This beautiful building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in several phases, the earliest during World War I and the latest in 1970. Its architectural style is mostly Jacobethan Revival, while later additions are Tudor Revival. It is a low, sprawling building with lots of limestone buttresses and decorations, and stone-mullioned windows. One of the additions was built under the WPA, and it has heavy timber entries, intricate brickwork and projecting bays. It was originally set in a residential district surrounded by a botanical garden; now it is crowded between other university buildings on two busy street corners.
The building's interior is as fascinating as its exterior. It has undergone several renovations, some more successful than others. Many of the original details remain, such as terrazzo floors, the large windows and skylights, and the wall and ceiling treatments. The offices, many with antique oak doors and huge windows, are strangely cramped, while not necessarily small. The hallways curve around and about in unexpected directions, as one might expect in a building that has evolved over 70 years or more of construction and remodeling. Large stairways appear tucked into corners. While trying to find one's way from one entrance to another exit, one stumbles over strange original fixtures, such as a full-size wall safe circa 1915 set among a row of office doors. Conference rooms are below ground level and difficult to find. Ceilings seem lower than they should be.
If one looks hard enough, one can find stairways that lead down below the ground floor level and into the deeper basement. From the basement are tunnels that lead to a number of other interesting buildings on campus, some surprisingly far away. I make frequent use of these tunnels in inclement weather. It is not uncommon to see corrections officers leading shackled men wearing orange jumpsuits in the tunnels. I try not to stare.
Your task, dear reader, is to guess not only what department inhabits this wonderful building, but also why the building was constructed in the first place (its original inhabitants).
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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16 comments:
I'm guessing former hospital of some sort and that the Communication/English/Foreign Languages dept. is in there. Everywhere I've been we get the smallest offices in the oldest, nastiest buildings.
An old mental hospital currently occupied by the psychology department?
I too, was going to guess that this is the psych building but was once some sort of health center/mental hospital.
Agree with dr.k and jobetta; a rest home for the criminally bewildered.
In some respects it almost sounds like a building on the College of William & Mary's Campus. Since Eastern State Mental Hospital is just down the road it would fit with dr. k, Jobetta, and frankc's guesses. I would guess something unusual as to the department though. Perhaps the applied sciences department or engineering.
Admin. And it was the original building of the institution.
Big windows, lots of hardwood, and bizarre design? Must be the School of Business, either past or present.
(Bonus points if that idiot Gehry had a hand in it.)
Sounds like the Hospital, I'd guess Radiology
My building has wall safes because back in the day it was the bursar's office.
Our building had a big safe because it used to be a department store. The safe was so heavy it was making the floor sag so they had it removed at considerable expense.
Anyways, next time you see an officer leading an an shackled subject into the tunnels run up and say something to the effect of "Finally! New Specimens! But isn't this one a lttle weedy ? They don't last long when they're weedy..." in your best mad scientist impression.
Did it used to be a bank?
OK, I'll spill the beans. Yes, this building was LSU's initial foray into medical education and it was called the Homeopathic Hospital. Later it became the morgue. Now (and there's no particular reason you should have been able to guess this) it houses the departments that make up the College of Public Health.
The tunnel network extends under the (modern) medical complex. The prisoners from the city lockup are brought in through the tunnels.
@ Doesnotmatter - Ha ha ha!
"Guess that building" is a great game. (I never figure it out right, but in the end I can't believe I didn't realize!)
"Guess that building". I think that's a good idea.
Until I read your puzzler, I had forgotten that a wrong turn going to my first office as a physics grad student took you to a morgue.
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