Strong Hall - Lawrence, Kansas - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

Strong Hall consists of a central element with connecting links to east and west wings. The style is Classical Revival. It is three stories with an above ground basement and a sub-basement. Because of the slope of the land, the basement windows on the south are partly below ground while on the north, the windows are all above ground. The height on the north side is seventy-nine feet with sixty-five feet on the south. The length of the building is 400 feet and seventy-five feet wide. The outside building material is terra cotta cast to match the natural limestone found on other University buildings. It has vertical ribbing with alternate stone courses. Brick is used for backing and the inside walls and the foundation is suppressed limestone. The roof is built up with a gravel topping. There are five skylights on each wing and two in the center section.

The front entrance faces south, 150 feet from Jayhawk Drive. On the west side of the building is Poplar Lane, a road starting at right angles to Jayhawk Drive, and curving around behind the building, meeting on the east with Mississippi Street. On the west side of Poplar Lane is Snow Hall. On the north side is Kenneth Spencer Research Library, and on the east is Bailey Hall. Double walks lead to the front entrance from the street. Walks also lead to the east and west entrances from the walk in front of the building.

There are seven semi-circular limestone steps leading to the main entrance where the entrance doors are recessed. Two metal handrails, that have been added recently, lead up these steps to the doors. Around the entrance is an overhanging Neo-Classical entablature that is supported by two pilasters on each side that rise above the architrave. The architrave has six lions' heads used as drains. Green glazed medallions in the shape of shields and enclosed by the scallop ornaments are above the pilaster. Between them is a square terra cotta panel. This panel was originally to be used for bas-relief of the nine muses. The bas-relief was also to have been on the north elevation but they both had to be eliminated because of lack of funds. Above the shields is a cornice with a band of decorated small projecting squares adjacent to a recessed square. This entablature is capped by an upward projecting square centered on the entrance facade.