Past, present and future of the Agriculture Dean’s Residence building
Somehow or another George Hesselberg, a senior reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal, got interested in the Agriculture Dean’s Residence building, the lovely historic brick home situated in Allen Centennial Garden that was built to house CALS’ first dean, William A Henry. Over the course of a few weeks, Hesselberg dove into the history of the building, took a tour and talked with some of the building’s former occupants. The result is a charming and fairly comprehensive “profile” of the historic home, published this past Sunday, that is packed with details about the building that many in the CALS community may not be aware of.
Something old: Did you know that the house – before it was even built – served as a bargaining chip? It was used during four years of negotiations to keep Dean Henry from accepting job offers at Stanford University, Iowa State College and the New York Experimental Station. The house, eventually built for $8,500, was designed by architects Allan D. Conover and Lew F. Porter, who designed other campus landmarks including the Red Gym and Science Hall.
Something new: The plan is to finish renovating the building so it can house CALS’ student organizations, as well as the college’s career services and study abroad programs.