Rest
Saints' Rest
Saints' Rest was the second building erected on the campus of the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan . It was built in 1856 and served as the school's only dormitory until 1870, when Williams Hall was completed...
, and a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
barn, it was one of three buildings completed when the college opened for classes in 1857.
By the turn of the 20th century, College Hall had outlived its usefulness, and its future was in doubt. Because Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
state government officials had taken the lowest construction bid possible, College Hall suffered from an extraordinary number of construction defects. These included hollow bricks, doors that would not open, a leaky roof (replaced by student labour in the first year), soft pine floorboards that shrank so they did not reach the walls, and even a tree stump embedded in the foundation. The College considered demolishing the historic edifice, but students organized a campaign to save it from the wrecking ball
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
. They convinced the college to convert the hall into a student union
Student activity center
A student activity center is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building is more often called a student union, student commons, or student center...
.
The college went forward with plans to save the structurally unsound building, but it was beyond preservation. The renovation
Renovation
Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
weakened the shoddily-built structure, and in August 1918, the building collapsed while a marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
played "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" outside the building. No one was injured in the collapse. After the College cleared away the debris, they entertained several proposals to replace College Hall, but in the end they erected a clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
on the northeast corner of the site. Beaumont Tower
Beaumont Tower
Beaumont Tower , designed by the architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier, is a structure on the campus of Michigan State University. The tower marks the site of College Hall, the first building in America erected for instruction in scientific agriculture.During its dedication ceremony the...
became the new architectural symbol of Michigan State College. Nevertheless, College Hall was not forgotten; to this day it is featured on the great seal
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Michigan State University.
External links
- Beaumont Tower website — features information on College Hall
- Gone But Not Forgotten: Campus Buildings That No Longer Exist
- M.A.C. - College Hall