Royall Hall

Originally constructed as an addition to neighboring Haag Hall and known as the Haag Hall Annex in its early years, this UMKC building was completed in 1972 to provide much-needed classroom space. The building reflected changes to higher education with two large lecture halls, a feature the university had previously been lacking. In 1974, the university installed a telescope built by local astronomer Stanley Warkoczewski on the roof. The "Warko" as the telescope is affectionately know, anchors the university's Warkoczewski Observatory. In 1983, the building was renamed Royall Hall in honor of Norman Royall, a longtime professor of math and physics who earned a national reputation for his textbooks and educational films.

The construction of Royall Hall, known originally as Haag Hall Annex, took place during a wave of additions and expansions to the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the 1960s and 1970s. As enrollment increased at the university, demand for more space and educational programs increased. The decision to construct this building followed the approval to create Spencer Chemistry and Biological Sciences Buildings. Similar to this structure, those campus buildings were built in 1972, and were followed by the new School of Education and School of Medicine buildings in 1973 and 1974, respectively.

In 1974, local astronomer Stanley Warkoczewski donated a telescope he had built to the university. The university installed it on the roof of the Haag Hall Annex. The "Warko" telescope as it is affectionately know, anchors UMKC's Warkoczewski astronomical observatory. On clear nights from May to October, the Department of Physics and Astronomy as well as local astronomical organizations will open the observatory to the public. Using the Warko and other more modern telescopes, visitors can view things such as the close-up surface of the mood, the rings of Saturn and galaxy clusters.

Dr. Norman Royall began his studies at John B. Stetson University in 1929, at just fifteen years old. He earned his PHD from Brown University in 1940. In 1947, the University of Kansas City hired Royall as the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He also taught math and physics, where he quickly became one of the university's most beloved instructors. Many were the students, who dreaded taking math or physics, that changed their majors to science by the end of the course. He was a firm believer in the value of a liberal arts education rather than education aimed at a particular profession. In 1953, Royall resigned as Dean of Liberal Arts and returned to teaching in protest of University of Kansas City's president Clarence Decker's leadership of the university. He was joined by three other administrators. The resulting conflict resulted in votes of no-confidence against Decker by the School of Pharmacy, the School of Law and the students. Decker resigned as a result. Dr. Norman would continue to teach at the university until his retirement in 1975. However, as an emeritus professor he continued to publish and remained a fixture of the university.

Some of Royall's works outside of teaching included publications in the field of integral-transform theory and publications in general education, including a college algebra text he worked on for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and two more advanced mathematics textbooks. Another notable work of his was a 1961 series of 49 films on mathematics, which Dr. Royall completed for the United States Armed Forces Institute for use by American military members stationed around the world. In a 1960s profile in the Kansas City Star, journalist Charles Hammer stated, "Since coming to the University of Kansas City in 1947, Dr. Royall has been one of the intellectually moving forces in Kansas City."

In 1983, as part of UMKC's 50th anniversary, the Haag Hall Annex was renamed Royall Hall in Dr. Royall's honor.

Wolff, Christopher. A Pearl of Great Value: The History of UMKC, Kansas City’s University. Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC Alumni Association, 2016.

Norman N. Royall, Jr., UMKC Math Department History. Accessed September 12th, 2022. http://d.web.umkc.edu/delawarer/MathDeptHistory/Royall.htm.

Spencer, Hallie. Warkoczewski Observatory Celebrates 40 years. Perspectives. September 23rd, 2024.