"Newell Hall is a historic site in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is located in the northeastern section of the University of Florida. On June 27, 1979, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Formerly home to the Department of Soil and Water Science, the building is currently used as a 24/7 study space for university students to collaborate.
Namesake
Newell Hall is named for Wilmon Newell, the Provost of Agriculture at the University of Florida from 1921 until his death in October 1943.
Renovations
On April 17, 2017, a newly renovated Newell Hall opened on campus. The $16.6 million project added expansive indoor seating, an Au Bon Pain restaurant, as well as numerous modern study spaces and meeting rooms. Outdoor hammocks were installed and new landscaping was added."
--Wikipedia (
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The following additional information is from a historic marker near the building:
"Born in 1878 in Hull, Iowa, Dr. Wilmon Newell was influential in Florida agriculture from his arrival in this state. His Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Science degrees were all from Iowa State College, and in 1937 he received a second Doctorate from Clemson Agricultural College. In 1915, he moved from Texas to Florida to become the first plant commissioner of the newly-created State Plant Board, a post that he held for the rest of his life. In 1921, the Florida State Board of Control appointed Dr. Newell as Dean of the College of Agriculture, and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. In 1938, he became Provost for Agriculture at the University of Florida, continuing in that capacity until his death. An entomologist by specialty, Dr. Newell authored more than one hundred scientific papers, and organized statewide campaigns against citrus canker and the Mediterranean Fruit Fly. Following Dr. Newell?s death in Gainesville in 1943, the rebuilt Agricultural Experiment Station memorialized his service to Floridians.
The Agricultural Experiment Station was constructed in 1909. Architect William A. Edwards and builder J.J. Cain followed in the Collegiate Gothic architectural tradition, emphasizing classical, ornate facades of brick and terra cotta. When new, this was the southernmost major building on the University of Florida campus, and was surrounded by uncleared woods or open fields. In 1941, after three decades of service, Experiment Station staff and students vacated the building, allowing architect Rudolph Weaver to supervise a major renovation and expansion. Because of World War II, the project was obliged to compete for scarce building materials and labor. The War Production Board found that Florida agriculture, supported by the Agricultural Experiment Station, was crucial to the war effort, and allocated the necessary material. By 1944, the rebuilding was complete, resulting in a expansion of the Experiment Station?s space, and the addition of a fourth floor, two new stairwells, and an elevator. In a ceremony held here on May 12, 1944, the Agricultural Experiment Station was dedicated in memory of Wilmon Newell.
This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places."