Park Hall

Park Hall was built in 1939 as part of an expansion program at the University of Georgia. The expansion program was funded by the Public Works Administration as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Park Hall was one of three buildings built in the expansion program at UGA, the other buildings being LeConte Hall and Baldwin Hall. The trilogy of buildings each had different types of columns with Park Hall’s columns being fluted Doric columns. The building, new in 1939, included indirect lighting, brick asphalt floors, and venetian blinds, which made Park Hall the most up-to-date building on campus.

Park Hall, prior to being the home of the English Department, held the Physics Department. Before the construction of the Science Complex on the South Campus in the late 1950’s, the Physics Department, along with other science departments were on the University's North Campus.

In 1946, the Language building at the University of Georgia was named in honor of the late Robert Emory Park, who was the former head of the English Department at UGA 1900-1942.

In the 1960’s the University of Georgia was expanding rapidly, and Park Hall was quickly becoming too small. In 1968, a preliminary plan for an addition to Park Hall  was sent before the Board of Regents for approval. The plans were approved allowing the construction of an annex that would extend from the West end of the building. The four story addition provided an additional 45,000 square feet, 20 more classrooms, a motion picture classroom, record playing classroom, and a linguistics lab. The annex was completed in 1969 giving the growing UGA campus additional space.

Today Park Hall is the home of the English and Classics Department. Most students entering UGA must take an English course for their core curriculum and will at some point pass through the classrooms of Park Hall before they graduate.