Administration Building

uispecialcollections:

Winter break then and now series: Campus in the Snow.

The University of Idaho Administration Building, the administrative heart of campus, was initially built in 1909. This is a successor to the original Administration Building which burned down in 1906. Built in four sections, it is in the style of College Gothic (a popular style amongst universities at the time) with red pressed brick and buff-colored Boise sandstone trimmings. Designed by architect John E. Tourtellotte of Boise, UI’s Regents were assured that the design was the first fireproof building in the Northwest. The first and middle sections, which originally housed the majority of the University’s Colleges, were begun in 1907 and completed in 1909. The North Wing, which houses the Administration Auditorium, was completed in 1912. The South Wing (the portion of the building seen on the left in the today photo) was completed in 1920, with a library extension added in 1937, and an elevator tower added in 2000.

PG 1-52-4; today photo by UI Library Special Collections staff; Campus Photograph Collection