Agriculture Hall is a Beaux Arts-style building on the campus of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

built in 1903. In 1985 it was added to the

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 ...

for its architecture and because it housed the first Department of Agricultural Economics in the U.S. and the first department of genetics. The UW started its College of Agriculture in 1889. Early buildings were the 1892 Hiram Smith Hall, the 1894 King Hall, the 1897 Dairy Barn, and others. With . Between 1886 and 1901 the enrollment in the agricultural short course had multiplied ten-fold to 196, and the existing ag buildings were out of space. Dean William Henry pitched the need for another building and in 1901 the state legislature appropriated $150,000. J. T. W. Jennings, the UW's Supervising Architect at the time, designed the building and T.C. McCarthy supervised construction, which began in 1901. The building is three stories tall, with a symmetric facade 200 feet wide, in Beaux Arts style, with a raised basement of limestone and the upper floors clad in red brick. The central entrance is shaded by a projecting 2-story

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

with an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

supported by four fluted

Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite o ...

, and the door is flanked on each side by a marble medallion in a fruit-and-vegetable wreath. Quoins decorate the ends of the front and a limestone

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

trims the top of the wall, which is sheltered by a red tile hip roof with two brick chimneys. The main block is 64 feet deep. Behind the main block is a 2-story octagonal wing which held a library in the basement and a 700-seat auditorium in the upper two stories, again with a red tile roof topped with a wooden

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, f ...

. Inside the main entrance, one stair leads down to the basement and a marble staircase curves up to the

piano nobile The ''piano nobile'' ( Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the ho ...

, where a central corridor runs the length of the building, with rooms opening on either side. A wooden dogleg staircase leads to the upper floors. Walls and ceilings are plastered and doors and windows are framed in dark wood. Once the building was completed in 1903, it became the main building of the College of Agriculture, and some notable events took place within its walls. In 1909 the Department of Agricultural Economics was created there - the first such department in the U.S., founded by Dr. Henry Charles Taylor who is considered the father of agricultural economics. In 1910 the Department of Experimental Breeding was created in the building, headed by Leon Jacob Cole. Cole aimed to develop scientific rules that could be applied to practical breeding problems, keeping careful records while cross-breeding cattle, hybridizing corn, and improving barley, oats, soybeans and sweet clover. In 1918 this department of Experimental Breeding was renamed Department of Genetics - the first in the U.S. In 1985 the building was placed on the NRHP for its fine architecture and some of the significant developments in the building. In 2001, the building was also honored by the UW Foundation with a commemorative marker.

References

External links

{{commonscat, Agricultural Hall (University of Wisconsin)
Agriculture Hall
in ''The Buildings of the University of Wisconsin'' School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison Buildings and structures in Madison, Wisconsin Beaux-Arts architecture in Wisconsin School buildings completed in 1903 National Register of Historic Places in Madison, Wisconsin 1903 establishments in Wisconsin