Pillsbury Hall - University of Minnesota Old Campus Historic District - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

The following is text from the Application to the National Register of Historic Places Inventory (received and entered in 1984):

“The Science Hall (Pillsbury Hall, 1889) was constructed in 1889 according to designs by Minneapolis architect Leroy S. Buffington (the actual design is attributed to Harvey Ellis, a draftsman/designer in Buffington’s office). The building was the gift of John S. Pillsbury in the amount of $131,000 for the erection of a Science Hall when state appropriations were insufficient. The building was named in Pillsbury’s honor.

The building is a two story polychromatic sandstone structure in the Richarsonian Romanesque mode. It rests on a high basement. (The prototype for this design can be traced to works of Henry Hobson Richarson for similar buildings on the Harvard campus.) The plan is essentially that of a central square with off-set tower flanked by rectangular wings. In appearance, the facades are essentially symmetrical with the exception of the tower placement. The entire building is crowned by a steeply pitched hipped roof sheathed in red tile. The central section boasts an eyebrow dormer.

Entry to the structure is provided on the basement level through a low Syrian arched loggia set on squat, polished granite columns with foliate capitals. The first (main) level is entered through low receding arches placed in porticoes at either end of the central section. Each is decorated by carved pilasters and water spouts; the west entry boasts the carved head of an allegorical figure at the intersection of the portico with the tower. Stonework throughout is rusticated with the exception of the polished columns at the basement level and grouped pilasters between paired windows at the second level. Windows are divided into two sections by stone muntons and capped by massive stone lintels. A decorative polychromatic checkerboard pattern fills the frieze area about the second story windows in the central section.”

Found on a University website, "The N.H. Winchell School of Earth Sciences is proud to have called Pillsbury Hall home for the 111 years of its existence. Because of its grandeur, the building is a favorite among art and architecture students, photographers and mere passersby. It truly is a sight to see, each time one looks at it something new is discovered. Please enjoy the information below along with a few select pictures (more on the way). Better yet, come over and admire Pillsbury Hall with your own eyes.

Other local Buffington buildings include the 1881 Pillsbury "A" Mill near present-day River Place, as well as Eddy, Nicholson and Burton Halls here on the East Bank of the Twin Cities Campus. These buildings show the diversity of this architect who described himself as more of an engineer.

The Romanesque design of Pillsbury Hall is the work of Harvey Ellis who was employed by Buffington. In that employ, Ellis also designed a Romanesque home for the Charles A. Pillsbury Family. Ellis' chief design inspiration was the work of Henry H. Richardson who had designed Sever Hall at Harvard, said to be the specific source of the design for Pillsbury Hall.

The whole of the design of Pillsbury Hall is a mix of many design styles: the Romanesque of Europe as adapted by Richardson, the Prairie School style of Ellis, the English Arts and Crafts movement, Gothic, and Victorian columetric and architectonic notions. The variety in design is clear when one gazes at the gargoyles, carvings, flower designs, mosaics, arches and columns scattered throughout the exterior.

MATERIALS
Pillsbury Hall is constructed from two Minnesota sandstones: -the "yellow stone" is Hinkley sandstone as seen in the old quarries in Banning State Park -the "red stone" is sandstone from the Fon du Lac Formation

Water filtration from the top of a stone wall can cause severe damage. So, as well as being aesthetically pleasing, the copper eaves and clay tile roof adequately protect the most fragile part of these walls.

To support the clay tile roof, straight, 40 foot long wood beams were used. The high quality interior woodwork, now obscured by many layers of paint, is quartersawn oak. Cut of virgin materials and sawed in a manner to reveal the straight grain of wood, this method of cutting is no longer used due to its wastefulness. All of these materials date the building and contribute to its pleasant appearance and feeling.

BRIEF HISTORY
In 1887, the initial design was drawn for the Science Hall, as it was originally called. Fires were abundant on campus in the late 1800s, and during construction, the new Science Building was seriously damaged by fire. A major gift ($150,000) from Former Governor John S. Pillsbury allowed for the completion and fireproofing of the Science Building, renamed Pillsbury Hall in his honor.

Before Pillsbury Hall took on occupants in 1890, the University had built a new coal-burning, central heating plant just south of Pillsbury Hall. This was good in that it diminished the risk of fire, however after only a few years the beauty of Pillsbury Hall was covered in black soot. In 1985, money was allocated to clean Pillsbury's exterior. Everyone was pleasantly surprised to see that there were two colors of stone and in that discovery the intricate checkerboard patterns and flower designs were revealed.

In the early days, Pillsbury Hall was home to animal biology, botany, geology, mineralogy and paleontology complete with lecture, recitation, laboratory, and museum rooms. In the 1920s the entire basement of the building served as the student health service with a 27-bed capacity. Today, Pillsbury Hall is still home to the N.H. Winchell School of Earth Sciences, however only two components of the School are physically housed in the building: the Department of Geology and Geophysics and Limnological Research Center. Growth and modern technology have forced other laboratories to be housed elsewhere throughout the campus."

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): University of Minnesota Old Campus Historic District Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link] Address: Street address: 310 Pillsbury Drive SE Minneapolis, MN 55455 County / Borough / Parish: Hennepin County Year listed: 1984 Historic significance: Built as Science Hall in 1889 Period of significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924 Historic function: Built as Science Hall. Current function: classroom space for the Departments of Earth Sciences, Geology & Geophysics and houses the Limnological Research Center How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below) Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link] NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): Not listed

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