Design and Merchandising Colorado State University Buildings

The Industrial Sciences building is located in the Oval District of Colorado State University at 251 W. Laurel St., Fort Collins, Colorado. The architect of the original building is unknown; however, architect Harlan Thomas designed later additions in 1892 and 1899, all following the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style. Constructed in 1883, the Industrial Sciences building was the seventh building on the university campus and is one of the few remaining original structures.

Referred to as the Pioneer Era, the years 1870 to 1909 resulted in a significant shift for the college as course offerings outside of agriculture became available. The Mechanic Shop, Industrial Sciences’ original name, provided practical training to students and evolved to focus on mechanical engineering. During World War II, the foundry played a key role as a production center. The Industrial Sciences building currently houses the Department of Construction Management.

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Original architecture drawings.

Routt Hall is located on the Colorado State University campus at 151 W. Laurel St., Fort Collins, Colorado. Otto Bulow, an architect working in Pueblo, Colorado, designed it in the Folk Victorian Cottage style. Constructed in 1890, the University originally used it as the Botanical and Horticultural Laboratory. CSU remodeled the building in 1893 to house the first Department of Domestic Economy.

Since the Department of Domestic Economy moved to Guggenheim in 1910 after its increased popularity, other departments such as the Conservatory of Music and Veterinary Sciences have occupied the building. CSU named the building after Eliza F. Routt, the first female member of the State Board of Agriculture. Today, the information technology and administrative staff of the College of Health and Human Sciences call this building home.

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Original architecture drawings.

The Statistics building is located in the Oval District of Colorado State University at 851 Oval Dr., Fort Collins, Colorado. R.H. Bradley designed it in a Mediterranean style with elements of the Mission Revival style. Constructed in 1908, the Statistics building was originally the Irrigation Engineering building. Louis G. Carpenter, head of the department, strategically planned the building with large classrooms, lecture halls, and space for the Irrigation and Engineering Museum.

With Carpenter’s renowned research and President Lory’s interest in Colorado irrigation, the Department of Civil and Irrigation Engineering was the pride of the college. During the almost 50 years that this department occupied the building, immense research and ingenuity restored the college’s reputation and paved the way for the transition into a university. CSU conducted some of the most notable research with the United States Department of Agriculture to investigate irrigation. This research was of such importance that the college created another facility in 1912 featuring a reservoir measuring 85 feet wide and 7 feet deep. Today the building houses the Department of Statistics.

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Original architecture drawings.

Guggenheim Hall is located in the Oval District of Colorado State University at 291 W. Laurel St., Fort Collins, Colorado. James Murdoch, a prominent architect of the 19th century, designed it in the neoclassical style. Constructed in 1910, Guggenheim Hall was made possible by a donation from Simon Guggenheim during his time as a Republican representative of Colorado on the United States Senate.

CSU constructed Guggenheim Hall as the Home Economics Program, designed for female students in preparation for wifery. Inga M.K. Allison, who joined the program in 1908 and later became head of the department, broadened the program’s offerings to explore subjects related to physical, biological, and social sciences. Her changes to the program provided significant shifts in the course offerings for women outside the constraints of household roles. Today, Guggenheim Hall houses part of the Department of Construction Management.

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Original architecture drawings.

The Weber building is located in the Oval District of Colorado State University at 841 Oval Dr., Fort Collins, Colorado. Eugene Groves, a prominent Colorado architect, designed it in the Classical Revival style with 20th century elements. Constructed in 1922, the Weber building originally served as the new Chemistry Building after a fire destroyed the old building in 1921.

CSU dedicated the Weber Building to Louis R. Weber, a long-term head of the Department of Physics. During the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy commissioned the Research Foundation housed in this building to study the prospect of a Four Point Youth Corps. Dr. Maurice L. Albertson oversaw this study, and the results, published in The Final Report: The Peace Corps, found the operation to be a plausible course of action in 1961. The building currently houses the Department of Mathematics.

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Original architecture drawings.

Ammons Hall is located in the Oval District of Colorado State University at 711 Oval Dr., Fort Collins, Colorado. Eugene Groves, a prominent Colorado architect, designed it in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Constructed in 1922, Ammons Hall originally functioned as the Women’s Club Building, housing women’s athletics and social events.

The building’s construction marked a pivotal point in the university’s history and cemented President Lory’s dedication to women’s activities. At the time of its construction, it was one of two buildings of its kind in the United States that committed space to women on a college campus. The building featured a swimming pool and large atrium space with a fountain. Today, Ammons Hall serves as the university’s Welcome Center for incoming students and their families.

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Original architecture drawings.

The Administration Building is located in the Oval District of Colorado State University at 900 Oval Dr., Fort Collins, Colorado. Eugene Groves, an architect who conceived many of the buildings on the Colorado State University campus, designed it in the Classical Revival style. Constructed in 1924, the Administrative Building has housed many on-campus administrative offices and is one of the few buildings where its primary function has not changed from its original purpose.

Although many different offices and departments have operated from this building, the first floor has housed the President’s Office since its construction. Charles A. Lory was the first president to serve the university out of the Administration Building. Lory’s presidency lasted almost 40 years before his retirement at age 68. Under his presidency, the Colorado Agricultural College—now known as CSU—built a strong reputation and expanded to include more departments and individual disciplines.

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Original architecture drawings.

The Institute of Learning and Teaching is located in the Oval District of Colorado State University at 801 Oval Dr., Fort Collins, Colorado. Using the remaining funds of the Levy of 1917, architect Eugene Groves designed it in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Constructed in 1927, CSU commissioned a university library with large reading rooms and a fireproof room for books.

In the 1957 transition from Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College to Colorado State University, increased enrollment in the college and status mandated a larger space be dedicated to the library. The State Board of Agriculture approved the creation of a new library in 1958, and dedicated the Morgan Library in 1965. After the library relocation, the Music Department, which was also expanding out of Routt Hall and needed a larger space, moved into the building. The building now houses the Institute of Learning and Teaching

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Original architecture drawings.

Danforth Chapel is located in the Oval District of Colorado State University at 701 Oval Dr., Fort Collins, Colorado. James Hunter, a prominent Boulder architect who specialized in university buildings, designed it in the Modernist Style with elements of the International style. Significant contributions from the Danforth Foundation made the chapel’s 1954 construction possible, creating a nondenominational place of worship for all students on campus. Members of the campus community completed the funding of the chapel, allowing for purchase of the pews.

The Danforth Chapel on the Colorado State University campus aligns closely with other Danforth Chapels in universities across the nation, including a designated location for a replica of Christ in Gethsemane by Heinrich Hofmann. The building has won several awards for architecture, creating a sense of pride for the campus and architect. Numerous religious gatherings have taken place in the chapel’s long history. The chapel serves as a resting place for Hunter, forever housing some of his ashes within its walls.

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Original architecture drawings.