Located in the rural town of Prairie View, Texas, Prairie View A&M University -- or PVAMU, for short -- is a historically black university (HBCU) founded in 1876.
The university officially opened in 1878 as the “Alta Vista Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas for Colored Youth”, when the Alta Vista Plantation -- a cotton plantation located on the campus’ current grounds -- was deeded to the state. It was for many years the only publicly funded historically African American college in Texas, and time after time survived the political and economic oppression of African American educational institutions that occurred in Texas from the Reconstruction Era through much of the 20th century. All full historical accounting of the university is available for further reading on the
Texas State Historical Association website.
PVAMU’s campus has several historic buildings, some of which were designed by renowned African American architects who studied and later taught at the university. Seven of these buildings -- all built around the first half of the 20th century -- were ultimately nominated and recognized by the NRHP for their historic and architectural significance throughout their tumultuous periods. As best described by the original April 21, 1999 NRHP
Nomination Submission form:
“[…] Fieldwork in the summer of 1997 identified only seven (out of 89 catalogued in 1936) extant historic resources associated with the campus. […]. Built using masonry construction techniques, they typically rise one to three stories in height on generally rectangular plans. Block massing and symmetrically composed facades predominate, with partial basements and entry focal points providing formal design elements. Finish materials historically included brick, cast stone and tile detailing, asphalt shingles and generously proportioned wood fenestration. Varying stylistic influences, specifically ornamentation drawn from the Classical Revival, Collegiate Gothic and Modern styles of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, reveal the involvement of architects throughout the period of significance. Historic settings typically provided generous green spaces dotted with native oak trees and low scale vegetation around each building. A network of concrete sidewalks and entry stairs evolved during the period of significance to connect campus facilities. Remodeling over the years resulted in changes that generally respect the historic character of these resources. Typical changes include construction of new wings to accommodate growth on campus, alteration of fenestration materials to improve energy efficiency and reconfiguring of sidewalks and entries to comply with [new federal] guidelines.
[…] Reflective of the primary mission of the university, [these seven] Education Buildings bespeak the development of the campus throughout the period of significance. As such they are significant for their historical associations […] in the areas of Education and Ethnic Heritage. Strong associations with significant leaders on the campus suggest nomination […] in these same areas, given a direct association between the contributions of the person and the building in question.”
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Designed by F.E. Giesecke and built in 1939, Hilliard Hall (a.k.a. “Building #0537”, located on A.G. Cleaver St.) is a simple 2-story structure with very unique architectural stone and tile patterns throughout its exterior. The structure is one in a set of three buildings on campus either designed or co-designed (together with C.L. Wilson) by Dr. F Giesecke. The other two buildings are also on the NRHP, known as "Anderson Hall" and the G.R. Woolfolk Building.
The building was named after the prominent PVAMU African American educator, Roby W. Hilliard Sr. Originally conceived as a dining hall (the “Hilliard Dining Hall”), it currently houses the Department of Languages and Communications as well as the university’s television studio, its public radio station (KPVU 91.3 FM), and campus mail station. Per the university’s own website: “On any Wednesday you can see and hear student life in full swing [in front of Hilliard Hall]. One of the campus' long standing traditions is Hump Day on The Hill. The hour long mid-week reprise is full of students being entertained by good music, student and celebrity performances, and fraternities and sororities. Surrounding the plaza are the Greek trees and monuments, where organizations are able to display their colors and artifacts.”
Below is brief history on the building’s designer, per the original NRHP nomination submission:
“Dr. Frederich Ernst Giesecke (1869-1953) -- Prominent Texas architect and engineer Frederich Ernst Giesecke designed a number of significant buildings on the Prairie View campus in the early 20th century. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M in 1886. Directly after graduation he became an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering there and in 1888 he became the head of the department of mechanical drawing when it was separated from the department of mechanical engineering. He did graduate work at Cornell University, the University of Illinois and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1907 he spent a year studying heating and ventilation at the Technical University of Berlin. He published some of the first authentic articles on the subject in “Heating and Ventilating Magazine” when he returned. Giesecke left Texas A&M in 1912 to head the Department of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. From 1914 to 1920 he served simultaneously as a Professor of Architecture and as the Head of the Division of the Engineering Bureau of Economic Geology and Technology. Giesecke left UT in 1923 to earn a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. In 1927, Giesecke returned to Texas A&M as the Head of the Department of Architecture and the College Architect. In 1928 he became the Director of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station. While at A&M Giesecke experimented with rodding concrete, paving the way to ready-mixed concrete. His articles on this subject led to the acceptance of reinforced concrete structures.
Dr. Giesecke was extremely active in professional organizations within his field. He was instrumental in organizing the Texas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (inducted 1906). He was a charter member (1891) of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education (now the American Society of Engineering Education) and later served as the president of the Texas Section. He was a life member of the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers and served as the president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 1942 Dr. Giesecke received the F. Paul Anderson Gold Metal for Outstanding Contribution to the Science of Heating and Ventilating. In addition, Dr. Giesecke remained dedicated to education and authored a number of articles and textbooks including “Technical Drawing” (1936, with Alva Mitchell and Henry Spencer) which has become a standard text for engineering students.”