William J. Samford Hall

William J. Samford Hall

Education; Lee County, AL; William J. Samford Hall; Auburn University; Old Main Hall; Carnegie, Andrew; Samford, William J.; Auburn, AL

Erected in 1888 on the foundation of Old Main Hall (which burned down in 1887), William J. Samford Hall is one of Auburn University’s most easily recognizable buildings. Bruce and Morgan Architectural Firm fashioned the four-story Italianate-style structure after Old Main Hall, with one distinguishing characteristic – a majestic clock tower that rose many feet above the building’s roof. Old Main Hall’s cornerstone is still visible at the base of the northeast corner of Samford Hall. During the late nineteenth century, Samford Hall housed Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College’s administration, classrooms, and library. In 1909, Samford Hall’s library, which operated out of three cramped rooms on the second floor, moved to the new Carnegie-endowed facility across campus. In 1929, the Board of Trustees officially named the building Samford Hall in honor of William J. Samford, Alabama’s thirty-first governor. Auburn University renovated the building in 1971 and replaced the original clock in 1995. Today the building functions solely as the headquarters of Auburn University’s administration. The building is located at 182 South College Street, Auburn University.

Taylor McGaughy

Image Source: http://family.auburn.edu/profiles/blogs/the-best-free-services-auburn-students-should-be-taking-advantage

Text Sources: Auburn University Libraries, http://www.lib.auburn.edu/arch/buildings/samford_hall1.htm

The Heritage of Lee County Book Committee, The Heritage of Lee County, Alabama (Clanton, AL: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2000), 74.

Alabama Cultural Resource Survey

2014-11-26

Taylor McGaughy

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