Early in 1907, $65,000 was appropriated for the construction of an engineering building. When completed, the structure was a three-story building measuring 80 feet by 90 feet. It contained lecture rooms, laboratories and classrooms for work in subjects ranging from Mechanical Engineering to Freehand Drawing to blue printing to photography. Space was even allocated for the Lyceum of Engineers (NDAC Catalog, 1910-1911, p. 18).
The formal opening of the building was held on Saturday, January 25, 1908. The Ninth Biennial Report of the Board of Trustees describes the building as being "devoted almost exclusively to the courses of mechanical engineering, civil engineering, steam engineering and physics. There are five general classrooms and two lecture rooms with elevated seats, each of which will accommodate a hundred students.
The
third floor is used principally for freehand, mechanical drawing, and work in
blue printing and photography. The drawing rooms are exceptionally well lighted,
being each arranged with large areas of skylight, and furnished with modern,
individual drawing tables. The physics lecture room and laboratories occupy
one-half of the second floor. The arrangements for that work are commodious
and provided with excellent facilities for laboratory work.
On the first floor are three laboratories for work in testing engineering instruments and material, cement investigations and electrical standardization. In addition to the rooms mentioned there is a reading room, supplied with current engineering literature, a hall given over to the Engineer's club, and an engineering museum" (Ninth Biennial Report of the Board of Trustees, NDAC, 1908, p.15).
South
Engineering was originally connected by a corridor to the Mechanic Arts Building
(1893-1993), which was later referred to as the Engineering Laboratories Building.
South Engineering was still referred to as the Engineering Building in the 1953-54
NDAC Catalog, but Dolve Hall (yet to be named) was referred to as the New
Engineering Building. As of the 1954-55 Catalog, the terms South Engineering
Building and South Engineering Laboratories Building were being used. As of
the 1960-62 Catalog, South Engineering and South Engineering Laboratories
were referred to as a single entity: South Engineering.
In 1993 the Mechanic Arts Building was torn down, at which time an addition was built on the west side of South Engineering. The addition allocated room for a stair and elevator tower to make the building handicap accessible. (It's Happening, March 17, 1993). This addition was in place of the original corridor connecting the two buildings. As of 1999, South Engineering housed the Department of Physics.
Architectural Information
"Classical Revival, three stories; light brown pressed brick with trim of rough brown sandstone; Palladian window treatment with projecting central entrance pavilion; gable hipped roof with pedimented gables and dormers; rusticated raised basement; dentilled and bracketted cornices; brownstone Tuscan columns flaking [sic] front south facing entry; rusticated corner pilasters with sandstone capitals. Milton Earl Beebe, architect." (National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, Summer 1982, p. 3)
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University Archives, 701-231-8914 Published by the University Archives, NDSU Last Updated: 8/27/04 |