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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHerrick Hall (24GA1874)_Final MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD For the Montana National Register of Historic Places Program and State Antiquities Database Montana State Historic Preservation Office Montana Historical Society PO Box 201202, 1410 8 th Ave Helena, MT 59620-1202 Property Address: Montana State University Campus S. 8 th Ave between Cleveland & Arthur Historic Address (if applicable): 1024 Park Drive City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA1874 (An historic district number may also apply.) County: Gallatin Historic Name: Herrick Hall Original Owner(s): Montana State College of Agricultural & Mechanical Arts Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Herrick Hall Owner(s): Montana State University - Administration Owner Address: 201 Main Hall / PO Box 172440 Bozeman, MT 59717-2440 Phone: 406-994-2001 Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 5E SE ¼ NW ¼ NE ¼ of Section: 13 Lot(s): Block(s): 21 Addition: Capital Hill Year of Addition: 1890 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Residence Hall (Women's) Current Use: Same Construction Date: 1959 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov/topofinder2 NAD 27 or NAD 83(preferred ) Zone: 12 Easting: 496306 Northing: 5057239 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: Historic District: Montana State University-Bozeman HD NRHP Eligible: Yes No Date of this document: December 31, 2012 Form Prepared by: Jessie Nunn / Consultant Address: 600 Meadowlark Lane, Livingston, MT 59047 Daytime Phone: 406-208-8727 MT SHPO USE ONLY Eligible for NRHP: X yes no Criteria: X A B X C D Date: 10/7/2013 Evaluator: Kate Hampton Comments: Contributor to the Montana State University Historic District MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other: If Other, specify: Italian Renaissance Revival Property Type: Education Specific Property Type: Residence Hall Architect: Fred F. Willson / Bozeman, MT (?); W. R. Plew, MSC Supervising Architect / Bozeman, MT Architectural Firm/City/State: Builder/Contractor: MSC Physical Plant / Bozeman, MT Company/City/State: Source of Information: University Records, 26-0001 Herrick Hall Introduction Herrick Hall is a three-story reinforced concrete building that includes a full daylight basement. It measures 144’ x 52' and has a granite water table. The concrete and steel hipped roof is covered in red tiles and carved rafter tails are visible under the exaggerated overhanging eave. The building is designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, and the façade is bilaterally symmetrical around a full-height entrance bay with a half-hipped roof. It is a three-wythe polychrome rug-face brick building constructed with a concrete frame. The building features terra cotta detailing and its fenestration is characterized by paired six-over-six double hung windows. The sills on the first and second floors are rowlock bricks, and the flat arch lintels are of soldier course bricks. A belt course of soldier and rowlock bricks separates the first (basement) story from the second story. Above the second floor windows is a tumbled brick pattern belt course that defines a simple "frieze" decorated with rectangular brick patterns. West Façade The west façade’s projecting central entrance bay is framed by large corner brick pilasters which rise two stories and project slightly. The pilasters are decorated with dark brick in a vertical pattern and terra cotta diamonds. Immediately under the upper beltcourse is a series of small stepped arches with corbelled bases that decorate the top of the slightly recessed wall face of the entrance bay. A terra cotta panel inscribed with “HERRICK HALL” is found in the “frieze” between the beltcourse and the eave. Below the arches are three six-over-six windows with a continuous sill flanked by individual six-over-six windows. The entrance is defined by three recessed arches, with a larger and taller center arch. The central arch contains double wood and glass doors below a semicircular glass transom/tympanum. A terra cotta shield embellished with ribbon serves as a keystone to the central arch. Within the center of the shield is an escutcheon with the raised date, "1926." The smaller, flanking arches display brick keystones and surround fixed 12-light windows. Small terra cotta diamonds occur in the tympanums. Above the smaller arches are small terra cotta shields. The north shield is embellished with the raised letters "LVX," and the south shield has "VE TRITAS." Four-over-four double hung windows occur on each story of the north and south facing walls for the projecting entrance bay. Flanking the central bay are four pairs of six-over-six windows on each story. Decorative brick panels matching those found in the pilasters of the entrance bay adorn each of the building’s eight corners. North and South Side Elevations The north elevation has three window bays containing paired six-over-six windows on each of the building’s three stories. A 40’ x 28’ one-story, reinforced concrete addition veneered in brick was added to the north elevation in 1963. It is set below the granite water table on a sloping site and is nearly invisible from the east and west. The addition displays a flat roof and concrete coping. Four two-light wood windows occur on addition’s west elevation and four single light metal windows above panels on the east elevation. The north end of the addition includes a service driveway and concrete loading platform. Double wood doors with upper lights and a transom are found to the west and a large panel with an upper light capped by two lights is found to the east. The south elevation matches the original north elevation. East (Rear) Elevation The relatively unadorned east elevation contains ten paired six-over-six windows on each story. An exterior chimney divides the elevation in half. The ground is slightly lower on this side, and the ground floor windows share a common sill created by the granite water table. A rear entrance occurs in the fourth bay from the south. It contains a single wood door with an upper light and a transom. The original flat roof canopy protects the door and a single six-over-six window to the south. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 HISTORY OF PROPERTY Introduction Herrick Hall was constructed in 1926, possibly following a preliminary design by Fred F. Willson. Its final design and construction, however, was the work of Montana State College (MSC) Supervising Architect, William R. Plew. It was the last of a series of brick-clad, reinforced concrete Italian Renaissance Revival style buildings erected during the 1920s in response to a need for increased classroom, laboratory and office space. The building was a welcome sight for the growing Home Economics and Arts Department, which changed locations nearly as often as it changed names. Beginning in 1896, the department's first location was in the Ferris Building on Main Street. That year it was known as the Homemaking Department, but was quickly changed to Domestic Science and Art. The department was renamed again in 1898 as Home Science, then back to Domestic Science in 1900. During this time, the "women's department" was located in Montana Hall. In 1908, following a change of locations to Agriculture Building (Linfield Hall), the name changed back to Home Science. It finally became Home Economics in 1912. Like the rest of the college’s departments, the increase in class enrollment in Art and Home Economics during the 20th century created overcrowding in MSC’s existing structures. According to historian Merrill Burlingame, in 1920, with projected enrollment expected to rise following World War I, Chancellor Edward Elliot urged the State Legislature to pass a special property tax of 2.5 mills for use in support of higher education. A bond issue for $5 million for new buildings was also initiated. Both measures heartily passed, and the college finally proceeded with construction that would transform the campus. While five new Italian Renaissance Revival style academic buildings and the Heating Plant were constructed between 1920 and 1922, the boom could not last, and the plans for Herrick Hall were postponed. Drought and recession struck Montana in 1923, and the state Board of Education refused to recommend an increased budget to the legislature. College wages, maintenance and construction fell victim to the budget. [Burlingame, 69 -72]. As a result, Herrick Hall's design underwent several reductions and changes before construction began. It was much more reserved in appearance than the earlier Italian Renaissance Revival buildings on campus. Fred F. Willson, Architect The college likely contracted with Bozeman architect Fred F. Willson to design the new women's building. Born in 1877, he was the only son of General L. S. Willson, Civil War veteran, territorial legislator and Bozeman pioneer. After attending the Bozeman Academy, Willson completed his junior year at Montana State College then enrolled at Columbia University. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 1902. Willson returned to Montana, where he spent two years in the Helena office of prominent architect, Charles S. Haire. Next, he went to Europe, where he studied at the Ecole des Beau Arts and traveled, before returning to the United States in 1906. Willson briefly lived in New York City, where he was associated with architects Theodore C. Visscher and James Burley. Later that year, Willson returned to Montana to oversee the Butte office of his mentor, who now headed the firm of Link & Haire. Willson returned permanently to Bozeman in 1910 and opened his own office in the Commercial National Bank Building. He designed and built his own residence at 509 Tracy Avenue in 1914. Willson designed numerous buildings in the Bozeman area and across Montana, and was competent in a number of architectural styles including Craftsman, Mission and Renaissance Revival, Jacobethan and International. In addition to Herrick Hall, his designs on campus include Hamilton Hall, the Engineering Building (Roberts Hall), the Engineering Shops (Ryon Labs) and its addition, the Heating Plant, the Chemistry Building (Traphagen Hall), the original section of the 1939-1940 Strand Union Building, and the 1935 Quadrangle. His design of Bozeman’s Jacobethan Emerson School won praise from educational groups across the United States. Willson also expanded his business interests into areas other than architecture. He owned 640 acres in the Powder River area, was president of the Bozeman Investment Company and a director and stockholder of the Willson Company, the latter established by his father in the 1870s. [Stout, 319-320]. William R. Plew, MSC Supervising Architect While Willson is usually credited with the design of Herrick Hall, MSC’s Supervising Architect, William R. Plew, was largely responsible for the building. The college’s Physical Plant, which Plew supervised, and served as the general contractor with Plew drew up final plans for the building in February of 1926. [Architectural Drawings, 2/12/1926; Purchase Order, 3/5/1926]. Willson’s name or influence is also absent from files compiled during Herrick Hall’s construction, suggesting that if he had originally designed the building, his role had diminished significantly by the beginning of 1926. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 History of Property Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 William R. Plew was educated at Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana, graduating in 1907 with a Bachelor of Science degree. At MSC he taught architecture classes as part of the College of Engineering. When Alfred Atkinson assumed the presidency of MSC, William Plew took a leave of absence to return to Rose Polytechnic to continue his education in the newly formed discipline of architectural project management. He returned to MSC with a Master's of Science degree and created his position as Supervising Architect in 1913. He served as project manager, draftsman, designer, coordinator with outside consultants, and director of the Physical Plant. When Plew died in June of 1945, H. C. Cheever of the College of Architecture stepped into his position as an additional duty until Plew's replacement could be found. Walter Baker began serving as Professor Plew's replacement in 1947. (Adapted from Sutherland, 17). The Wool Laboratory is the only other extant campus building designed by Plew, though he oversaw the construction of every building added to the MSC campus during his long tenure as Supervising Architect. Herrick Hall (Women’s Building) The placement of Herrick Hall occurred as a result of a landscaping plan by Montana architect George Carlsey and successful New York landscape architect Cass Gilbert. In 1917, the State Board of Education contracted Gilbert to plan building programs for all four of the state's higher learning institutions. Carsley’s and Gilbert's Montana State College plan re-oriented the campus, creating a classical axial arrangement which retained Montana Hall as the center of the campus, but expanded the property to the south. Engineering Hall, along with Traphagen Hall, the Gymnasium and the Engineering Shops created a second assembly of buildings encircling a broad grassy open area. Herrick Hall's construction across from the 1907 Agriculture Building (Linfield Hall) finally achieved a classical symmetry on the northern, older section of the campus. A 1925 Exponent article remarked on the alteration of that area of campus as a result of the construction of Herrick Hall, necessitating the need for new roads and walkways in accordance with Carsley and Gilbert's plan. [9/24/1925, 1]. A wide boulevard (8 th Avenue) swept past Herrick Hall and continued up to Montana Hall before curving west to connect with 10th Avenue. Instead of hiring an outside contractor to construct the new “Women’s Building,” as done for the earlier Italian Renaissance Revival buildings, MSC’s own Physical Plant served as the general contractor under the able supervision of campus Supervising Architect, William R. Plew. As he balanced his own exacting standards with the college’s dwindling budget during the construction of Herrick Hall, Plew kept in regular contact with J. E. Murphy, State Purchasing Agent, about building materials and subcontractors. For the building’s face brick, Plew selected No. 2 Tapestry Brick from the Lewistown Brick & Tile Company, which, while considered inferior in color to the No. 1 Tapestry Brick, was cheaper and in Plew’s opinion, “made a much more interesting wall.” [Plew to Murphy, 1/3/26]. There could be no compromise on the decorative exterior tile, however. It required Ludowici Tile to match the other Italian Renaissance Revival buildings, but Plew planned to save money by having Physical Plant craftsman install the tile themselves. [Plew to Murphy, 3/24/1926]. Plew also likely saved money by using small local subcontractors to do much of the work, including Frank Puccinelli and Frank Evangelisti, both of Billings, Montana, who performed the terrazzo work for $3,000 and the plastering for $3,600, respectively. [Pucinelli to Plew, 4/3/1926; Plew to Evangelisti, 4/6/1926]. In the end, Herrick Hall was completed for approximately $115,000, some $5,000 under budget. [Financial Report, 1926]. The final plan for Herrick Hall called for the first and second floors of the new building to be occupied by the Home Economics and Art Department. The first floor housed three laboratories, two classrooms, a small dining room and a "rat room". The college newspaper noted that few colleges of similar size had such rat laboratories. The Dean of Women and the Home Economic staff offices occupied the second floor, along with two clothing laboratories, a seminar room/library, a kitchen, dining room and fireplace. Because state funds were insufficient to cover the costs of constructing the fireplace, organization of a special fund raising drive occurred in 1926 by the Associated Women Students organization to raise the necessary $1,000. The second floor provided office space for two women's organizations, the Y.W.C.A and the Associated Women Students. The attic floor design included a lecture hall and five study rooms. A total of five unit kitchens in the building were each equipped with different types of equipment. The basement housed a pottery room and loom room. [The Weekly Exponent , 1/5/1926, 1]. Miscellaneous Notes Herrick Hall was named after the college's first Dean of Women Students, Una B. Herrick. Herrick arrived at MSC in 1911, and her accomplishments included organizing the first Girl's Vocational Congress in 1913. The congress invited high school-age girls from across Montana to participate in college-sponsored activities designed to offer vocational education opportunities. The congress was one of the first of its kind in the United States, perhaps the first of its kind to focus on MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 History of Property Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 high school girls. Herrick also actively in promoted women's social organizations, 17 which began during her tenure. Herrick originated Women's Day, and the Blue and Gold Processional, a high attainment cup. [Ibid; Burlingame, 61-62]. One of the Home Economics Department’s most notable success stories began through the Extension Service. Jeannette Kelly, a 1917 graduate, became one of the first home demonstration agents for the Extension Service. Kelly's success in working with young people brought her to the attention of the Washburn-Crosby Milling Company, parent company of the highly successful General Mills Company of Minneapolis. Washburn-Crosby worked with the Extension's 4-H programs to promote bread consumption, but lacked any recommendable recipe for bread. The company asked Kelly to write a breadmaking cookbook for teenagers. Kelly followed that success with work for General Foods, and then with Lever Brothers, where she developed the sales program for their "Spry" product. Kelly returned to General Mills in 1946 to open their test kitchens, resulting in the Betty Crocker Department. It was as the company's fictional "Betty Crocker" that she gained national prominence and popularity. [MSU Archives, "Quick Facts Notebook]. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Building Master List. Physical Plant Records, Montana State University. Burlingame, Merrill. A History: Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman, MT: Office of Information Publication, February 1968. 'Folder A6.1/Buildings, History of.' Montana State University Archives. Montana State University. “Financial Report of Women’s Building (Finish),” 1926. University Records, 26-0001. Montana State University. “Purchase Order, No. 15538.” University Records, 26-0001. Nepper, Carl J. 1939 Building Appraisal. 'New Women's Building To Be Named Herrick Hall,' The Weekly Exponent, 5 January 1925. Photos: PA4.Home Ec. Folder I, no. I; PA6.I/Herrick Hall Tea Folder 7, no. 1. Montana State University Archives. Plew, William R. “Architectural Plans for the Women’s Building, Montana State College, Bozeman, Montana, 2/12/1926.” University Records, 26-0001. Plew, William R. Letter to J. E. Murphy, 4 January 1926. University Records, 26-0001. Plew, Willam R. Letter to J. E. Murphy, 24 March 1926. University Records, 26-0001. Plew, William R. Letter to Frank Evangelisti, 5 April 1926. University Records, 26-0001. Puccinelli, Frank. Letter to W. R. Plew, 3 April 1926. University Records, 26-0001. 'Quick Facts Notebook.' Montana State University Archives. Stout, Tom. Montana: Its Story and Biography. Vol. 2. Chicago: The American Historical Society, 1921. University of Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. '33rd Annual Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station, 1925- 1926,' Vol. 22. Bozeman, MT: Allied Printing, June 30, 1926. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Statement of Significance Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: NA NRHP Eligibility: Yes No Individually Contributing to Historic District Noncontributing to Historic District NRHP Criteria: A B C D Area of Significance: Education, Architecture Period of Significance: 1926-1968 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Herrick Hall contributes to the Montana State University Historic District, and is eligible for listing under criteria A and C. It is significant for its associations with the growth of Montana State College, particularly during its second phase of construction (1919-1926) and for its role in expanding opportunities for women students. Although somewhat restrained due to budgetary concerns that hit the college by 1926, Herrick Hall serves as one of several excellent examples of the Italian Renaissance Revival style on campus. Finally, Herrick Hall is significant as an example of the work of William R. Plew, Montana State College’s (MSC) Supervising Architect from 1913 to 1945. Herrick Hall stands as part of a concentrated effort by the State Board of Education and MSC to project an appearance of stability within an intellectually nurturing environment. It complimented Carsley’s and Gilbert's classical plan, and was appropriate to the academic institution. The style evoked images of the 16th-century's intellectual rebirth and optimism in mankind's future. The result was an ordered, refined campus in keeping with the college's status as one of Montana’s leading academic institutions. A 1925 Exponent article remarked on this, calling it "a further step in the greater M. S. C. plan which is now being carried forward throughout the campus." [9/24/1925, 1]. The construction of a "women's building" in 1926 also represents the equal status achieved by MSC' s female students at an early stage in the university's development. According to Burlingame, the college gave women "major consideration," from its inception. The building may also be significant for its associations with the first Dean of Women Students, Una B. Herrick, described by the college newspaper as "a trail blazer in a frontier college," and an instrumental figure in the promotion of women's interests on campus. "Dean Herrick has always made her home on the campus, and she has given herself most generously and unselfishly to the cause of education." [ The Weekly Exponent , 1/5/1926, 1]. Built in 1926, the Italian Renaissance Revival style building is one of six such academic structures constructed on campus between 1919 and 1926, as a result of the largest sum of money yet appropriated for the purpose of expanding Montana’s university system. This funding allowed for the greatest construction period on the MSC campus, however, drought and depression interfered with continued construction after 1923. Herrick Hall embodies the subsequent halt in the university's growth that would continue through the early 1930s. Less ornate than the earlier buildings, and more modest in its appearance, it nevertheless harmonizes well with other buildings constructed after World War I. Fred F. Willson, Bozeman's most successful early 20th century architect, is often credited with the initial design of Herrick Hall, but the building’s final design and construction was the work of William R. Plew, MSC’s Supervising Architect from 1913 until his death in 1945. Plew completed final architectural drawings for the “Women’s Building” in February of 1926 and, as supervisor of the MSC Physical Plant, was the general contractor during construction. In addition to Herrick Hall, Plew also designed the Wool Laboratory before his death in 1945, and oversaw the construction of every building added to campus during his long tenure as Supervising Architect. More than anyone, Plew ensured the successful implementation of George Carsley’s and Cass Gilbert’s 1917 Plan at MSC, as well as the vision and specifications of each new building’s architect, including Shanley & Baker of Great Falls (Lewis Hall, Romney Gym) and, of course, Fred F. Willson. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Integrity Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) The 65 year-old Herrick Hall is in good condition and has retained much of its historical appearance and detailing. Except for a one-story addition on the north elevation, little of the exterior has been altered. The 1963 addition, which can be considered a significant mid-century alteration in itself, is situated in a berm and is mostly below the grade of the main building. As a result, it detracts little from Herrick Hall’s original appearance. The hall retains much of its historic materials, including brick cladding, tile roofing and windows. It readily conveys its significance as an example of the Italian Renaissance Revival style, popular for academic buildings across the nation in the early twentieth century. The setting, with expanses of landscaped open space immediately surrounding the building and women’s residence halls located to the south (Hamilton Hall), east (Hannon Hall), north east (The Quadrangle) and north (Hapner Hall), also contributes to the importance of Herrick Hall. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Photographs Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 Herrick Hall West Façade, Facing: NE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 7, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Photographs Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 Herrick Hall West Façade Entrance, Facing: E Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 7, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Photographs Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 Herrick Hall North and East Elevation, Facing: SW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 7, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Photographs Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 Herrick Hall North Elevation of 1963 Addition, Facing: SE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 7, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 13 Photographs Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 Herrick Hall East Elevation, Facing: NW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 7, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 14 Photographs Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 Herrick Hall South Elevation, Facing: NE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 7, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 15 Photographs Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 Herrick Hall, North Façade (Above), South Side with Sundial (Below), c. 1925, Miscellaneous Photos (University Records) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 16 Site Map Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 17 Topographic Map Property Name: Herrick Hall Site Number: 24GA1874