Morrill Hall (University of Vermont)
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Location | Burlington, Vermont |
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Coordinates | 44°28′35″N 73°11′54″W / 44.47639°N 73.19833°WCoordinates: 44°28′35″N 73°11′54″W / 44.47639°N 73.19833°W |
Built | 1906–07 |
Architect | Charles W. Buckham |
Architectural style | Neoclassical Revival |
Part of | University Green Historic District (#75000139) |
Added to NRHP | April 14, 1975 |
Morrill Hall is a campus building of the University of Vermont (UVM), which is located on the southeast corner of the "University Green" in Burlington, Vermont (on the corner of Main Street and University Place). The building was named after U.S. Senator, Justin Smith Morrill who authored the Morrill Land-Grant Acts of 1862 and 1890, which created the American Land-Grant universities and colleges. Senator Morrill also served as a trustee of the university from 1865 until 1898. The building was constructed during 1906-07 to serve as the home of the UVM Agriculture Department and the Agricultural Experiment Station. It was added to National Register of Historic Places as part of University Green Historic District on April 14, 1975. As of 2015, the building continues to house the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the UVM Agricultural Extension Service.
Morrill Hall was constructed with a State appropriation of $60,000, which passed in the Vermont House under bill H.76 on October 27, 1904 (with a vote of 170 Yeas and 54 Nays), in the Senate on November 11, 1904 (with a vote of 23 Yeas and 2 Nays), and was signed by the Governor on November 15, 1904. Morrill Hall was dedicated on December 11, 1907. It was the first building ever to be constructed on the UVM campus using state funds.
The site where Morrill Hall currently stands was part of a 22-acre farm originally owned by Moses Catlin. The land was passed to Catlin from Ira Allen in November 1798 as a result of a levy originating from a federal judgement against Allen. Catlin had filed a lawsuit on the behalf of his wife, Lucinda Catlin (née Allen) for mismanagement of her late father's estate. Lucinda Catlin was the daughter of Heman Allen and niece to Ira and Ethan Allen.
In 1806, Catlin built the original house on the property, which is today known as the "Johnson House". The property was then sold to John Johnson (Vermont's third surveyor-general) in 1809. Johnson was in charge of surveying the northeastern boundary between Canada and the U.S. (circa 1816). He had also served as the architect and master builder of the original college building (i.e. the 1802 predecessor to the present day "Old Mill" building). After it was destroyed by fire in 1824, Johnson designed much of its replacement, as well as other buildings on the UVM campus (e.g. Grasse Mount in 1804, and Pomeroy Hall in 1828).