The Building of the University of Kansas

Abstract

The following account of the building of a University at Lawrence, Kansas, has been written from the point of view of an architect. Of special interest to an architect are such problems as the selection of a site for the University, the sites for the buildings, the types of construction, the materials, and the style of architecture. An attempt has been made to search out the solutions offered to these problems as they presented themselves in the building of Kansas University, and to show the reasons for the final decisions. The first chapter on Territorial Days is of an introductory character, forming a sort of historical background for the building of the University. It deals with the settlement of Kansas and the founding of Lawrence, and the traces the various attempts made to found a University at Lawrence before the legislature authorized the organization off the official State University. The following four chapters give a general history of the building of the University. An effort has been made to explain the needs for the buildings erected, how the money was procured, and to give information about the selection of the sites. The individual buildings are described in a series of account containing specific information in regard to the architect, contractor, styles, material and construction.