Carrie Chapman Catt Hall is an administrative building completed in 1892, at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of th ...

which currently houses the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and the Carrie Chapman Center for Women and Politics. The building is named for Carrie Chapman Catt, an American women's rights

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

and founder of the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. She graduated from Iowa State in 1880 at the top of her class.

History

Originally known as Agriculture Hall, the building was completed in 1893, and housed the Agriculture, Horticulture, and Veterinary Science departments. In the early 1900s, the Department of Agricultural Engineering moved into the building which was renamed Agricultural Engineering Building until 1922, when the department moved into its own building. It once housed the laboratory of

George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the e ...

, the first African American graduate student and first African American faculty member at Iowa State. Following this move, the building was renamed Botany Hall, then Old Botany Hall, after the

Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

department moved to Bessey Hall in 1968. Although the building was condemned in 1966, Old Botany was partially occupied until spring of 1994. In 1985, the building was placed on 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 ...

. The building's interior was gutted and underwent a $5 million renovation. The Iowa Board of Regents approved changing the building's name to Carrie Chapman Catt Hall. The building was rededicated in 1995, at which point it was given its current name and purpose as the administrative office for the College of

Liberal Arts Liberal arts education (from Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as La ...

and Sciences.

Plaza of Heroines

Located in front of Catt Hall, the Plaza of Heroines is a brick filled area containing over 3,600 bricks dedicated to women who have made an impact on their families, communities, and society as role models.

References

History of Campus Buildings
Iowa State Daily, July 18, 1995.
Catt Hall Picture
* ttp://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2586/ History Opens Its Heart to Carrie Chapman Cattbr>CATT (CARRIE CHAPMAN) HALL, ISU

External links

Plaza of Heroines Website
{{NRHP in Story County, Iowa Iowa State University buildings and structures Buildings and structures completed in 1892 National Register of Historic Places in Story County, Iowa University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa 1892 establishments in Iowa