University of Denver - Kynewisbok Yearbook (Denver, CO)

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12 ALMA MATER Liberal Arts campus as seen from the stadium. Fraternity row in foreground: Mayo hall, gymnasium, chapel, University hall, library, Carnegie and Science hall. Governor lohn Evans, a dreamer, saw the need for a higher institution of learning in this territory, While others were despairing of Denver ever grow- ing beyond a typical mining junction. A charter, secured in 1884, organized this institution- to be called the Colo- rado Seminary. The first building of the University for some time was erected at Four- teenth and Arapahoe streets, and later became the School of Music. At the head of the Seminary were five members of the faculty With Pro- fessor G. S. Phillips as their president. Soon after Phillips' election it Was nec- essary for him to resign, and Reverend George Richardson took his place. Two years later, upon the resignation of the head of the school, Richardson, Rever- end -B. T. Vincent became the head of the school. Vincent was met by a defi- cit, which was relieved by the buying of University property by Governor Evans. This held until 1880, at which time the trustees found it advisable to assume the debt. Y In 1878, Dr. David H. Moore, of Cinci- nati, was asked to take charge of the Seminary. The agreement was that Moore should provide faculty and equipment. In 1880, with his accept- ance of the office of chancellorship, the incorporation of the Seminary as the University of Denver was completed. Plans were laid for a College of Lib- eral Arts, Which Was, and is, the princi- pal division of the University. As auxiliary departments, schools of med- icine, music, art, and business Were formed. A preparatory school was added as an aid to gaining more stu- dents. A faculty of 37 and a student body of 428 used the central part of the build- ing for classes, While the Wings Were used for residence purposes and offi- ces of the officials. This faculty offered to the student three courses, the scien- tific, the classical, and the mining en- gineering courses. Later, a literary course was added. A second building was erected in 1882, for the Iunior Preparatory school, and in 1883, an observatory Was built on this building to house telescopic instruments given to the University. During Moore's term the 1-Iaish Manual

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OLID MAIN Training school was erected. In 1885, there were ll students at the school, but this number increased steadily to a total of 39, when, in 1891, the school went out of existence. The building was then used for the schools of medi- cine, law, dentistry, and pharmacy. In 1886, through Mr. Rufus Clark's gift of eighty acres of land in what is now University park, the purchase of ad- joining fields and some further dona- tions of property and money, 400 acres of ground were secured for the Univer- sity. It was two years later that Mr. I-I. B. Chamberlin announced his intention to build an observatory in University park, and in this way impetus to the development of that section. In 1889, Mrs. Elizabeth Iliff Warren presented a gift of iEl00,000, although the University had not yet secured the S50,000, which it had agreed to raise. I-Iowever, due to the endowment by Governor Evans of land valued at Sl00,000 and the announcement by Mr. W. S. Iliff that he would erect one or more buildings for the Iliff School of Theology at a cost of S3500,000, the hopes were fulfilled. William F. Mc- Dowell became the chancellor in 1890, and preparations were made to move backs, during which time a debt of 380,000 was incurred. This building has been the home of the College of Liberal Arts since its erection. The building for the Iliff school was completed in 1892. It began with two professors and twelve theological stu- dents. This number more than doubled the next year and continued to increase for many years. The Chamberlin observatory, which was started in l.889, was completed in 1894, and at about the same time Wy- cliffe Cottage was built. This cottage was a residence hall for women, lo- cated just east of Old Main. As the depression of 1890 struck, the lunior Preparatory school was the first to disband, though it later reappeared as the Warren academy. Next the Manual Training school was discontin- ued, followed by the Business college and the College of Fine Arts, then the College of Music, and, still later, the College of Pharmacy. In spite of adverse circumstances, a law school was opened in 1892, a de-