Buckman Hall is a historic building located in
Murphree Area on the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
campus in
Gainesville,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It was designed by architect
William A. Edwards
William Augustus Edwards, also known as William A. Edwards (December 8, 1866 – March 30, 1939) was an Atlanta-based American architect renowned for the educational buildings, courthouses and other public and private buildings that he design ...
in the
Collegiate Gothic style and opened in 1906 as one of the two original buildings on the University of Florida's Gainesville campus along with nearby
Thomas Hall. It once was a multi-purpose facility but has been used exclusively as a student
dormitory
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
since the 1940s.
Buckman Hall was added to the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on January 11, 1974.
History
Background / Multipurpose building
In June 1905, the Florida legislature passed the
Buckman Act, which reorganized the state's university system and established a new University of Florida in
Gainesville. Construction at the site began in late 1905 with a planned opening for the 1906-1907 academic year. The first two buildings completed were Buckman Hall, which was named for Buckman Act author
Henry Holland Buckman
Henry Holland Buckman (1858–1914) was an attorney from Duval County, Florida, who became a member of the Florida Legislature and served on the Judiciary Committee. Buckman is known for being the author of the Buckman Act, a 1905 law that reor ...
, and
Thomas Hall, which was named for Gainesville mayor
William Reuben Thomas
William Reuben Thomas (May 24, 1866 - September 10, 1943) was a politician and businessman from Gainesville, Florida.
Background
Thomas was a native of Gainesville, Florida. After graduating college he became a teacher at the East Florida Se ...
. When the first students arrived in September 1906, Buckman and Thomas Halls were home to all functions of the school, including classrooms, dormitories, and administrative offices. Buckman Hall housed the university's first cafeteria, gymnasium, and infirmary.
Andrew Sledd
Andrew Warren Sledd (November 7, 1870 – March 16, 1939) was an American theologian, university professor and university president. A native of Virginia, he was the son of a prominent Methodist minister, and was himself ordained as a minis ...
, UF's first president, also lived there for a time.
Dormitory
The university's campus grew along with its enrollment in the early 20th century, and newer buildings gradually took over many of the former functions of Buckman Hall. It has been used exclusively as a dormitory since the University of Florida became
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
following World War II.
Buckman Hall functioned as a student cooperative dormitory from 1974 until 2003. In exchange for lower rental rates, students performed most day-to-day maintenance such as general housekeeping and minor repairs. Residents also elected student officers who had the authority to make decisions concerning many aspects of residence hall life in addition to the duties of
resident assistant
A resident assistant (RA), also known by a variety of other names, is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls in colleges and universities, mental health and substance abuse residential facilities, or similar establishm ...
s living in conventional on-campus housing. The cooperative program lost popularity with students over the years, and Buckman Hall became a regular dorm for the spring 2003 semester.
Air conditioning
Buckman Hall and Thomas Hall were the first two buildings to open on the UF campus, and they remain the last without
central air conditioning. Due to Buckman Hall's old wiring, even portable air conditioning units were not allowed for many years, and students often cooled their rooms by running a box fan in an open window.
As part of an extensive renovation project during the 2006-2007 academic year, Buckman Hall's electrical infrastructure was completely replaced to better handle loads from computers and other modern electronics. These improvements also made it possible for residents to utilize portable air conditioning units beginning with the fall 2007 semester.
Ductless air conditioning units were installed in every room in 2013, eliminating the need for students to purchase their own.
See also
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Buildings at the University of Florida
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History of the University of Florida
The history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida originated as several distinct institutions that were consolidated to create a single state-supported un ...
*
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
*
Campus Historic District
*
University of Florida student housing
Student housing at University of Florida is governed by the Division of Student Affairs, and provides housing for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on and off-campus.
Approximately 8,100 students live in single-student residence h ...
References
External links
Buckman Hall, UF Division of Housing and Residence Educationa
National Register of Historic PlacesAlachua County listingsa
Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical ProgramsGeorge A. Smathers Libraries*
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{{University of Florida
National Register of Historic Places in Gainesville, Florida
Buildings at the University of Florida
William Augustus Edwards buildings
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida
University and college buildings completed in 1906
1906 establishments in Florida