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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLinfield Hall (24GA1878) 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 SE Corner 11 th Ave & W. Cleveland St. Historic Address (if applicable): Same City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA1878 (An historic district number may also apply.) County: Gallatin Historic Name: Agricultural Building, Morrill Hall Original Owner(s): Montana State Collge of Agriculture & Mechanic Arts Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Linfield Hall Owner(s): Montana State University (MSU) - Admin. Owner Address: 201 Main Hall / PO Box 172440 Bozeman, MT 59717-2440 Phone: 406-994-2001 Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 5E SW ¼ NW ¼ NE ¼ of Section: 13 Lot(s): Block(s): Addition: Capitol Hill Year of Addition: USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Classrooms, Offices, Lecture Hall Current Use: Same (College of Agriculture) Construction Date: 1907 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov/topofinder2 NAD 27 or NAD 83(preferred ) Zone: 12 Easting: 493395 Northing: 51067760 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: Historic District: Montana State University-Bozeman HD NRHP Eligible: Yes No Date of this document: October 15, 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: October 2013 Evaluator: K. Hampton Comments: MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: Agricultural Building, Morrill Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other: If Other, specify: Neoclassical Revival Property Type: Education Specific Property Type: Architect: Charles S. Haire and John G. Link; Edwin D. Osness (1953 Addition) Architectural Firm/City/State: Haire & Link / Helena, MT; Edwin Builder/Contractor: Unknown Company/City/State: Source of Information: This three and on-half story Neoclassical Revival style building is 150’ x 68’ in dimension and measures 35’ feet in height. It has a full daylight basement and attic, and is constructed of solid masonry and constructed on the first and second stories with buff pressed brick (3-wythe solid brick walls) with Columbus sandstone trimmings. The ground floor displays an ironspot brown clay-fired brick with concrete brick quoining and lintels around the windows. The recycled "slate" facsimile clad roof is hipped with cross hips on the north and south ends and a pediment over the main entrance. Three gable-roofed dormers are found on the rear (west) elevation, single hip-roofed dormers are located on the side elevations and gable-roofed dormers flank the entrance pediment on the façade. Most windows are one-over-one double-hung units with wood sashes and have flat arch lintels with keystones and sandstone slip sills. The building sits on a stone foundation. A sandstone water table encircling the entire building divides the ground floor from the first story. A small sandstone beltcourse above the foundation and below the ground floor windows creating a continuous sill, and a second sandstone beltcourse below creates a sill for the first story windows as well as a base for the building’s brick pilasters. The pilasters rise up two stories, terminating in terra cotta capitals with an egg and dart motif. The entablature includes a plain brick architrave and entablature capped by a pressed metal cornice with block modillions. The east-facing façade is symmetrical with a projecting, pedimented entrance bay flanked by recessed walls and projecting ends under the cross hips. Pilasters create all window bays on the facade, with the end segments containing two paired windows on each story and the recessed wall containing three individual windows per story. The building’s raise entrance is reached by a short set of concrete steps and a terrazzo landing. The main entrance is framed by an arch springing from squat pilasters embellished with a prominent keystone. Double oak and beveled glass doors are set within the entrance and are separated from large plate glass sidelights by engaged oak columns with ionic capitals. There is a large, multi-light transom. Above the arch is a large glazed, six-light window covering the entire second story and lighting the building’s central interior stair. The window has one-over-one sidelights and a transom. A sandstone shield with the raised date “1907” serves as a keystone for the window’s flat arch. Set into large pilasters flanking the arch on the corners of the entrance bay are one-over-one double hung windows on each floor. The pediment has a raking cornice with block modillions and an oculus window. Two pedimented dormers with two “spoke” lights flank the main pediment. The north and south elevations are nearly identical, although the south has been partially obscured by a 1953 International style addition. There is a ground floor entrance on the north elevation with a wood and glass door with sidelights and elliptical fanlight. The door appears to date from the mid-20 th century, but the sidelights and fanlight are original. An elliptical arch created with multiple courses of rowlock brick frames the entrance. The door is sheltered by a frame, gable hood supported by knee braces and slender metal posts. Paired windows flank the entrance on the ground floor. A shed-roofed canopy extending off the entrance hood shelters the eastern windows and a ramp leading to the door. The first and second stories of each side have three bays, each containing a pair of windows. The hip-roofed central dormer on the north elevation has tall brick corner piers and three one-over-one windows with “spoke” pattern lights. On the south elevation, the dormer now contains door which exits onto a modern fire escape. Wide corner pilasters with egg and dart terra cotta capitals continue around to the façade and rear elevation. The west (rear) elevation is very similar to the east façade, although there is no entrance and no pilasters on the main wall. In place of the central entrance are three widows on each story flanked by two bays of paired windows. The projecting east and west ends have corner pilasters and two sets of paired windows on each story. The widow bays are separated by a pilaster on the first and second stories. Small brick chimneys with metal flashing extend upward from the innermost corner pilasters. The roof has three evenly-spaced pedimented dormers. The interior is finished in oak with maple floors. The main entrance floor and the basement hall are terrazzo on reinforced concrete. The heating, water and drainage pipes are in the sub-basement. The first floor hallway is doublewide. The MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 Architectural Description Property Name: Agricultural Building, Morrill Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 building interior remains largely unaltered, with original wood doors with Florentine glass, wood wainscoting and plaster etched to resemble brick. A room has been added to the second floor landing and the ceiling lowered. Linfield South (1953) This International style addition was designed by Billings, Montana architect, Edwin G. Osness, and constructed off the south elevation of Linfield Hall in 1953. The one to two and one-half story building has an L-shaped footprint with its main east-west wing measures approximately 80’ x 65’ and its north-south wing measures 135’ x 55’. A lower 70’ x 40’ section with a loading dock is located off the northwest corner of the addition. Linfield South is a flat-roofed, reinforced concrete building with tapestry brick veneer on all elevation except the south, which was originally clad with terra cotta panels between the expansive rows of aluminum windows. Large areas of windows have been replaced with EIFS and in 2012, two rows of terra cotta panels (which were loosening from the concrete substrate) were replaced with aluminum-clad panels (CTA 2012). The asymmetrical east-facing façade consists of two sections: a one-story brick portion to the north which connects to the original Linfield Hall and the two-story main entrance bay to the south. The northern section is dominated by an angular “wave” panel created by a series of evenly-spaced brick walls set at an approximately 45˚ angle from the main building face with interior spaces filled by three columns of opaque glass block set at the opposite angle. A beltcourse of soldier bricks runs across the north and east elevations, creating a continuous lintel for the “wave” panel. The two-story entrance bay is divided into vertical columns with a wall of white paneling to the south and the main entrance to north. The recessed entrance is protected by a slab-roofed canopy supported by thin metal posts that set on a trapezoidal, brick planter to the south. Double blond doors with three square lights, a sidelight and a transom make up the entrance. A rectangular panel of twelve widows framed in aluminum is located above the entrance. It contains three columns with alternating short and long rows. The long south elevation has a horizontal emphasis with two identical stories of aluminum awing windows running in a ribbon between white and pink paneling. Seven bays of four windows are created by vertical grey columns that rise to a row of grey paneling that visually separates the stories. The grey columns and rows are suggestive of the structural composition of the building. A daylight basement story consists of an abbreviated version of the upper stories, with ribbon windows framed in grey paneling to the west and with paired windows and pink paneling to the east. The corners of this elevation consist of brick piers. On the west corner of this elevation is a below-grade overhead garage door and a ground- level walk-in door reached by a concrete walkway—all framed in brick veneer. The rear elevation of the Linfield South is an “L” consisting of a series of projecting and recesses walls all covered in brick. On its west elevation, the east-west segment of the addition has two stories due to the grade and is set back from the original building. It consists of a metal walk-in door immediately beside its junction with the original building and two ribbons of large aluminum frame windows on each story. A large fire escape is also located on this elevation. The north elevation of the north-south ell of the addition has a secondary entrance on its eastern end. The recessed entrance bay is two stories tall and created with rows and columns of aluminum windows and white paneling. Double blond wood and glass doors protected by a slab-roofed canopy are reached by a short set of concrete steps and a landing. The projecting lower south wall contains one row of windows. The lower portion of the north elevation extends around to the northwest corner of the north-south ell, where it characterized by an exaggerated overhanging flat roof. The roof protects an elevated concrete loading dock. A concrete planter extends along the driveway leading to the loading dock. To the south, the west end of the north-south ell contains a ribbon of aluminum windows on the second story and below grade walk-in entrance abutting the loading dock. Paired aluminum windows are located above this entrance on the first story. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 History of Property Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 HISTORY OF PROPERTY Introduction The first buildings for both the College and the Experiment Station consisted of an assortment of structures from the city of Bozeman’s poor farm, a few log cabins and small out buildings. By 1894, the department was located directly to the south in the Experiment Station Building (Taylor Hall). The department shared space with mechanical engineering, biology, horticulture and drafting studies. In addition, the building included accommodations for the director and offices for the horticulturist, the professors of botany, the chemist and the veterinarian. Demands for increased office, classroom and laboratory space prompted university officials to seek construction of a new building. In his 1907 report, President James Hamilton remarked on the critical need for new space: A point has been reached in the work of the Montana Agricultural College where further progress is impossible without an agricultural building. The annual appropriations made by the federal government to the College and Station cannot be used to advantage. No increase in agricultural students can be expected and it is wrong to encourage young people to register for agricultural courses with our current facilities. It is impossible for us to hold students until graduation. There is nothing for them to work with in the advanced grades and no laboratories in which to do the work. (Burlingame, 57) Hamilton also pointed out that between 1900 and 1907 Montana had given less than one-half as much for the maintenance of its agricultural college as surrounding states. (Ibid) The need for a new building was particularly acute after 1906, when Hamilton expanded the Agricultural Department from a single major to include majors in agronomy, animal industry, dairy and horticulture. Fortunately, the Montana Legislature agreed and appropriated $80,000 in 1907 for the construction of a new building. The talented Helena, Montana architectural firm of Haire & Link was selected to design the new building in the Neoclassical Revival style. Link & Haire Charles S. Haire managed one Montana’s most influential architectural firms in the 1890s and 1900s. His Helena-based firm had expanded to offices in the Montana cities of Butte, Billings, Miles City, Lewistown and Missoula by 1910. Born in Hamilton County Ohio in 1857, Haire studied architecture while teaching for three years and was then employed as a draftsman for the Union Pacific Railroad. He moved to Butte with the Great Northern Railroad in 1887, and by 1888 was associated with the realty firm of Wallace and Thornburg. Later Haire worked exclusively as an architect and moved to Helena in 1893, where he served as the State Superintendent of Buildings. His status as State Superintendent doubtlessly had some input in the School’s choice of architects. In January of 1906 he formed a partnership with John G. Link, which would soon become the most prolific architectural firm in Montana. In Link & Haire’s many offices, numerous young Montana architects received their training, including Fred F. Willson of Bozeman. J. G. Link was born in Bavaria in about 1863, and studied architecture at the Royal Academy in Landau. He immigrated to the United States in 1887 and worked until 1890 for Frank Kidder, the author of The Architect’s Handbook , a standard text on building construction. He then joined an architectural firm in Denver before moving to Butte in 1896. There he formed partnerships with W. E. Donavan, and later with Joseph T. Carter until 1905. (McDaniel and Sanford, 34) Link and Haire designed several smaller buildings on the Montana State campus, none of which do not survive. Their other major academic building is the extant 1894 Experiment State Building (Taylor Hall). The Agricultural Building (Morrill Hall, Linfield Hall) The Agricultural Building was dedicated in 1909. The building was planned with service systems located in the sub- basement, freeing the full-light basement for further classroom and office space. The building housed the horticultural department in the south end of the basement, with the dairy department to the north. Offices for the Experiment Station Director, the Superintendent of the Farmer’s Institute, the library reading room, and various classrooms and laboratories for agronomy and animal industry occupied the first floor. The domestic science department was located on the second floor, a space which caused President Hamilton to boast there were no better facilities in Montana for teaching, “sewing, cooking, sanitation and all the branches which train-well balanced homemakers.” (Burlingame, 57) The attic was completed in 1912, and the College’s first book store opened there a year later. (MSU Archives) By 1918, the attic also served as an assembly room and office space for the principal of secondary schools and Extension Service staff. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 History of Property Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Link & Haire also made provisions for the construction of future greenhouses to the south of the building. The first greenhouse was built on the south end of the building in 1911, when the legislature appropriated $10,000 for a number of campus greenhouses. The Horticulture Greenhouse was the largest of those constructed at a cost of $8,500. It was of iron and glass with cypress wood and a cement foundation. The main ridges extended south, with a palm house in the center of the eastern greenhouse. A passage connecting the greenhouse to the Agriculture Building measured 10’ x 50’ and was constructed of reinforced concrete. (Burlingame, 15 th Annual Report, 171; 18 th Annual Report, 116-177). In 1953, an International style addition designed by Billings, Montana architect Edwin G. Osness was added to the southern elevation of the Agricultural Building creating space for studies in animal science, the dairy industry and range management. Miscellaneous Notes The Extension Service moved back to the Experiment Station Building (Taylor Hall) in 1923, when that building was vacated by the Biology Department after the completion of Lewis Hall. The Agricultural Building was known as Morrill Hall in the 1930s (in honor of the Morrill Act), but was renamed again in 1968 to Linfield Hall. That year, the Building Names Committee suggested a new title to honor an early director of the Experiment Station, Dr. Frederick B. Linfield (1866-1948). Linfield was born in Canada, and came to the College as Professor of Agriculture in 1902. He was appointed head of the Experiment Station in 1904, and Dean of the College of Agriculture in 1913. (A5.2.2.b/Building Names). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 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, Feburary 1968. “Folder A5.2.2.b/Building Names.” Montana State University Archives. “Folder A6.1/Buildings History of.” Montana State Universtiy Archives. The Journal , 10 Feburary 1909. “Location Listings, Construction Files, Specifications, Blueprints, O/M’s [Master List],” Montana State University Facilities, c. 1900 – 2004. McDaniel, Susan R. and Dena L. Sanford. Beautiful City of Miles , Miles City, MT: Star Printing, 1989. Nepper, Carl J. 1939 Building Appraisal. Photos: PA6.1.AB/1909 Folder 1, no. 5. Montana State University Archives. Photos: Miscellaneous Historic Photo Files. University Archives, Montana State University Facilities “Quick Facts Notebook.” Montana State University Archives. University of Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. “15 th Annual Report, June 30, 1908, FY 1907-1908, Vols. 8-10. Bozeman, MT: n.p., Feburary 1909. Universty of Montana Agricultural Experiement Station. “18 th Annual Report, June 30, 1912, FY 1911-1912,” 11. Bozeman, MT: n.p., Feburary 1911. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Statement of Significance Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 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, Agriculture, Architecture Period of Significance: 1907-1964 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Agriculture Building (Linfield Hall) is a primary contributing resource within the proposed Montana State University Historic District, which is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C. Under Criterion A, the building, along with Taylor Hall, is significant for it role in the agricultural development of Montana and for its association with the growth of Montana State during its first period of construction from 1894-1918. Architecturally, the Agricultural Building is significant as a well-executed example of the Neoclassical Revival style, and as an example of the work of the architectural firm Link & Haire. The University’s evolution from an uncertain 1893 agricultural school of eight students to its present state as a leading engineering and technical school of over 14,000 is due in part to the construction of this building. Without it, the college’s growth would have been stunted, forced into overcrowded rooms that limited enrollment and available teaching and research space. The construction of the Neoclassical building provided not only the necessary space, but marked a transition in the development of campus. The Agriculture Department has enjoyed a tradition of importance at Montana State University because of the college’s status as land-grant institution, and has undergone continued growth sing its creation in 1893. But it suffered from a chronic lack of space in the College’s early existence. Enrollment in the department grew from 15 students to 50 by 1907. The college’s first year, which was spent in rented buildings and high school buildings, was described over 60 years later by former student, Thomas H. McKee, as: only an idea, a disembodied one, without house to dwell in, without teacher or student, and worst of all, without a dollar. To get its ensuing appropriations it had to be a going concern. It needed money to get started and couldn’t get money until it did start. (Burlingame, 12) The appropriation of 200 acres and some small farm buildings south of town on “a low hill, [and] a slightly place,” was the result of contributions by Bozeman citizens. One year later, the college boasted a large brick structure that commanded a view of the entire valley. (Burlingame, 19, 30) The resultant first major period of construction (1894-1918) resulted in five brick buildings at the top of the low hill south of Bozeman. It was a good start to a 20-year old school, but larger things would follow. Before 1907, the College had only three significant brick structures on campus: Montana (Main) Hall, the Experiment Station Building (Taylor Hall) and the Chemistry Building (non-extant). The construction of the Neoclassical style building represents a change in policy after James M. Hamilton became President. Hamilton was determined to transform the agricultural college into a “high grade technical college,” with architecture equal to its new status. (Burlingame, 44). The style’s association with the birth of western civilization embodied the more sophisticated attitude Montana State was determined to project in the early 20 th century. The Agricultural Building was one of the University’s last buildings constructed during the first major construction period (1894-1918), and is the only example of the Neoclassical Revival style on campus. It was described by The Journal in 1909, as “one of the most imposing structures in Montana.” (10 Feb. 1909). The building is also one of the first on campus to be constructed with 20 th century technology. It was built of concrete—the new miracle material—which allowed greater freedom of structural and decorative design. The architectural firm, Link & Haire, responsible for the Agricultural Building designed a number of earlier and less significant buildings on campus, but only one, the Experiment Station Building (Taylor Hall), has survived. The design is a MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Statement of Significance Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 classic Link & Haire, with central peidimetned bay and a central entrance with a prominent keystone. Link & Haire were Montana’s leading architects in the 1890s and 1900s. Finally, the building is also significant for its association with the development of agriculture in Montana through the College’s Experiment Station and Extension Service. As Burlingame explains: When Montana State opened in 1893, the teaching mission was only one of its interests. Another was that of agricultural research, and the Experiment Station began operations at the same time. The desire of people to share in the results of the research grew quickly. The influence of the nationwide Farmer’s Institutes soon led the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, which established the Extension Service, and the land-grant educational pattern was complete (128). Experiment Station administration and staff moved into the newly-completed Agricultural Hall and stayed for several decades, while Extension Services were located in the building from their formation in 1914 through 1923 when they relocated to the Experiment Station Building (Taylor Hall). The significance of Experiment Station research and Extension Services to Montana’s rural societies and landscapes is immense. A small sampling of Experiment Station / Extension programs during the period of significance is instructive: irrigation, dryland farming, the certified seed program, shelterbelts, agricultural diversification, drought relief, range management, disease control, 4-H Clubs and home demonstration agents. (Burlingame, 133-173 in passim) Beginning in 1907, the College also established branch Experiment Stations across Montana at Corvallis (1907), Moccasin (1907), Huntley Project (1910), Fort Assiniboine (1913); Sidney (1947) and Creston (1947) to address regional agricultural issues. (Burlingame, 1954-1956) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Integrity Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) The Agricultural Building is in good condition and retains much of its historical detailing and massing. From the east, across a large expanse of lawn, the original imposing effect of the Neoclassical Revival style is especially evident. Major alterations to the building include the replacement of the original tile roof with asphalt shingles in about 1998 and the 1953 International style addition to the south elevation in 1953. The addition does obscure some original first story features and the International style is not necessarily sympathetic to the Neoclassical. However, the addition (Linfield South) is a historic alteration that is a significant example of mid-century modern architecture in itself. Furthermore, it is so far set apart in plan and stylistically removed that it does little to take away from the architectural and associational significance of the original 1907 Agricultural Building. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Photographs Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Agricultural Building (Linfield Hall) East Façade, Facing: NW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 6, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Photographs Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Agricultural Building (Linfield Hall) Main Entrance on East Façade, Facing: W Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 6, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Photographs Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Agricultural Building (Linfield Hall) North Elevation, Facing: SE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 6, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 13 Photographs Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Agricultural Building (Linfield Hall) West (Rear) Elevation, Facing: E Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 6, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 14 Photographs Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Agricultural Hall – 1953 Addition (Linfield South) East Façade, Facing: NW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 6, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 15 Photographs Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Agricultural Building – 1953 Addition (Linfield South) South Elevation, Facing: NE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 6, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 16 Photographs Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Agricultural Building – 1953 Addition (Linfield South) West End with Loading Dock & Planter, Facing: SE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, October 6, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 17 Photographs Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 Agricultural Building (Linfield Hall), c. 1910. (Miscellaneous Historic Photo Files, University Archives, MSU Facilities) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 18 Site Map Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 19 Topographic Map Property Name: Linfield Hall Site Number: 24GA1878