University of Minnesota Old Campus Historic District Walking Tour

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Completed in 1902, Jones Hall was the home of the Physics Department until 1927. Originally known as the Physical Laboratory, it was renamed after Frederick Sheetz Jones, the University’s first professor of Physics, its second football coach, and a Dean of the College of Engineering. The Renaissance Revival building, designed by Charles R. Aldrich, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. After an extensive renovation in 2004, Jones Hall became the home of the Freshman Admissions Welcome Center and the College of Liberal Arts Language Center. The reopening of Jones Hall ushered in an era of renovation and transformation for the campus’s historic Knoll Area, which is now a thriving center for the humanities.

2. Folwell Hall

Begun in 1905 and completed in 1907, Folwell Hall was built as a replacement building for Old Main, which burned down three years earlier. Designed by Clarence H. Johnston, Sr., in the English Renaissance Revival Style, the ornate building cost $415,000 and was named after William Watts Folwell, the first president of the University. It originally housed a variety of departments and offices inherited from Old Main, as well as the University’s post office and publications. Over time, it became known as a center for the study of foreign languages, and today hosts most of the University’s second language programs. Folwell Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and an expansive renovation of the building’s exterior and interior was completed in 2011.

3. University of Minnesota Armory

Since it opened in 1896, the Armory has housed the University of Minnesota’s military training programs. It replaced the old Coliseum building, which burned down in 1894, and it was the largest building on campus at the time of its construction. In its first few decades, the Armory hosted a number of large events and was the location of the school’s main auditorium, gymnasium, and swimming pool. It served as an important training site during the First and Second World Wars, and now hosts the University’s Army, Navy and Air Force R.O.T.C. programs. The Armory also played a role in the Minnesota-Michigan college football rivalry. When Michigan left a water jug in the Armory after a game in 1903, it initiated the annual tradition of playing for possession of the now-famous Little Brown Jug every fall. One of the oldest surviving buildings on campus, the Armory is a member of the University’s Old Campus Historic District.

4. Pillsbury Hall

The construction of Pillsbury Hall was one of the most instrumental events in the history of the University of Minnesota. In the 1880s, the University was almost separated from the agricultural school, which would have greatly impacted its federal funding. However, the two institutions were kept together when John S. Pillsbury agreed to foot the $150,000 bill for a new Science Hall. To honor Pillsbury's generosity, the new hall was renamed in his honor when it opened in 1889. The Richardsonian Romanesque structure was designed by Harvey Ellis, and it remains an iconic building on the Minneapolis campus. It housed different science departments for most of its history, but will become the new home of the English Department starting in 2021, after an extensive interior renovation that began in 2019.

5. Nicholson Hall

When it was built in 1890, Nicholson Hall was known as the Chemistry Laboratory Building. It housed chemistry classrooms, labs, and offices for 23 years, as the department grew into the School of Chemistry. After the School of Chemistry moved into Smith Hall in 1913, the building housed both the Minnesota Union and the Campus Club, the University’s all-male student and faculty clubs, respectively. These organizations moved into Coffman Memorial Union in 1940, and Nicholson Hall was transformed into a U.S. Navy training facility during World War II. The building underwent a major renovation in 2005, and has since housed several different humanities departments. Nicholson Hall was the subject of controversy in recent years, and the building was almost renamed due to the discriminatory actions of its namesake, Edward Nicholson, a former Chemistry professor and Dean of Student Affairs.

6. Wulling Hall

When it was built in 1892, Wulling Hall (then known as Medical Hall) was the first building on campus devoted to the medical sciences. It housed the University’s Medical School for 20 years until it relocated to new quarters in 1912. The following year, after two destructive fires and a major renovation, the College of Pharmacy moved into the building. Under the direction of the College’s first dean, Frederick J. Wulling, the Pharmacy program thrived in its new home, which was renamed Wulling Hall in 1942. Eventually, the College of Pharmacy outgrew the building and had to move to Appleby Hall in 1960. In 1984, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a member of the Old Campus Historic District. Today, Wulling Hall is home to various offices of the College of Education and Human Development, including the Office of Teacher Education.

7. Eddy Hall

Built in 1886, Eddy Hall is the oldest surviving building on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus. Constructed during the school's first period of significant growth, Eddy Hall was designed by local architect Leroy S. Buffington. Originally called the Mechanic Arts Building and home to the departments of mathematics and engineering, the structure was renamed Eddy Hall in 1911 in honor of professor Henry Turner Eddy. In 1984, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest member of the University's Old Campus Historic District. The building has fallen into disrepair due to its age and, after a failed attempt at renovation, has been empty in recent years.

8. Burton Hall

Burton Hall, originally known as the Library Building, was the first structure on campus built specifically as a library. Prior to the Library Building’s completion in 1894, the University’s library collections were kept in the Old Main building, which suffered from repeated fires (and eventually burned down in 1904). The Library Building had a dual design: the Neo-Classical exterior was the work of Leroy Buffington, while Charles Sedgwick was responsible for the Victorian interior, which has transformed over time. The $175,000 building served as the school’s main library until the collections were moved Walter Library in 1924. Since then, the building was renamed Burton Hall after University President Marion Burton in 1931; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984; and, since 1952, it has primarily been used by the College of Education and Human Development.

9. Shevlin Hall

Opened in 1906, Shevlin Hall was the first structure on campus built specifically for women of the University. Ada Comstock, an instructor who would later become the first Dean of Women, worked with the Women’s League and the Y.W.C.A. to advocate for the necessity of a women’s center. Shevlin Hall was constructed on the former site of the University’s first building, Old Main, which had burned down in 1904. It was designed by Ernest Kennedy and built with funds donated by Thomas Shevlin, who dedicated the building to his wife, Alice. Shevlin Hall housed the Women’s Union for its first 34 years, until the organization relocated to Coffman Memorial Union in 1940. Now, the historic building is home to the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences.

10. Child Development Building

First completed in 1903, the Child Development Building was originally the School of Mines Building for ten years. After a 1913 fire destroyed most of the interior, the rebuilt structure was home to University High School for almost 40 years. University High School was a laboratory school run by the College of Education, and the high school eventually moved to Peik Hall in 1953. Since then, the building has been the headquarters of the Institute of Child Development, a nationally renowned program founded in 1925. As of 2020, a $42 million renovation and addition to the historic building is awaiting state approval.

11. Pattee Hall

Pattee Hall was built in 1889, during the University’s first period of significant expansion. Designed by J. Walter Stevens in the Richardsonian Romanesque mode, it was the home of the Law School from 1889 until 1928. During these years, the Law School grew into a nationally renowned program, and eventually had to relocate to another building with more space. Pattee Hall, originally known as the Law Building, was named after the first dean of the Law School, William S. Pattee. The building currently houses the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), and is the third-oldest surviving structure on campus.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

University of Minnesota Old Campus Historic District Walking Tour

Created by Adrian Gronseth on April 30th 2020, 9:21:38 pm.

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Description

The Old Campus Historic District consists of the oldest surviving buildings on the Twin Cities campus. These eleven structures were built between 1886 and 1907 under the direction of the University's second president, Cyrus Northrop. They represent a diverse array of architectural styles, and have been used to house different departments, offices, and organizations over the years. Two other members of the district, the Student Christian Association Building and Westbrook Hall, were demolished in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

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University of Minnesota Old Campus Historic District Walking Tour

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