Morrill Hall is a campus building of the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
(UVM), which is located on the southeast corner of the "University Green" in
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...
(on the corner of Main Street and University Place). The building was named after U.S. Senator,
Justin Smith Morrill
Justin Smith Morrill (April 14, 1810December 28, 1898) was an American politician and entrepreneur who represented Vermont in the United States House of Representatives (1855–1867) and United States Senate (1867–1898). He is most widely remem ...
who authored the
Morrill Land-Grant Acts of 1862 and 1890, which created the American
Land-Grant universities and colleges. Senator Morrill also served as a trustee of the university from 1865 until 1898. The building was constructed during 1906–07 to serve as the home of the UVM Agriculture Department and the
Agricultural Experiment Station
An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with f ...
. It was added to
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 ...
as part of
University Green Historic District
The University Green Historic District encompasses the central green and surrounding buildings of the main campus of the University of Vermont (UVM) in Burlington, Vermont. The green took shape in 1801, and has been a central element of the cam ...
on April 14, 1975. As of 2015, the building continues to house the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the UVM
Agricultural Extension Service
Agricultural extension is the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education. The field of 'extension' now encompasses a wider range of communication and learning activities organized for r ...
.
History
Morrill Hall was constructed with a State appropriation of $60,000, which passed in the Vermont House under bill H.76 on October 27, 1904 (''with a vote of 170 Yeas and 54 Nays''), in the Senate on November 11, 1904 (''with a vote of 23 Yeas and 2 Nays''), and was signed by the Governor on November 15, 1904. Morrill Hall was dedicated on December 11, 1907.
It was the first building ever to be constructed on the UVM campus using state funds.
Land use history
The site where Morrill Hall currently stands was part of a 22-acre farm originally owned by Moses Catlin. The land was passed to Catlin from
Ira Allen in November 1798 as a result of a levy originating from a federal judgement against Allen. Catlin had filed a lawsuit on the behalf of his wife, Lucinda Catlin (''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Allen) for mismanagement of her late father's estate. Lucinda Catlin was the daughter of
Heman Allen and niece to Ira and
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...
.
In 1806, Catlin built the original house on the property, which is today known as the "
Johnson House Johnson House may refer to:
United Kingdom
*Dr. Johnson's House, 17 Gough Square, London
United States
Alabama
*John Johnson House (Leighton, Alabama)
Arkansas
* Johnson House (514 East 8th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas)
* Johnson House (516 Ea ...
".
[Johnson House: Timeline of UVM Campus Architecture](_blank)
University of Vermont website (accessed 2015) The property was then sold to John Johnson (Vermont's third surveyor-general) in 1809. Johnson was in charge of surveying the northeastern boundary between Canada and the U.S. (circa 1816). He had also served as the architect and master builder of the original college building (i.e. the 1802 predecessor to the present day
"Old Mill" building). After it was destroyed by fire in 1824, Johnson designed much of its replacement, as well as other buildings on the UVM campus (e.g.
Grasse Mount
Grasse Mount (otherwise known as the Thaddeus Tuttle House) is a campus building of the University of Vermont (UVM), which is located on 411 Main Street (adjacent to the intersection of Summit Street) in Burlington, Vermont. Built in 1804 for Cap ...
in 1804, and Pomeroy Hall in 1828).
Johnson's son Edwin F. Johnson passed the property to his son-in-law Joseph Dana Allen, who then passed it to his son
John Johnson Allen (UVM class of 1862). In 1906, the site known as the "Allen Homestead" was sold to the University Trustees by J.J. Allen (for a sum of $30,000 or $32,000)
[The History of University of Vermont Buildings: 1800–1947 ] for the purpose of the building's construction.
Construction
To make way for the construction of Morrill Hall during 1906, the barn and a line fence on the property were demolished,
while the original "
Johnson House Johnson House may refer to:
United Kingdom
*Dr. Johnson's House, 17 Gough Square, London
United States
Alabama
*John Johnson House (Leighton, Alabama)
Arkansas
* Johnson House (514 East 8th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas)
* Johnson House (516 Ea ...
" was moved to 590 Main Street (i.e. the current location of the
Dudley H. Davis Student Center). In 2005, the Johnson House was again moved to the opposite side of the street, on the southwestern corner of University Heights and Main Street.
The corner stone of the Morrill Hall was laid on June 26, 1906 as part of that year's commencement exercises. A copper box was placed inside the corner stone containing a number of historical documents causal to the building's construction (e.g. the
Morrill Bills of 1862 and 1890, the
Hatch Act of 1887
The Hatch Act of 1887 (ch. 314, , enacted 1887-03-02, et seq.) gave federal funds, initially of $15,000 each, to state land-grant colleges in order to create a series of agricultural experiment stations, as well as pass along new information, es ...
, the Adams Act of 1906, State legislation addressing the State Agriculture College and Experiment Station, the 18th report of the Vermont Experiment station, et al.) by
Gov. Charles J. Bell.
The Champlain Manufacturing Company of Burlington served as the construction contractor, with oversight by a member of the UVM Board of Trustees, G.S. Fassett.
Senator Morrill's son contributed an additional $1,000 for the two granite pillars at the building's facade. The contractor was said to have lost about $10,000 on the project and the university spent untold thousands more to equip the building.
During this time, the first floor facilities included; the offices of the Dean and Director, Professor of Horticulture, Stenographer, office and laboratory of the dairy husbandman, a library, classrooms, and the agricultural chemistry and horticultural laboratories. The upper floor facilities included; class and lecture rooms, the chemistry laboratories of the Experiment Station, and the Soil Physics laboratory.
The basement operated as a dairy facility (including a creamery), served as storage for farm machinery,
and housed a mail room, and the power and heating plant.
The majority of the original interior partitions were made of painted brick, where some of the other partitions were made of
brown ash. The ceilings were constructed entirely out of steel. The building was equipped with an elaborate ventilation system for its time, and was heated using steam.
In 1911, three 60' x 20' green houses and a steam-powered head house (costing $7,000) were built in back of Morrill Hall, which provided for teaching and experimentation in horticulture and plant physiology, and replaced the outmoded 1891 greenhouse facility formerly located on the university's farm.
Historic occupancy
When Morrill Hall had first opened in 1907, it housed the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, and the
University Extension Service, which administered a total of 60 students and 10 faculty.
Within a decade the facility was already considered to be overcrowded. The number of faculty, staff and students in 1916 was reported to have increased to 125 regular students (with an additional 50 students during the winter months), and 32 faculty and staff utilizing the offices and laboratories.
By 1925, the attendance of the College of Agriculture had ''"considerably more than tripled"'' since 1907.
During that year, after the passing of the
Purnell Act Purnell is a name shared by:
People
* Alton Purnell (1911–1987), American pianist
* Arthur Purnell (1878–1964), architect in Melbourne, Victoria
* Benjamin Franklin Purnell (1861–1927), American preacher, House of David (commune)
* Bervin E ...
(which had significantly increased federal endowments for all 48 of the nation's
agricultural experiment stations
An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with f ...
), the building's overcrowded conditions began to be addressed when the university moved the offices and research laboratories of the ''dairy department''
into the renovated "old medical college building" (known today as Pomeroy Hall) located diagonally across the street from Morrill Hall.
In 1932, the Agricultural Extension Service offices were moved to the former residence of a UVM Professor, Josiah W. Votey at 481 Main Street.
In 1946, the basement was installed with a foods laboratory, and a new milk laboratory replaced the storage area and mail room (that was relocated to 481 Main Street). However, by the mid to late 1940s, the Home Economics department "''had taken over much of the building''",
until the Bertha M. Terrill Home Economics Building (i.e. Terrill Hall) was constructed in 1950–51.
Professor Bertha M. Terrill and the Home Economics department
A testament to her efficacy in establishing the Department of Home Economics (more recently known as the Department of Leadership and Developmental Sciences) over the course of her 31-year tenure, Bertha Mary Terrill (1870–1968) initiated the program during the fall semester of 1909 as the sole instructor with only a single classroom located in the basement of Morrill Hall.
With a $1,000 contribution raised by university alumnae,
Terrill converted the former storage room into her classroom and laboratory, shoveling out the plaster herself.
The first woman to join the faculty in the university's history during that year, Terrill was soon appointed as the Dean of Women. In 1911, an additional instructor and a furnished room within Morrill Hall was added to the department.
Terrill's introduction of "practical education" for women within her curriculum (e.g. Chemistry, Physiology, Bacteriology, which were prerequisites for most of her courses) was considered to be highly controversial among higher-education institutions of the day. Later reflecting that she may not have had the courage to come to Vermont had she known beforehand how much prejudice against women she would encounter,
Terrill nevertheless had a successful academic career, which included; the authorship of a book, serving as a charter member of the
American Home Economics Association
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is an American professional association that networks professionals in the area of family and consumer science. It was founded in 1908 as the American Home Economics Association by Ellen ...
,
and the co-founding of the Burlington Community Center (today known as the Sara M. Holbrook Community Center) in
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...
in November 1937.
Taking an interest in a number of humanitarian efforts, Professor Terrill had introduced educational programs to people in rural areas of the State to improve nutrition, consumer practices, and sanitation.
While undertaking this work, she had urged many farm girls to enroll in the university. A notable colleague (and former student),
Mary Jean Simpson Mary Jean Simpson (July 18, 1888 – November 29, 1977) was the first woman to be appointed a position as bill clerk in the Office of the Secretary of the United States Senate and she was the Dean of Women at the University of Vermont. She was an ac ...
(1888-1977)
had once remarked; ''"No one ever knew how many girls Bertha helped finance out of her own pocket."''
Having expanded the department to six full-time professors and three research professors,
Professor Terrill was awarded and honorary Doctorate of Science in Home Economics upon her retirement in 1940.
Modern renovations and occupancy
In 1967, the university considered a $540,000 proposal to renovate the building. Some of the improvements considered were; removal of the large main "decorative" stairway and replacing it with two smaller fireproof stairways; converting the attic into a laboratory; and installing a mechanical ventilation system, low-hung ceilings, an elevator, and a handicap-accessible ramp at the front door. Although the proposal was not accepted, an elevator was eventually installed providing access to all four levels of the building.
Around 1992–93 (possibly sooner), the Vermont Center for Geographic Information (VCGI), an "''Affiliate Organization''" of UVM at the time, was located on the upper floor of Morrill Hall.
In 1999, their offices were relocated to the first floor of the
Johnson House Johnson House may refer to:
United Kingdom
*Dr. Johnson's House, 17 Gough Square, London
United States
Alabama
*John Johnson House (Leighton, Alabama)
Arkansas
* Johnson House (514 East 8th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas)
* Johnson House (516 Ea ...
.
Current use and occupancy
Today the building houses the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its Department of Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE), which administers three undergraduate majors, including; Community Entrepreneurship, Community & International Development, Public Communication; and two graduate programs; M.S. Community Development and Applied Economics, and a Master of Public Administration.
Also housed in Morrill Hall are; the Center for Rural Studies, the Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC), the Office of Community-University Partnerships & Service Learning (CUPS), and the Vermont Regional Office of the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...
.
Architecture
The architect of the building was Charles Wyman Buckham, the son of the 11th University of Vermont president Matthew Henry Buckham. An 1891 graduate of the University of Vermont, Charles Buckham continued his architectural studies at the ''National Academy of Design'' (currently known as the
National Academy Museum & School) in New York City,
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, and at institutions in Paris. He was the designer of the State Office Building in Montpelier, Vermont, among a number of other notable buildings in Vermont, New York City, and Minnesota.
Morrill Hall is a three-story building (including a basement) built using rusticated brick with terra-cotta trim. From a centered and (generally) west-facing, semi-portico structure extends the main entrance, which is topped with a pediment adorned with the
Great Seal of Vermont
The Great Seal of the State of Vermont is the official seal of the U.S. state of Vermont, used to emboss and authenticate official documents. It was designed by Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen and one of the state's founders.
Great Seal
The ...
. The entrance way is adjoined by two 23' 3" granite columns; each weighing about thirteen tons and measuring a diameter of 2' 10" at the base, and 2' 5" at the summit. The steps to the front door are built from Woodbury granite. The wide sixteen-step inner staircase ascending from the main entrance to first floor is made of marble and complemented by walls of carved paneling. The wooden floors on the upper-levels are made of
North Carolina pine.
The building has a length (north-south) of 112 ft. and a width (east-west) of 62'. The total
floor area is 28,169 ft
2 (gross area) and 19,574 ft
2 (finished area). An unfinished attic accounts for 6,944 ft
2 of gross floor space, which is primarily used for storage.
A 2000 UVM Historic Preservation Program report describes Morrill Hall as a "
Neoclassical style building"
[UVM Historic Preservation Program, "UVM Green Historic District Information to the National Register Listing"](_blank)
Allen, L., Davis, K., Farley, S., Gibson, S., Hammerstedt, E., Provost, D., & Thrane, W., 2000
A 1956 architectural analysis report further describes Morrill Hall as "late Victorian Eclectic" with its balance of structure and some of the window arches having a "
Palladian
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
influence":
[An Architectural Analysis of Morrill Agricultural Hall, Davis, William J., 31 May 1956]
Emergency exits are mounted on the rear of the building which traverse the central bays of the second and third stories. Open steel grated stairways and railings are assembled with horizontal platforms positioned at each exit, and at a halfway point between each level. The emergency exit doors are primarily made of glass with sidelights and transoms.
Photo gallery
Image:Bust SenMorrill 20150706.jpg, Marble bust of Sen. Justin Smith Morrill (1810–1898) at UVM Morrill Hall
Image:UVM_MorrillHall_DedicationPlaque_20160822.jpg, Dedication plaque to Senator Justin Smith Morrill
Image:Morrill Hall UVM 5.JPG, Morrill Hall on the campus of the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, Dec 2012
Image:UVM MorrillHallSW 20150703.jpg, View of Morrill Hall, UVM from the southwest corner, Jul 2015
Image:UVM MorrillHallBack 20150703.jpg, Southern and eastern entrances of Morrill Hall, UVM, Burlington, VT, Jul 2015
Image:UVM MorrillHallRear 20150718.jpg, Rear view of Morrill Hall, University of Vermont, Jul 2015
Image:UVM MorrillHallNorth 20150731.jpg, View of Morrill Hall from the north, University of Vermont, Jul 2015
Image:UVM MorrillHall 195307.jpg, Morrill Hall, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, Jul 1953
Image:UVM MorrillHallColumns 20150702.jpg, Columns at the front entrance of Morrill Hall, UVM, Burlington, VT, Jul 2015
Image:University of Vermont panorama 6.JPG, Panorama taken of the UVM Green (from the west). Morrill Hall is located on the far right of the image, Dec 2012
Image:UVM_MorrillHall_PostcardEarly1900s.jpg, Postcard of Morrill Hall, University of Vermont (dated 4 Jul 1920)
Image:UVM MorrillHallNW Early1900s.jpg, Morrill Hall, University of Vermont, early 1900s
References
External links
* – University of Vermont
{{NRHP in Chittenden County, Vermont
School buildings completed in 1907
Buildings at the University of Vermont
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont
1907 establishments in Vermont
National Register of Historic Places in Burlington, Vermont
Historic district contributing properties in Vermont