University of Maine at Orono Historic District - Orono, ME
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 44° 54.181 W 068° 40.197
19T E 526056 N 4972229
The U of M at Orono was established at a time when part of the students' curriculum included supplying the labour required to built the campus.
Waymark Code: WMT1CC
Location: Maine, United States
Date Posted: 09/08/2016
Views: 0
Yes, indeed, in the morning it was classes and, in the afternoon, construction. Founded in 1862, the University of Maine at Orono opened its doors for the first time on September 21, 1868. In the original Historic District of 1978 were ten contributing buildings, built between 1868 and 1913. They were: Lord Hall, 1903-04; Alumni Hall, 1900-01; Holmes Hall, 1888-1913; Stock Judging Pavilion, 1908; Winslow Hall, 1908-09; The Maples, 1877; Fernald Hall, 1868-1870; Coburn Hall, 1887-88; President's House, 1872-73; Carnegie Library, 1905-06. A boundary increase in 2010 greatly increased the number to 27 contributing buildings and four contributing sites.
Today the flagship campus of the University of Maine, Orono campus hosts over 11,000 students. The largest university in the state, it is the only institution in Maine classified as a research university. Originally known as the Maine College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, today the university boasts 90 undergraduate programs within five Colleges: the College of Business, Public Policy and Health; the College of Education and Human Development; the College of Engineering; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture.
In terms of facilities, the university also boasts thirty-seven academic buildings, thirty administrative buildings, eighteen residence halls, eighteen specific laboratory facilities, fourteen Greek life houses, ten sports facilities, five museums, four dining facilities, two convenience stores, a student union, a cafe, a pub, an 87,000-square-foot state of the art recreation and fitness center, and a 200'x200' air supported athletic/recreational dome.
From Wiki
These buildings, selected for inclusion in the University of Maine at
Orono Historic District, represent the earliest structures remaining on this, first and principal campus of the state university.
Founded as a result of the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 which gave to each state within the Union 30,000 acres of land per congressman for the purpose of endowing at least one mechanical and agricultural college, the Maine State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts opened its doors to students for the first time on September 21, 1868. At that time there were only two professors and twelve students. The other possible site for the college had been Topsham in the southern part of the state but the more northerly location
won out when in April of 1866, Orono and Old Town purchased for $11,000 the former Frost and White Farms and donated the land to the State.
Life at the young college was quite different from today. The accommodations for students were extremely primitive and sanitary requirements were satisfied by a giant unheated privy on the slope behind Fernald Hall. The Town of Orono was in the heyday of its history.
Although not carried out exactly as conceived, the original plan of the campus was drawn by the preeminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead who also drew up a proposed curriculum and statement of educational philosophy for the College.
The earliest building within the district, Fernald Hall, was constructed with student labor between 1868 and 1870. Manual labor was a part of the educational program, classes being held in the mornings and work on the farms and buildings being done in the afternoons. Originally called Chemical Hall, the building was one of the early chemical laboratories for undergraduates in the United States.
From the NRHP Nomination Form
Street address: Highway 2 North Orono, ME USA 04469
County / Borough / Parish: Penobscot
Year listed: 1978
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Education, Architecture
Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1850-1874
Historic function: Education - College, Educational Related Housing, Research Facility
Current function: Education - College, Educational Related Housing, Research Facility
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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