The Columns are the most recognized landmark of the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

. Standing tall in the center of

Francis Quadrangle David R. Francis Quadrangle is the historical center of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Known as The Quad it is the oldest part of Red Campus and adjacent to Downtown Columbia at the south end of the Avenue of the Columns. At ...

and at the south end of the Avenue of the Columns, they are the remains of the portico of

Academic Hall Academic Hall was the original main building of the University of Missouri. It was dedicated in 1843 and destroyed by fire in 1892. Academic Hall's six Ionic columns, today known as The Columns, stand on Francis Quadrangle as the most recogniz ...

. Along with

Jesse Hall Jesse Hall is the main administration building for the University of Missouri. Its dome has towered 180 feet above the south end of David R. Francis Quadrangle since its completion in 1895. In the lawn in front of Jesse Hall are The Columns, all ...

, they are one of the most photographed sites in Missouri. The Columns have been at the center of many traditions and events including graduations, concerts, pranks, weddings, and protests. Mizzou's school song mentions the columns, and they have been the setting for a work of fiction. They are a contributing structure to the Francis Quadrangle National Historic District. The columns underwent preservation work in 2017.

History

was constructed in 1840–1843 as the first building of the

and the first public university building west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. Accountant and architect Stephen Hills, who also designed the first

Missouri State Capitol The Missouri State Capitol is the home of the Missouri General Assembly and the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue, it is the third capitol to be built in the city. ( ...

Building, designed the hall. The hall's columns were made from limestone drums from the

Hinkson Creek Hinkson Creek is a stream in Boone County in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its middle section runs through the city of Columbia, Missouri It was named after Robert Hinkson, a pioneer citizen who lived along its banks. Several trails, conservation ar ...

Valley south of the campus. When Academic Hall burned to the ground in 1892, the columns remained standing. In the next few months after the fire, many people thought that the Columns were an eyesore that blocked the view of the new buildings (

Red Campus Red Campus is the historical core of the University of Missouri campus in Columbia primarily gathered around the David R. Francis Quadrangle. The area takes its name from the red bricks that make up most of the buildings including Jesse Hall and ...

) being constructed on the Quadrangle. Some even worried that they were structurally unsound and a safety hazard. In August 1893, the Board of Curators issued a resolution that called for the Columns to be demolished "as soon as convenient". A local newspaper reported that Gideon F. Rothwell had ordered two mule teams to pull down and remove the Columns. Jerry S. Dorsey, a leading Columbia citizen, led a protest against their removal, saying that "the Columns could not be pulled down by a herd of elephants". Rothwell replied that the columns were coming down "even if he had to dynamite them." Dorsey obtained a judicial writ that halted the immediate destruction of the Columns, and an architect said they would be structurally sound. The protest from Columbia citizens and the reassurance that the Columns did not pose a safety hazard led Rothwell and the other curators to have a change of heart in December 1893, and the Columns remain. In 2017, the columns underwent a major preservation effort. In the 2017 fall semester, the University of Missouri offered a class called "The Geology of the Columns".

Traditions

At the beginning of the academic year, freshmen participate in Tiger Walk to symbolize their move from the wider community to the university by walking through the columns. Tap Day occurs under the columns, when the schools secret societies announce their new members.

Appearances in art and literature

A mural of James S. Rollins and the Columns is located in the office of the Missouri Governor in the

. They are also featured in a monumental stained-glass window titled ''Missouri at Peace'' located in the Missouri House Chamber. A mural by

George Caleb Bingham George Caleb Bingham (March 20, 1811 – July 7, 1879) was an American artist, soldier and politician known in his lifetime as "the Missouri Artist". Initially a Whig Party (United States), Whig, he was elected as a delegate to the Missouri legisl ...

depicting Academic Hall was destroyed when the same burned. Academic Hall and the Columns are also featured in murals in the Boone County Courthouse and the Columbia Municipal Court. The Columns are the namesake of Penny Garrison's novel ''In The Shadow of the Columns''.

Gallery

File:1875 University of Missouri Columbia University of MissouriArchives.png, Drawing of Academic Hall, Switzler Hall, and the President's House around 1875 File:AcademicHallOriginal.jpg, Academic Hall as it was originally constructed, sometime before 1885 File:AcademicHallBeforeFire.jpg, Academic Hall with the expanded east and west wings, perhaps in 1890-1892 File:Academic Hall Fire.jpg, The burning of

in 1892. Flame can be seen licking the columns of the portico File:MizzouColumns1892.jpg, The Columns stand in the rubble of Academic Hall after the 1892 fire, the new buildings of Francis Quad in the background File:Savitar (1922) (14799530953).jpg, 1922 Savitar yearbook picture of ivy covered Columns File:Historic columns, Missouri University, Columbia, Mo (69653).jpg, 1930-45 postcard of the "Historic Columns Missouri University" File:Francis Quadrangle.JPG, The Columns in the snow File:Mizzou-columns-JayBuffington.jpg, The Columns with

in the background File:Mizzou Jesse.jpg, From the Avenue of the Columns File:AvenueOfTheColumns.JPG, From Elm Street in snow File:Mizzou Jesse Thumb.jpg, Jesse and the Columns File:The columns and the engineering building at mizzou.jpg

References

{{mizzou University of Missouri campus Burned buildings and structures in the United States University and college academic buildings in the United States Buildings and structures completed in 1843 National Register of Historic Places in Boone County, Missouri University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri 1843 establishments in Missouri 1840s architecture in the United States Greek Revival architecture in Missouri Neoclassical architecture in Missouri Historic district contributing properties in Missouri Landmarks in Columbia, Missouri