University of Minnesota - Gopher Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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- ♦ She ♦ ♦ ©ODher - - iStuentu ♦ ♦ ■» Seuen I 1 : ■ J i - ■ 1 I 5 « ' svs:± jid MtfrJSM AA mile from the main building the noise of passing trains would never be a menace to the peaceful ongoing of the class room. In 1907 came the expansion of the campus. All of that tract lying south of the railroad gully and bounded on the east by l nion Street was secured. The campus was in- creased by approximately fifty-five acres. Prior to this time buildings has been built without reference to any comprehensive or unified plan. Clearly, now was the appro- priate time to take a long forward look to en ' ision, if possible, the Minnesota of the future. Were buildings from now on to be built on the hit or miss plan, each need as it arose to he met by the exigencies of the moment, or would some plan be devised that would give unity, utility, and beauty to the expansion program that seemed inevitaljle? With statesmanlike foresight the Regents determined to secure the best architectural treatment of the problem that could be devised. Competitive plans were called for. Architects from far and wide visited the grounds, became acquainted with the insti- tution ' s needs, caught something of the Greater Minnesota vision and then set to work to win the prize. Finally the day of decision came and the judges awarded to Cass Gilbert the eagerly sought reward. The new campus, as the recently purchased property was then called, was covered with priv-ate residences and for a long time it was difficult to see just how the new plans would change the landscape. The desirability of having the Uni ersity Hospital (Elliot Memorial) on the river bank determined the location of the Medical School. One-hundred and fourteen thousand dollars was bequeathed by Mrs. Adolphus F. Elliot for the hospital as a memorial to her husband; forty thousand dollars more was added by the legislature to insure the struc- ture in its magnificent location. The site was purchased with a fund donated by medical alumni, faculty, and friends of the Uni -ersit ' , just prior to the legislative au- thorization for the campus expansion in 1007. Simultaneously the work on the Engineering and the Medical School buildings was pro- jected. The new Millard Hall took its place on the corner of Washington Ave. and Union Street, the Institute of Anatomy just west of it, and across Washington Avenue but facing Church Street the Main Engineering Building was erected. East of it and along Union Street, the Experimental Engineering Building was placed. The Dispensary was later mcned into the basement of IVlillard Hall. Thus at the end of the year 1911-12, the first year of President ' incent ' s adminis- tration, any one at all familiar with the Greater Uni ersity plan could liegin to see ' . ' I ' University Armory Twenty

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(Ih ler of g:iuentxt ♦ ♦ -► Seven ♦ ' slow. Pharm;K - appi-ari ' d as a unit of the organization in 1S )2 .uul anntluT spoke was added. The suljjecl of Chemistry had been in the curriculum of tiie hub practicaiU- from the beginning, but in 190, Chemistry took on a new significance as an intlependent unit in the scheme of the Uni ersit ' . It became a separate spoke in the wheel. Likewise Pedagogy- had been taught since way back in the early days as a subject in the academic department. In 1905 the science of education and the preparation of teachers were impor- tant factors in the educational program of the state, and the College of Education was born, a new spoke of the ever-growing wheel. No other units were added until 1919 when the School of Business was created. No wheel would be complete without the tire or rim. This feature is supplied in the Graduate School where, it may be said, all the spokes terminate. As the years go on new major units will develop, new schools will be estab- lished, new spokes will be added to the wheel. Supplements to these various major units were added from time to time, as the School of Nursing in conjunction with Medicine in 1909. th e School for Dental Hygienists in 1919, the School of Mines Experiment Station in 1911, the L niversity High .School as a part of Education in 1908, and the Schools of Agriculture (Central -School at University Farm in 1888, Northwest School at Crookston in 1905, and West Central School at Morris in 1909). The work in Agriculture also finds expression in its experiment stations estab- lished at Uni ersitv Farm in 1885, Crookston 1894, Grand Rapids 1894, Morris 1909, Duluth 1911, Waseca 1911, Zumbra Heights 1907, Owatonna 1887, Itasca and Cloquet 1907. One of the largest supplementary depart- ments is that of the Extension Ser ice in- cluding the General Extension Division and the Agricultural Extension Division, both established in 1909. Keeping pace with the development of the curriculum, although sometimes lagging a little behind, has come the physical expansion of the University in buildings and grounds. At the Charter Day luncheon, February 18, a member of the Class of 1877 said there is not on the campus today a single object familiar to his classmates except the oaks on the campus knoll and W ' illiam Watts Folwell. It was just a few years back that a student standing on the knoll could see the entire campus by letting his gaze sweep from the old Y. M. C. A. Building along Pillsbury Avenue to the Armory. The old N. P. tracks which ran on a line just north of the New Library and on the south side of the Administration Building consituted the southern boundary of the campus in 1907. For years those tracks had been a fixture because the courts had held that being located a quarter of a i v ■rt4 J imMd j -.. ' W - - - Across Cam I ' ll I mi Nineteen

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♦ - She ♦ ♦ ♦ ©opher ♦ of ♦ ♦ ♦ Siuentu ♦ ♦ ♦ 5euen Iti ' , liow thu taiiipiiN cif ilu- lulurf, st) far as buildings were eoncerneii, would look. Minnesota then had a comprehensive campus plan and a good start in buildings. But she still had to ni.ike a struggle for each new structure. Hy l ' M. the old Chemistry Building had been tremendousU outgrown. Emergency assistance was needed. A suc- cessful appeal was made to the legislature and the present Chemistr - Building was completed during the year 1913-14. It was the first structure to be built on the mall. The old structure was transformed into a men ' s club house and still flourishes as the Minne- sota Union. The school of Mines was quick tu folltjw in 1914-15. A devasting fire had demolished the old building, and in the reconstruction plans it was decided to rebuild for the College of Education and the University High School and place the Mines Building on the new campus. This plan was followetl, and as a result the School of Mines was located on its present site west of the Chemistry Building. Then came a lull. The war was on. Presi- dent Vincent resigned to accept the presi- dency of the Rockefeller Foundation in Xew York Cit -. President Burton mounted the Unixersity stage. The campus became a military camp during the life of the Student Army Training Corps. The armistice was declared, the S. A. T. C. disbanded and some- how that hectic year was closed. Despite the general disruption due to the atmosphere of the times, the new definitions of college func- tions, new interpretations of curriculum alues, President Burton with rare educa- tional statesmanship sensed the necessity of another forward look in the building field. Calling the University administrators to- gether, he asked them to lay before him the needs of their departments for the years ahead. Then classifying the results of this survey he grouped the most immediate needs into a ten-}-ear building program and went to the legislature with it. So eloquently did he present the University ' s case before that body that they approved the request in its entirety. The program called for an appro- priation of $560, 000. 00 a v ' car for a period of ten years. while President Burton will always be remembered as Minnesota ' s war president, his outstanding achievement was the attain- ment of the comprehensive building plan which is just being consummated with the plans for the building expansion of Physics and Law. In 1920 Michigan made overtures to President Burton which he couldn ' t resist. He left Minnesota tor the presidencv ' of Michigan I ' niversity and ri ' maini-d there until his death in the spring of 1925. It became one of President Coffman ' s tasks to carry out the building jirogram. The i4 ipm 4 -w»--icf 1 ' : } , . ' ,., -s -? ! %» University Hospital ' icuril Across the River i j» I J..U .j.» i XJ XXXX JL J».j J-J, X .LNU X.J fA.. ' ,....f jv. . v4 . j ' .4r fAvfw4vfLk v Twentv-oiie