Thomas Hall - Gainesville, FL
N 29° 39.102 W 082° 20.762
17R E 369721 N 3280949
Thomas Hall at the University of Florida was built in 1905 and is the one of the two original buildings on campus. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 11, 1974.
Waymark Code: WMXE42
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/01/2018
Views: 2
"Thomas Hall, built in 1905, is a historic building located in Murphree Area on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, United States. The building is named for William Reuben Thomas, the Gainesville mayor and businessman responsible for bringing the University of Florida to Gainesville.
Architect William Augustus Edwards designed Thomas Hall in the Collegiate Gothic style. Buckman Hall was built at the same time and the two are the oldest buildings on the campus. On October 1, 1974, Thomas Hall was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Thomas Hall has been used as a UF dormitory for many years."
--Wikipedia (
visit link)
The following additional information is from a historic marker near the building:
"When this building opened in 1906, it was called the Main Building. It served as the administration-classroom building for the University. The president's office was on the southwest corner of the first floor. There were twenty-four classrooms, four laboratories, an assembly hall, dining room, kitchen, library, Experiment Station offices, faculty offices, a four-bed infirmary, and a small apartment that would be occupied by the University's matron and her family. By 1915, with the construction of new buildings on campus, Thomas Hall became a dormitory. Wm. A. Edwards was the architect, and W.T. Hadlow of Jacksonville was the contractor.
The building was named for William Reuben Thomas who had led the successful battle to locate the University of Florida in Gainesville. Thomas was born in Gainesville, May 24, 1866. He attended Peabody College and received a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1988. In his early years, Thomas was an educator. He was on the faculty of the East Florida Seminary, and that is where he received the title of major. He was also principal of Gainesville High School. He represented Alachua County in the Florida Legislature and served six terms as Gainesville's mayor. He was also a successful business leader and banker. Major Thomas died September 9, 1942, at his home in Gainesville. This residence is now the Thomas Center.
This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places."