Language Hall - Florida Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The historical marker reads:

Construction of Language Hall began in 1912, and it was completed October 1913. The architect was William A. Edwards of Atlanta, who designed all of the early buildings on campus. The contracting company was Holladay and Crouse of Greensboro, North Carolina, whose bid, including heating, was $38,875. Language Hall was the home for the core programs of the Humanities: History, Languages (modern and ancient), and Mathematics. When the University College was organized in the 1930s, it provided classroom space for its writing and speaking labs.

Language Hall also served as the main administration building until Tigert Hall was completed in 1950. The president's office was moved from Thomas Hall to space on the northwest corner of the first floor of Language. This office later was occupied by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and his staff. The dean of Students, the dean of the Graduate School, the dean of University College, the Registrar, the dean of the University, and the financial aid administrator also had offices in this building.

In 1938, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Yearling, taught a creative writing course on the second floor of Language Hall. The Independent Florida Alligator had its first editorial office on the basement floor. Also Florida Blue Key was organized here. The YMCA had an office, and several of the literary societies met here.

The building was renamed in 1949 to honor James Nesbitt Anderson, professor of Greek and Latin, first dean of Arts and Sciences, and first dean of the Graduate School at the University of Florida. Dr. Anderson was born October 21, 1864, in Lorenz County, South Carolina. He attended Wolford College and Vanderbilt University, and received a B.A. in Literature from the University of Virginia in 1886, and an M.A. in Greek and Latin, also from Virginia, the following year. He was a Morgan Fellow at Harvard University and studies at universities in Berlin, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, and Paris. He received his Ph.D. degree in Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit from John Hopkins University in 1894. After teaching in Oklahoma, Missouri, Michigan, and Tennessee, he accepted a position as professor of Greek at Florida State College (Tallahassee) in 1903. With the creation of the University of Florida by the Buckman Act in 1905, Anderson joined that faculty. He was a member of the first faculty when the university opened in Gainesville in September 1906. He also inspired the Latin motto of the university that is on its seal.

Dr. Anderson was a close personal friend of President Murphree, and they worked together in 1909 on the organization of the University into four colleges. Dr. Anderson was named the first dean of Arts and Sciences. There were 82 students in the college at that time. After serving 20 years as dean of Arts and Sciences, he became dean of the Graduate School, a position he held for eight years. Throughout, he served as head of the department of Ancient Languages and taught Greek and Latin. He retired after thirty-three years at the University, on September 1, 1938. He died June 15, 1945, and was buried in Gainesville.

A generous gift from Kenneth and Janet Keene in 1997, together with State funding, allowed the University to restore Anderson Hall. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Marker Number: None Date: None County: Alachua Marker Type: Plaque Sponsored or placed by: University of Florida Website: [Web Link]

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