A Veterinary Tale of Two Buildings: Transformation to Meet the Needs of the Modern Student Rachel K. Turner Eliel Hinojosa, Jr. Texas A&M University Abstract Buildings, like the people who occupy them, are storied. The buildings on the campus of Texas A&M University tell curricular stories as their initial construction responded to the educational needs of a growing university. The Civil Engineering Building and Francis Hall, originally built as the Veterinary Hospital and the School of Veterinary Medicine, are examples of this response. Since their construction varying degrees of edificial transformation represent the changing narrative of each building. Introduction The campus of Texas A&M University bustles with life as students, faculty, staff, and guests move about attending to their schedules. Construction crews actively work to improve campus buildings. At present, there are several major building projects underway and spread across the campus. Tucked unassumingly into the one of the older sections of the campus, sit several buildings. These buildings, mostly erected along Ross Street, have served tens of thousands of Aggies – some for over a century. Among these buildings one finds the Civil Engineering Building and, just a short distance away, Francis Hall, two buildings whose histories provide glimpses into the changing needs of the university. The stories of these buildings began in 1908 when the need for formal facilities for a School of Veterinary Medicine sparked the construction of several buildings, the Civil Engineering Building and Francis Hall taking center stage. Since that time the varying needs of a growing university have led to Curriculum History 2018: 134-145 physical changes and, consequently, new chapters in the narrative of each building. Vested in tradition and with narratives that speak to their service and success, Civil Engineering Building and Francis Hall remain testaments of tradition in a university whose mission continues into the 21st century. This is their story…or at least a tale. A College is Born Texas A&M University owes its creation to the Morrill Land-Grant Act. The Morrill Act was first approved in 1862 by the 37th United States Congress. The act approved the donation of public lands for states to use for educational purposes. Figure 1. Texas A&M in 1876. Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. Education was to specifically include military, agriculture, and mechanics training. In 1866 the state of Texas created a college under the conditions established by the Morrill Act. The state legislature formed the Agriculture and Mechanical College of Texas. To acquire land and a location for the college, the citizens of Brazos County 135 donated 2,416 acres to be used to house the college. On October 4th, 1876 classes officially began (Dethloff 1975). Only white males were admitted to the college and all students were required to participate in military training as required by the Morrill Act. Shortly after the establishment of A&M College, in 1888, Dr. Mark Francis arrived. Figure 2. Dr. Mark Francis, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. Dr. Francis was the first trained veterinarian to become part of the faculty. He originally lectured to agricultural students in Old Main with no labs and little equipment. Francis recalled: There were no laboratories or equipment for this work. We had a room about 14x16 feet that was on the ground floor on the Main Building that served as office, classroom and laboratory. At the end of the school year the adjoining room became vacant and was assigned to us as a classroom. In this unsuitable place we toiled for 15 years. There was no hospital. Along about December 1888, a frame barn was built to serve this purpose. It was about 20x36 feet…the following year a frame building was provided that served as a dissecting room. It wasn’t until 1908 that proper facilities for veterinary medicine were built (Dethloff 1975). 1908 Veterinary Hospital On September 23, 1908, the first building to be used as a Veterinary Hospital was erected on campus near the corner of Ross Street and Bizzell Street (The Battalion 1950). The building was erected as the universities veterinary program was growing. The main location for classes, Old Main, did not have adequate space for labs and housing of animals. This Veterinary Hospital was two stories and made entirely from wood and plaster (The Battalion 1908). Figure 3. 1908 Veterinary Hospital, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. The building was 135 feet long and 35 feet wide (The Battalion 1908). The hospital was raised on a northwest corner of an open field and included, on the lower level, box stalls and rooms with dividers (The Battalion 1908). This allowed horses and cattle with contagious diseases to be quarantined (The Battalion 1950). While a majority of the building was to be used for large animals, the hospital also included stalls to accommodate smaller animals and two rooms for dogs (Langford 1963). Other rooms on the lower 136 level included a large clinic room, a feed room, and a medicine room (Langford 1963). The second story included a small space for veterinary students to live as well as office space and laboratories (Langford 1963). Concrete floors throughout the hospital were used to ensure that the animals could be treated in the most sanitary manner (The Battalion 1908). Traps from each stall were attached to the sewer in order to exclude contagious diseases and allow for disinfection of each stall (Langford 1963). This made cleaning easier and drastically improved sanitation throughout the hospital. The creation of this veterinary hospital allowed the clinical work being done on campus to move out of the chemical and veterinary lab and take place in one central location (Langford 1963). This amounted to progress on campus. As specific and specialized facilities were built, the College showed marked improvement in their abilities to provide services and treatments to animals and provide students with practice. However, this sentiment was not universal. According to an architecture professor on campus Ernest Langford, a local professor by the name of Dr. Huber Schmidt referred to the Veterinary Hospital as having “excessive space” (Langford 1963). Francis Hall While the college continued to utilize the 1908 Veterinary Hospital, by 1916 the need for a more formal location for a School of Veterinary Medicine was evident. The college was looking to expand the work they were doing in Veterinary Medicine to include more classes and programs. An investment in livestock of $500 million dollars and the fact that there were less than 100 licensed veterinarians in the state, helped contribute to state and federal support for a veterinary school. Having taught in Old Main for years, Dr. Francis, among others, advocated for a home for the School of Veterinary Medicine. Additionally, research conducted at the College on Texas Fever and Hog Cholera serum necessitated a formal place of study for future veterinarians (The Battalion 1916). Originally proposed to the 33rd Texas Legislature in 1913, a new building for the School of Veterinary Medicine was not an immediate sell. Though it passed the legislative body it was vetoed by Governor O.B. Colquitt. The request was passed in 1915 by Governor James E. Ferguson and the Veterinary School became a reality. The school was established as an extension of the Department of Veterinary Science (Aggieland 1956). The newly established school appointed Dr. Mark Francis as Dean and the building carried his name (Dethloff 1975). Francis Hall was built West of the Veterinary Hospital on the site of the original campus infirmary. At three stories, Francis Hall housed small classrooms, larger lecture rooms, an elevator system suitable for animals and a large, central lecture hall with tiered seating that allowed overhead viewing of operations and procedures. Figure 4. Francis Hall, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. Steps Toward Formality It didn’t take long to see the need for expansions and improvements to both Francis Hall and the Veterinary Hospital. The college’s continual growth caused a need for additional space. Renovations were made to make existing facilities more suitable for educating future 137 veterinarians. This included additional space to accommodate classrooms, laboratories, clinics, and offices. These improvements began as early as 1920. After only few years in operation, the main amphitheater style lecture hall, in Francis Hall, continued to remain unfinished and, therefore, underwent major renovation. A design flaw in the four-tier, semicircle prevented seats from being placed in the room. An additional 30 tons of concrete was added to make the aisles wider to accommodate seating. This additional concrete required engineering crews to place supporting columns underneath the floor (The Daily Bulletin 1920). After renovations were completed the room was used for large lectures and observations of veterinary procedures. Figure 5. Dr. Francis addresses a class in Francis Hall around 1920, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. 1932 Veterinary Hospital An expanding Veterinary School eventually led to the need for a newer and larger hospital than the 1908 facility. Therefore, in 1932, a new Veterinary Hospital was built. The building was constructed in the same location as the older, wooden Veterinary Hospital that was built in 1908. The U-shaped building allowed for offices, wards, and laboratories (Langford 1963). It included a pharmacy and x-ray rooms (Texas A&M Catalogue 1932-1935). The design and construction of this new hospital displayed modern amenities which allowed for the study and teaching of animal diseases (Texas A&M Catalogue 1932- 1935). According to an article in a 2016 issue in Spirit Magazine, the Veterinary Hospital was known as the “crown jewel of the college of medicine” (Spirit Magazine 2016). The article also mentions the hospital was built as one of the most modern and well equipped veterinary facilities of the time in the United States (Spirit Magazine 2016). The hospital was built along with three other smaller buildings which included a veterinary anatomy laboratory and two large animal stables (Langford 1963). The new hospital, along with the laboratory and stables, were built by Henger and Chambers Company from Houston, Texas. The total cost was $200,671.25 (Langford 1963). The design of the 1932 Veterinary Hospital was unique. It displayed fluted pilasters which extended through the two stories while the entrance detail is reduced to a single story (Langford 1963). The exterior of the building is decorated with various animal heads and figures on the corners and sides made from cast stone. A shield on the exterior of the building, above the front entrance doors, bears the veterinary symbol which includes a V with two snakes wrapped around a center pole and wings on each side of the V. Encompassing the veterinary symbol are various sculptures and decorations including flowers, ram heads, cow skulls, and horse heads. On top of the veterinary symbol is a five-point star. Endress and Watkin: Francis Hall Francis Hall was designed by R. Adelsperger in the Romanesque style. Original estimates for the total construction of the building were $100,000. According to an informal history written by Dr. Francis, in an attempt to remain on budget, the original design dimensions were reduced. Further, Dr. Francis states that the reduction in scale caused problems with custom, pre-ordered furniture for the classrooms and 138 laboratories. Considering the design changes, it is likely that this alteration contributed to the seating issues in the large four-tiered auditorium. Though originally intended to be of Romanesque influence, Francis Hall, as completed by Endress and Watkin, conformed in a general way to campus buildings of the era. Langford confirms that more than the scale was altered in the final design. The Doric columns were replaced by brick pilasters that were crowned with both Ionic and Doric capitals. A typical entablature extends entirely around the building at the elevation of the third floor; window sills in the third-floor rest on the cornice of this entablature – all of which makes the building anything but Romanesque in character As Langford states, the Romanesque attributes originally designed were vacated in favor of a more classical or “Roman” design. Despite this, Adelsperger’s interior floor plan remained largely unchanged (Langford 1963). Figure 6. Original design of Francis Hall, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. Giesecke and Vosper: 1932 Veterinary Hospital The new 1932 Veterinary Hospital building was one of 10 buildings that architects Frederick Giesecke and Charles Vosper built on the campus in a 5 year period (Nixon 1981). Giesecke was born in 1869 in Latium, Texas (Nixon 1981). Giesecke entered the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1883 at the age of 14 and graduated first in his class (Nichols 2016). Upon graduation, he entered the faculty at the college as an instructor in mechanical engineering (Nichols 2016). Within two years, at the age of 19, Giesecke became Head of the Department of Mechanical Drawing (College of Architecture 2017). He left Texas shortly after becoming Department Head to pursue graduate work and received a degree in architecture from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois (College of Architecture 2017; Nichols 2016). Upon completion of his studies, he returned to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas and continued teaching until 1912 (Nichols 2016). He then left and moved across the state to the University of Texas, to accept a position as Head of their newly formed Department of Architecture (Nichols 2016). He stayed at the University of Texas until 1927 when he again returned to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas as Head of the Architecture Department and College Architect (Nichols 2016). During his time as College Architect, Giesecke also served as director of the Engineering Experimentation Station on campus (College of Architecture 2017). He earned his fifth degree some years later, in 1943, in Civil Engineering from Illinois University (College of Architecture 2017). Not only did Giesecke contribute to numerous buildings on campus at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, he also wrote several research articles and textbooks (Nixon 1981). He was a member of numerous architectural and engineering groups and organizations until his death in 1953 (Nixon 1981). Charles Vosper was born in 1887 in New Jersey where he lived and trained until he joined the famous Lasky Players Corporation in 1913. With the corporation for seven years, Vosper designed theater sets for their many productions across the United States. He began working at the University of Texas in 1921 while Frederick Giesecke was Head of the Department of 139 Architecture. In 1928, one year after Giesecke left the University of Texas to return to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, Vosper was dismissed from the University of Texas. It was rumored that he was dismissed by the University due to inappropriately hiring a female nude model for an unknown purpose. He followed his former colleague Frederick Giesecke to College Station to work for the architecture department. He was at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas until 1933 when he left to work for the Civil Works Administration in San Antonio and Austin. From 1933 to 1935 he also did work for the University of Texas Supervising Architect’s Office and the National Parks Service. Vosper was known as a Texas History fanatic and while working for the Civil Works Administration, he restored some of Texas’ historic landmarks including Independence Hall. He also helped restore Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga Mission outside of Goliad, a project that took six years to fully complete. During the late 1930s, Vosper moved to Washington, D.C. and designed post office buildings for the Treasury Department during World War II. In 1945, he returned to Texas and worked in Pampa, San Antonio, and Bryan until his death in 1958 (Smith 1989). During their time working together at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, Giesecke and Vosper transformed the campus by designing 10 buildings between 1928-1932. Around 1928, with oil revenue generating monies for new buildings on campus, the two men literally turned the campus around. The men changed the entrance of the campus to face east, toward the newly formed state highway six, rather than the previous west which faced the local train station (McCoy 2013). Figure 7. New Entrance of Campus Facing East, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. During their years they worked together, the men were responsible for the design of the Chemistry Building, Cushing Library, Hart Hall, Walton Hall, the Administration Building, the Petroleum Engineering Building, the Agricultural Engineering Building, the Animal Industries Building, the Veterinary Hospital, and a horse barn. These buildings cost a total of $3 million. In an article in Texas Architect, author Nancy McCoy describes Vosper’s unique interest in decoration as his own means of artistic expression. Ernest Langford described the designers as being “creative in their use of ceramic tile and cast stone” (Langford 1963). Vosper was known for using ornamental metals, stained glass, plaster and decorative paintings in his designs. The interior of the Veterinary Hospital displayed Vosper’s use of special finishes by materials such as scagliola, sgraffito, caen stone, metallic paints, glazing and stippling. Langford quoted one source in his unpublished manuscript Here We’ll Build the College, as saying that the Veterinary Hospital was the best of the buildings by Giesecke and Vosper (Langford 1963; McCoy 2013). 140 Figure 8. Architectural elements on Veterinary Hospital which is now Civil Engineering Building on Texas A&M Campus. Image courtesy of Rachel K. Turner. Remodeling, Relocating and Repurposing: The 1950s As a result of continued growth of the Agricultural and Mechanical College as well as the Veterinary Medicine Department, the Veterinary Department was slated for relocation. This relocation was completed in 1954. The Veterinary Department moved to a 275-acre tract of land on the northwest side of campus on highway 60 (Aggieland 1956). In 1950, a three-story addition was built onto Francis Hall. This addition was approved as a part of a long-range master plan supervised by Carleton W. Adams, the A&M System architect (The Eagle 1950). The contract for the 10,000-square foot addition was awarded to A.W. Brunson of Dallas, Texas at a planned cost of $150,000 (The Battalion 1950; The Eagle 1950). Francis Hall was also approved for a remodel. $110,000 was appropriated for a remodeling of the Francis Hall interior in preparation for use by the business school (A&M System News 1950). As the School of Veterinary Medicine settled into its new home, the remodeled and larger Francis Hall was repurposed to house the Business Department. Moved from its temporary structure, Francis Hall served as the first of two homes for the Business school prior to moving to its current Figure 9. Completed Veterinary Medicine Complex in 1954 on University Drive, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. location in the Wehner Building on the West Campus of Texas A&M University. The new wing housed the main offices and some of the classrooms of the Business Department. Additionally, by 1963, Francis Hall had air conditioning installed throughout the building. A 1963 headline and accompanying article in The Battalion was very suggestive. It read, “Sleeping in Lectures, Labs Should Improve This Year” (The Battalion 1963). A 1956 article in the local newspaper detailed the college board of director’s summary. It included a description of the contract awarded to Leftwich, Stenis and Harris Company to remodel four veterinary medicine buildings to be used for the Civil Engineering Department (The Eagle 1956). The Leftwich, Stenis and Harris Company came in with a low bid of $238,153 for the renovations (The Eagle 1956). During this meeting, the Leftwich, Stenis and Harris Company also received a contract for remodeling the library building at Prairie View Agriculture and Mechanical College (The Eagle 1956). By 1956 the Engineering Department was seeing extensive growth and housed 11 departments including Aeronautical, Architectural, Chemical, Civil, 141 Electrical, Geological, Geology, Industrial, Industrial Education, Mechanical, and Petroleum (Aggieland 1956). A year later in 1957, the local newspaper released an updated summary where the board of directors for the college accepted an additional $4,000 increase to the plans and expenses for the remodeling of the four veterinary buildings to accommodate the Civil Engineering Department (The Eagle 1955). Civil Engineering Department In 1957, with increasing enrollment, the Civil Engineering Department moved from its single building in Nagle Hall to five facilities that previously housed portions of the School of Veterinary Medicine (College of Engineering 2016). The building previously known as the 1932 Veterinary Hospital reopened as the Civil Engineering Building and was comprised mostly of classrooms and office space (Ramsey 1984). From 1957 to 1964 the building housed civil engineering faculty offices and classrooms and as the department grew, classrooms were turned into faculty offices (Ramsey 1984). Shortly after it re-opened in 1957, a story appeared in The Battalion that stated a concrete block was stolen from outside the building. The block weighed ten pounds and, while it looked innocent, the 18x6x4 inch package was not harmless. The block was compressed by a device with four steel rods on each corner and two steel plates. Between the steel plates was a ball bearing and heavy springs holding the plates together. The ends of the steel rods were tightened by large nuts. Loosening of the nuts could cause the block to slip out of position and explode like dynamite. The block was used by the Civil Engineering Department to test a special compressing machine. It was compressed until a reading of 24,000 pounds, or 12 tons was registered. In an article that appeared in The Battalion on April 2, 1957, Henson Stephenson, a research engineer and manager of the Texas Transportation Institute explained “that for about a year we have been taking data and readings from the block.” He later goes on to say, “I am only interested in warning whoever has the device to be careful and not try to tamper with it in anyway. I am very much concerned over its disappearance and would like to have it back because of its research value.” The article goes on to state that the thief can write an anonymous letter to the department stating where the block is located and the department will see to it’s safe return. No follow up articles were found that mentioned the fate of the block (The Battalion 1957). Figure 10. Article in The Battalion 1957, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, Texas A&M University. Winds of Change: The 1960s During the 1960’s the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas experienced intense change in the student body. The student population, up until this time, was comprised of only white males. However, the 1960’s brought a wind of change. In 1962 and 1963, the College changed its official acceptance policies and extended admission to African American students and, on a limited basis, women. Women were allowed unrestricted admittance a few years later. Additionally, all students prior to 1965 were required to be members of the Corps of Cadets. This compulsory membership ended and new 142 students were given the opportunity to choose to become members of the Corps of Cadets. Finally, in 1963, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas changed its name. By Texas legislative approval, the school became Texas A&M University. This name was an expression of the school’s growth. The “A” and “M,” once the initials denoting the school’s roots in agriculture and mechanical engineering, came to become simple representations of the University’s origins. Presumably, these changes, particularly those allowing African Americans and women admittance, altered the demographic in all university programs (Dethloff 2016). Remodeling, Relocating and Repurposing: The 1980s The 1980s brought about further changes. First, Francis Hall, which had been home to the School of Business Administration required a new home. In 1981, the Business School was relocated to the new John R. Blocker Building. This vacancy provided a home for the Department of Recreation and Parks. Endearingly known as the “Gypsies of A&M,” the RPTS department made Francis Hall its sixth home in 15 years. According to Dr. Reid, who served as the first department head, Francis Hall brought an end to the nomadic life of the RPTS department. Dr. Reid believed Francis Hall would serve as the permanent location of the department. In fact, Francis Hall served as the home for Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Science until 2011 when it was moved to the newly constructed Agriculture and Life Science Building on the West Campus of Texas A&M University (Reid 1991). In the fall of 1983, the university opened bidding to companies for renovation to the Civil Engineering Building. In a June 9th, 1983 issue of the campus newspaper The Battalion, an article summarized the board of regents meeting where Texas A&M was expecting to award a contract late in July of 1983. The article quotes Dr. Donald McDonald, head of Civil Engineering. According to the article, construction would probably begin in September of 1983 and last about 13 months. Dr. McDonald goes on to say that the building is presently used for faculty offices and once renovations are complete, the building will house more classrooms, laboratories, and project rooms. This will require some faculty offices to be moved to laboratories, academic buildings, agency buildings, and The Highway Research Center. The Battalion article also mentions the majority of the renovation will be geared towards ensuring that the building is brought up to modern standards since this is the first work that would be done on the building since the 1960s (Tindel 1983). During the renovation process, classes relocated to various buildings in the area. Classes that usually took place in The Civil Engineering Building took place in Goodwin Hall, the Animal Industries Building, Zachry Engineering Center and McNew Engineering Lab. Administration offices in the Civil Engineering Building were moved across the street to The Highway Research Center. There was talk during this time of renovation to the exterior of the building as well. This information did not sit well with former Aggies. Former students requested that the University save the exterior stonework and sculptures due to their history and character. Dr. Robert M. Olson, liaison at the time between the Civil Engineering Department and the architects and builders, explained to The Battalion that the sculptures would be carefully cleaned and sandblasted, along with a brand-new roof. John Merchant, facilities construction manager at the time, said renovations would be completed by October 1984. The total cost of the renovation project was $2,444,000. Money for the project was provided by the University Available Fund which is income that was received from investments made by the Permanent University Fund. Also remaining is the original tile work in the entrance of the building as well as stained glass pieces 143 (Ramsey 1984; Winkler 1983). Figure 11. Tilework seen in entrance of Civil Engineering Building in 2017l. Image courtesy of Rachel K. Turner. The 21st Century In 2001, a 19-member Campus Master Plan Committee was formed to make determinations regarding the growth of university facilities in the 21st Century. Additionally, this committee was charged with reorganizing the university campus. Reorganization was aimed at, “developing an ‘academic corridor’ that would place most of the educational aspects of the university in the middle of campus and push service-oriented and nonstudent-geared departments to the campus’ periphery.” The article goes on to list several buildings on the proposed demolition list. Francis Hall made the list. Interestingly, only the 1950 addition onto Francis Hall was listed for demolition (The Eagle 2004). The entirety of Francis Hall escaped the proposed demolition list when, in 2012, the building was offered to the Department of Construction Science. In order to accommodate the new department, the building needed major renovation. The complete remodel, designed by BRW Architects and completed by Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc. was budgeted at $10 million. The remodel was completed in 2014 (BRW Architects). To date, Francis Hall is the only, fully dedicated building used by a university Construction Science department. The building interior was completely rebuilt and now includes state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, and collaboration areas. A unique feature of the building is the exposed mechanical, electrical, and structural systems that serve as a learning laboratories. The exterior of the building was also fully updated and restored. Although the original design by Adelsperger was Romanesque, the restoration by Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc. maintained the redesigned, classical appointments changed by Endress and Watkin (Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc. 2015). Today, the works of Giesecke and Vosper can still be seen on all 10 of their buildings. All of these buildings continue to remain in use (McCoy 2013). The works of these two men have left a legacy to former students as well as the architectural community. In fact, the Civil Engineering Building is well known amongst architects. The building was photographed and described extensively in CITE, an architectural and design review magazine in Houston, Texas (Fox 1998). This influence even extends into the arts and crafts. Rebecca Ewing Peterson authored a book titled Dreams of Aggieland, designed to help various levels of quilters create products that exemplify the Aggie spirit (Novak 1996). Due to its rich architectural history, one of the patterns in her book is the Civil Engineering Building (Novak 1996). Peterson includes patterns in her book that range from architectural structures to contemporary designs of A&M logos and emblems (Novak 1996). Though officially known on campus as the Civil Engineering Building, a plaque inside the building dedicates it as the Reta and Bill Hayes Building. Bill and Reta supported Texas A&M through their leadership, character and respect. The Civil Engineering Building not only houses classrooms but is home to the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering Undergraduate Student Services office and the Zachry Department of Civil 144 Engineering Graduate Student Services office (Texas A&M University 1940). When approaching the Civil Engineering Building, it is hard not to notice the distinctive exterior design. This design includes sculptures and ornate tile. Students, faculty, and guests pass through wooden doors decorated with glass inlay. The foyer is decorated with the original blue and brown tilework. While a majority of the building houses offices and faculty, there are still a few original classrooms equipped with modern audio/visual equipment. Conclusion Buildings, like the people that occupy them, each tell their unique story. Each narrative tells the story of their birth, their development, their changes, and sometimes their end. Francis Hall and the Civil Engineering building on the campus of Texas A&M University each have a rich heritage that continues. These buildings, once appropriated for veterinary use have, since their construction, been repurposed in response to the expanding curricular needs of a growing university. Indeed, their ultimate use may continue to change – time will tell as the university continues to grow in perpetuity. These two buildings, surrounded by others with stories all their own, demonstrate the need to uncover and make available the unique histories of the stalwart edifices that surround and serve the university. References A&M System News. 1950. “Architectural council selected to aid giant building program.” January 1950, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. Aggieland. 1956. Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. BRW Architects. “Texas A&M University Francis Hall renovation.” http://www.brwarch.com/ project/texas-am-university-francis-hall- renovation/ College of Architecture. 2017. “Frederick E. Giesecke.” Texas A&M University, https://www.arch.tamu.edu/community/forme rstudents/outstanding-alumni/past- honorees/24/. College of Engineering. 2016. “History: Reflections on more than 140 years of civil engineering history at Texas A&M University.” (2016). Texas A&M University. https://engineering.tamu.edu/civil/ about/history. Dethloff, Henry. 1975. A centennial history of Texas A&M University, 1976-1976. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press. Dethloff, Henry. 2016. Texas A&M University: A pictorial history, 1876-1996 (2nd ed.). College Station, TX: Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University. Fox, Stephen. 1998. “Bryan-College Station- A&M: An architectural tour.” CITE: The Architecture and Design Review of Houston, 41, 14. Langford, Earnest. 1963. “Here we'll build the college.” Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University: College Station, TX. McCoy, Nancy. 2013. “Giesecke and Vosper at Texas A&M.” Texas Architect, 6306, 37-40. Nichols, Linda. 2016. “Frederick Ernest Giesecke.” The Handbook of Texas Online. Modified May 16, 2016. https://tshaonline.org /handbook/online/articles/fgi10 Nixon, Lisa. 1981. “They don't make 'em like that anymore: Buildings worth remembering.” The Texas Aggie, May edition, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. Novak, Joseph. 1996. “Patterns of tradition: Quilts stitch spirit, warm hearts.” The Battalion, November 15, 1996, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. Ramsey, Casey. 1984. “Carved stone figures to http://www.brwarch.com/%20project/texas-am-university-francis-hall-renovation/ http://www.brwarch.com/%20project/texas-am-university-francis-hall-renovation/ http://www.brwarch.com/%20project/texas-am-university-francis-hall-renovation/ https://engineering.tamu.edu/civil/ https://tshaonline.org/ 145 stay on civil engineering building.” The Battalion, February 15, 1984, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. Reid, L. M. 1991. “Some remarks on the early history of the Department of Recreation and Parks: The first twenty-five years.” http://aglifesciences.tamu.edu/rptsweb/wp- content/uploads/sites/21/2011/08/Les-Reid- History-Paper-1.pdf Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc. 2015. “Renovation of historic Francis Hall complete.” March 4, 2015. http://www.satpon.com/renovation-of- historic-francis-hall-complete/ Smith, H. T. 1989. “Austin, its architects and architecture 1836-1986.” Texas Architect, November/December edition. Spirit Magazine. 2016. “Architectural gems: Two men changed the landscape in depression-era Aggieland.” Spring 2016 edition, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. Texas A&M Catalogue. 1932-1935. Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. 1940. “Mapping Historic Aggieland.” http://arcgis.library.tamu.edu/mgl/mha/. The Battalion. 1908. “The new buildings.” Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Battalion. 1916. “Preparations complete for opening veterinary school.” July 7, 1916, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Battalion. 1950. “Construction bids ready for board.” March 15, 1950, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Battalion. 1957. “Concrete block could prove dangerous to curious thief.” April 2, 1957, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Battalion. 1963. “Sleeping in lectures, labs should improve this year.” September 1963, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Daily Bulletin. 1920. “Lecture room in Francis Hall is being improved.” January 18, 1920, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Eagle. 1913. “A&M College building statement.” March 27, 1913, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Eagle. 1950. “$9 million building program now more than half complete at A&M System Branch Colleges.” October 3, 1950, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Eagle. 1955. “A&M physical improvement appropriations are made”. June 6, 1955, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Eagle. 1956. “Will remodel vet buildings for civil engineering use.” April 29, 1956, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. The Eagle. 2004. “Face-lift coming to A&M.” March 7, 2004, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. Tindel Jr., Joe. 1983. “Bidding opens in July for building renovations.” The Battalion, June 9, 1983, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. Winkler, Wanda. 1983. “Civil Engineering Building renovation starts Thursday.” The Battalion, August 29, 1983, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University. https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.satpon.com_renovation-2Dof-2Dhistoric-2Dfrancis-2Dhall-2Dcomplete_&d=DwMCAg&c=ODFT-G5SujMiGrKuoJJjVg&r=j1H72uA7TGb_P4DNeS1wVQ&m=TtZJYVxJS34xqMMNEoq5qZsnlTQYTtlkPuDhrDmOGXc&s=Uy34K7sqxP-W3NAFI9hqyMC_mpDHweZPZSDwRgONyQs&e= https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.satpon.com_renovation-2Dof-2Dhistoric-2Dfrancis-2Dhall-2Dcomplete_&d=DwMCAg&c=ODFT-G5SujMiGrKuoJJjVg&r=j1H72uA7TGb_P4DNeS1wVQ&m=TtZJYVxJS34xqMMNEoq5qZsnlTQYTtlkPuDhrDmOGXc&s=Uy34K7sqxP-W3NAFI9hqyMC_mpDHweZPZSDwRgONyQs&e= http://arcgis.library.tamu.edu/mgl/mha/