AGRICULTURAL BUILDING
U. OF I.
MOSCOW, IDAHO
Date: Circa 1935
Source Type: Postcard
Printer, Publisher, Photographer: Wesley Andrews Company (#79)
Postmark: July 2, 1975, Plummer, Idaho
Collection: Steven R. Shook
Remark: This image was taken looking directly north. Today [2014], Morrill Hall still exists. The Metallurgical Building to the left Morrill Hall also still exists is currently referred to as the Art and Architecture Building. The Assay Building, the short building to the right of Morrill Hall, no longer exists and was replaced with a building known as Gibb Hall (also known as Life Sciences North). The tall building to the far right in this photograph is Science Hall.
Morrill Hall, the tall building with the white dormers, is visible on the right. Construction on Morrill Hall began in 1906 and was completed in 1907. The building was funded through insurance money received by the university when the original Administration Building was destroyed by fire; total cost was $55,907. The four story stone and brick structure has a 65-foot by 125-foot footprint and an area of 28,246 square feet. Originally a three story building, a fourth story was added in 1930. Morrill Hall first served as the home for the College of Agriculture and the Agricultural Experiment Station. The structure was renamed as the Forestry Building in 1950. Currently [2014], the College of Graduate Studies, Philosophy Department, and Office of Sponsored Programs is housed in Morrill Hall.
The Metallurgical Building was constructed in 1906 at a cost of $16,000. The structure is wood fame in construction with veneer walls composed of red pressed brick. The three story building has a footprint of 84-feet by 96-feet. In 1949-1950, a major renovation of the building took place at a cost of $122,168 (state appropriation). The structure was completely remodeled and three floors were added to the center of the building. An elevator tower was added to the structure in 1998. After serving as a metallurgical research building for several decades, the building became the Mines Building in 1950. Around 1961, the building was renamed the Psychology Building, housing office, laboratory, and classroom space. In 2001, the building was renamed Art and Architecture.
The Assay Building was constructed in 1906 at a cost of $17,700 (state appropriation). The one story building was built with a reinforced concrete frame, brick walls, a rubble foundation, steel roof trusses, and a wood shingle roof. The footprint of the building was 108-feet by 36-feet and consisted of 5,928 square feet of floor space. After its use as an assay building, the building was used for instructional purposes for geology. From 1955 to 1984, the building was a university museum and art gallery. The building was razed in 1984 and the Life Sciences North building was later constructed on the site.
The University of Idaho Board of Regents approved specification for the construction of Science Hall in 1923. The structure was designed by the university's architect, Professor Rudolph Weaver. Construction on the building began on September 17, 1924, and it was completed in 1925. The total cost of construction was $395,327 (state appropriation).
Science Hall is Tudor Gothic in design and constructed with reinforced concrete and red brick. Slate was used as the roofing material. The center portion of the building is 120 feet long, the west wing is 100 feet long, and the east wing is 69 feet long. Total floor area of the Science Hall is 64,057 square feet.
Copyright 2010. Some rights reserved. The associated text may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Steven R. Shook.
