Seattle’s Temple of Learning Rises Between Two Lakes

Between the two beautiful lakes, Union and Washington, the new University of Washington is now under course of construction. The work is well under way, and the buildings will be entirely completed in time to be opened on September 2, the time fixed by the board. The brick and plaster work is being pushed as rapidly as possible by Cameron & Ashenfelter, the contractors. The outside of the building is almost completed, only the main tower, which will rise from the ground, not being yet in place. The building as it now presents a beautiful and solid appearance, the style of architecture being the same as used in many universities of France. The athletic building, a frame structure, is under cover and will soon be completed. Work will at once commence on the observatory, which will be a beautiful building admirably adapted for its purpose.

The grounds are cleared about the buildings, and work is rapidly progressing. Under the supervision of M. H. Simonds, an able landscape gardener, the entire 300 acres will soon be systematically laid out and beautified. The work which has begun so well will be carried on, and all added that art can accomplish. The entire cost of the building and landscape improvements will be about $200,000. A complete independent water, heat and light system will be put in, all the preliminary work being done.

The board of regents have now under consideration the reorganization of the faculty for the coming year, and the institution promises to become a source of pride to every citizen of Washington. The architect and J. A. Johnson, superintendent for the state, are both extending all the help possible to the contractors, whose time will be fully occupied in completing the work for the opening of the university this fall.

A SITE OF NATURAL BEAUTY.

The buildings and grounds are admirably situated. Three hundred acres of land lie between Lake Union and Union Bay in Lake Washington, gently rolling toward the water to the south and west, and comprise the site which belongs to the university. No more beautiful or expansive view can be found in any country than the broad expanse of Lake Washington stretching for miles south of the Cascades, covered with their walls of evergreen and cedar forests, rising to the snow-capped peaks of the mountains which divide the plains of Eastern Washington from the valleys and forests of Puget Sound. On the north the view is closed by the Olympian range. Looking across Lake Union toward the south, a distant prospect of the city, with its numerous mills and busy streets, forms a constant panorama. To the east are the foothills and the mountain chain of Washington.

The grounds of the institution contain numerous features of beauty. The lake was originally covered with a dense forest of fir, cedar and maple, and a forest tract in the center has been cleared, with the exception of an ancient tree which has been left standing. Down toward the water on either side of the original forest still stand large trees, and overhanging trees and logs are covered with moss and ivy. To the north and west of the buildings, facing Lake Washington, lies broken land on which a forest of cedar holds undisturbed sway. A little trimming and cutting away of the dense growth will make this part of the grounds one of the most picturesque spots of the Northwest.

THE MAIN BUILDING.

The main building is situated on a commanding spot on the grounds, and the front and main face directly south, overlooking Union Bay. The structure is of sand and cream brick. There is a main structure 124 feet long by 65 feet wide, with a wing stretching back 100 feet by 74 feet in width. The building is two stories high, with basement and attic, finished up and furnished, making it to all intents and purposes a four-story building. The main entrance has three broad semicircular arches approached by a flight of steps and is of stone with terra cotta trimmings. Projecting over the front facade are three dormer windows, with terra cotta finish on both sides. The first floor has a large hallway extending through its entire length, opening at both ends on two small extensions which will be used for laboratories. On both sides of the hallway are class and recitation rooms, splendidly lighted and finished in the most approved fashion. On the second floor a similar hallway extends in like manner through the structure, and class rooms open on both sides as on the ground floor. The main floor of the wing extending back from the main building will be the auditorium, and with the gallery will span both stories. A stage on the speaking platform, with dressing rooms opening on both sides, will occupy the west end of the auditorium, which will be one of the features of the place. Here will be the home of the debating societies of the university, and the walls will often ring with the voices of student debate. The attic of the wing will be fitted up as a library. The hallways and front entrance will be ornamented with marble wainscoting and the floors tiled. The main stairs are all composed of iron with slate treads.

Two spiral towers with polished copper finials flank the front entrance on either side. On top of the building a spiral iron stairway leads up to the main tower, which rises about forty feet higher than the roof, from which a magnificent view of the surrounding country can be had. The building will be heated by indirect radiation. A fan situated in the basement revolves to give velocity, forces warm air through pipes, and extends into all the rooms, having a vent in the upper part of each room. The warm air entering the room at the top gently drives the cold air out of a vent situated near the floor, thus keeping the atmosphere at an even temperature and at the same time purifying it by constant change and renewal. The roof is covered with sixteen-ounce copper.

THE GYMNASIUM AND OBSERVATORY.

Besides the main building is a frame structure which is the armory, or gymnasium building, a short distance to the south. It is divided into two large halls with bath rooms and dressing rooms for the use of students. The observatory will be erected of the same material as the main building.

WATER AND COAL SUPPLY.

On the banks of Union Bay a pumping station will be built, whence water will be supplied through twelve-inch pipes to all the buildings on the grounds. Water will be pumped from wells near Washington to a reservoir which will be built at a point north of the main building on an elevation, and from which pipes will extend to all parts of the grounds. The wells will be situated near the water's edge, and the water from the lake filtering into them through the sandy soil will be purified from all vegetable matter and all other substances of a deleterious nature. The piping both for water and steam purposes will be of concrete, and both systems will be perfect in every particular. Coal bunkers will be erected on the branch of the Lake Shore & Eastern road which passes through the grounds a short distance above the shores of Union Bay.

A PARK NEAR THE CANAL.

On the point of land extending to the south and lying immediately along Union Bay and stretching southwest toward the canal, a park will be one of the most attractive features of the grounds. The fir trees grow tall and straight and the vine maple can be seen here and there, giving variety to the scene. The ground is almost level, rising gently from Union Bay and gradually declining again toward the shores of Lake Union. A boat house will be erected on the shores of Union Bay, where the waters are seldom rolled by the lake breezes, thus forming an ideal place for boat racing. The water is placid and smooth as glass, and rowing can be indulged in under the most propitious circumstances. Lake Union has also numerous sheltered bays contiguous to the grounds where boat and bathing houses will be erected and thoroughly equipped with all modern appliances for aquatic sports and athletic exercises on the water.

THE OLD UNIVERSITY.

In pioneer days A. A. Denny, C. C. Terry and Edward Lander donated to the university a ten-acre tract of land, which was at that time covered with virgin forest. Daniel Bagley, John Webster and Edmund Carr were appointed a committee by the legislature to choose a site, and being satisfied with the Denny tract, selected it, and the work of clearing away the dense growth of trees and underbrush was commenced. A part of the university lands was sold and the proceeds applied to the erection of suitable buildings for university purposes. The cornerstone was laid and the building was completed. It was opened for students in the fall of that year. It was a strong and commodious structure and was at that time the largest educational structure in the Northwest. It still stands as one of the most familiar landmarks of the city and state, and is associated with the growth and prosperity of the Northwest from an early period to the present time.

About the same time two other plain frame buildings were erected on the grounds, one being a dwelling house for the president and the other a dormitory for a number of students. The latter is now known as East Hall. In the year following another and more commodious two-story building of the same material was erected for the accommodation of the ever-increasing number of students. This building is known as the North Hall and has been used up to the present time for the purpose for which it was originally constructed.

In 1892 an astronomical observatory was constructed and equipped with a fine set of instruments for astronomical and meteorological observations. Among the purchases for this observatory was a fine equatorial telescope, mounted by Warner and Swasey. The self-registering meteorological instruments are the same as those used by the United States Weather Bureau.

THE FIRST PROFESSORS.

The first instructor in the University of Washington commenced his duties in the fall when the university was opened. He was afterward succeeded by E. W. Barnard, who taught for a period of two years. Then came George F. Whitworth for the same length of time. Then followed a period of about two years when the school was closed for lack of support. In 1870 S. H. Hall took charge and continued with the institution for three years. He was again succeeded by F. H. Whitworth, who was in the course of a year replaced by George F. Whitworth, who was president from 1874 to the summer of 1876. During the financial panic of 1877 the university was again closed for want of funds, to be reopened by A. J. Anderson, who was elected president in 1877 and remained in charge to 1882. During this period the school was organized as a college, and as the population and wealth of the country had greatly increased, a good enrollment of students was always on hand, and affairs assumed a prosperous appearance. From that time to the present a class has graduated each year. In 1892 the board of regents selected L. J. Powell as president, but he was compelled by ill health to resign in 1893. He was succeeded by T. M. Gatch, who has had charge of the university ever since.

PROMINENT GRADUATES.

The graduates of the university are few in number comparatively, but nearly all of those who have completed their courses of study there have gone out into the world reflecting credit on their alma mater. Many of the young women and not a few of the young men have devoted part of their time after graduation to school teaching. Among the most prominent graduates are Louis F. Anderson, W. J. Calkins, George Coleman, George H. Judson, David K. Bigelow, John Hutcheson, Charles V. Piper, J. James, V. V. Pillow, Florence M. Adams, Nettie S. Stevens, C. Clare Ward, Clara A. Kinnear, Frances A. Noble, F. Otto Collins, Adelia M. Parker, Royal T. Hawley, Agnes M. Greene, Edmond S. Meany, Thomas Hazzon, Albert W. Buddress and Jay D. Pearl. Their careers in teaching, law, medicine, business, natural history, journalism and public service reflected honor on the institution.

UNIVERSITY LEGISLATION.

The University of Washington has grown from small beginnings in pioneer days, when it often had to struggle for existence and sometimes had to close for lack of funds. The first act of the territorial legislature, approved January 29, 1855, located two universities, one at Seattle and another at Boisfort Plains in Lewis County. The United States grant of two townships of land was apportioned equally between the two institutions. The marvelous feature of this legislation was the small population at that time. In 1853, at the organization of the territory and only two years before this legislation, United States Marshal J. Patton Anderson enumerated the population of the territory and reported the total to be only 3,955, and the area of the territory then embraced all of what is now Washington, Idaho and that portion of Montana lying west of the Rocky Mountains. Yet they proposed to have two universities. In 1860 the United States census showed only 11,594 population for the same vast area, and this was five years after the act establishing two universities.

In 1858 the two universities were consolidated and located on Cowlitz Farm Prairie, provided a deed was given for 640 acres of good land for a site. In 1860 the university was relocated at Seattle, provided a deed for ten acres was obtained for a site, and the two townships of granted lands were to be devoted to its support. On January 11, 1861, Daniel Bagley, John Webster and Edmund Carr were appointed commissioners to select and sell the granted lands at a price not less than $1.50 an acre. On January 24, 1862, the University of the Territory of Washington was incorporated by law with Daniel Bagley, Paul H. Hubbs, J. P. Keller, John Webster, Frank Clark, E. Carr, G. A. Meiggs, Columbia Lancaster and C. H. Hale as regents. The law provided for departments of literature, science and art; law; medicine; and a military department.

The institution passed through many legislative changes. In 1877 the first appropriation for the university was passed. In 1881 the regents were directed to select the balance of the land grant. It was at this period that Henry Villard came to the rescue with a personal donation to the university. By 1883 appropriations were being made for maintenance and free scholarships. Upon statehood a new era dawned. March 27, 1889, a long law was enacted by the first state legislature setting forth in detail the establishment and rules for management of the University of Washington. Subsequent legislatures provided appropriations for maintenance, books, apparatus and buildings. On March 17, 1895, $150,000 was appropriated for new buildings and the improvement of the new grounds.

The last state legislature, session of 1895, enacted seven statutes affecting the university. These provided, in brief, that the sale of intoxicating liquors is prohibited within two miles of the new grounds; the regents are to serve without compensation after the new buildings are completed; and the lands of the university are to be bonded to pay back to the state $225,000 of the moneys appropriated. The appropriations consisted of $50,000 for maintenance for two years, $200,000 for further buildings and improvements, $50,000 re-appropriated to meet an unexpended balance of the former building appropriation of $150,000, and a small sum to pay the expenses of the old university land and building commission.

A summary of appropriations shows the slow development of the institution. During the territorial period the total was $34,387. During statehood the appropriations for maintenance, new buildings and grounds, expenses of the old land commission and adjustment of granted lands brought the total to a large sum. An inventory of the buildings, furniture and equipment procured by these appropriations, together with the lands owned by and set aside for the university, will show nearly $200,000 worth of property, so that it may be shown that the actual burden upon the people of maintaining the university has been light.