The University of Montevallo, 75 College Drive, Montevallo

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Originally founded as the Alabama Girls Industrial School, the University of Montevallo dates from1896 and became central Alabama s first school to offer technical, practical skills to young women. In the name changed to the Alabama Girls Technical Institute, but the core mission remained the education of female students in fields such as secretarial science, bookkeeping, domestic science, scientific cooking, and teaching. Over time, the school began a slow evolution towards offering a traditional four-year collegiate experience. In the institution became Alabama College. Along with the new name, the mission changed from industrial and technical training to a more liberal arts style education.

The target student changed from girls between ages 14 and 21 to women looking to furthering their educational background beyond high school. Starting in Alabama College embarked on both a recruitment plan and capital campaign. With increasing enrollment came the need to expand physical campus to better accommodate a growing student population. The capital campaign addressed some of these needs, particularly with residence halls. However, by the late items like a gymnasium and additional classroom space were paramount.

In Alabama College entered into an agreement with the famed Olmsted Brothers Firm of Brookline, Massachusetts and project Landscape Architect James Frederick Dawson to produce an ambitious landscape plan serving both current and future needs of the school by allowing for slow growth from 800 to students. A campus architectural rendering was produced in June but the Great Depression was already taking its toll on Alabama College s coffers. As evidenced in correspondence between the Olmsted Firm and college administrators, several bills went unpaid for years. In Alabama College and the Olmsted Brothers Firm reached an agreement, through the Massachusetts state court system, allowing school administrators to transfer bonds to the architects in lieu of cash payments.

According to court records, the school owed money as far back as November Eventually, Alabama College administrators appealed to the federal government for help with building and infrastructure projects. Though money was tight, the growing institution made a case for continued expansion during the Great THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 2 Depression years. Through the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Public Works Administration (PWA), Alabama College paved its roads and sidewalks and added an outdoor amphitheater, a classroom building, a residence hall, and a gymnasium. From to school administrators appealed to the Works Progress Administration for labor funds and materials to keep campus expansion moving forward in the Olmsted vision.

While the Olmsted master plan was not followed exactly, it provided a path for the school to build as needed. It is significant that the University of Montevallo continues using the facilities constructed by and funded with WPA money in the Comer Hall, Tutwiler Hall, Bibb Graves Hall, and the brick sidewalks and streets are all indelible campus facilities. In Alabama College officially became coeducational and, in was renamed the University of Montevallo. Today, UM still serves as Alabama s only legislatively sanctioned liberal arts institution. Description: Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Montevallo sits approximately 35 miles south of Birmingham, and is considered the geographic center of Alabama.

The name Montevallo roughly translates from the Italian for mountain in a valley. The inaugural class only had 150 students, housed in local hotels or boarded with area families, who studied in the only campus building available. Situated on the highest point in town, the University of Montevallo now offers approximately 70 disciplines to an average student population of Sitting on 160 acres, the school has use of 73 separate facilities. The University of Montevallo has over alumni. Because of the area s geology, brick-making ingredients are found in abundance. Bricks quickly became the building material of choice. The hilly campus is known for not only its brick structures, but also its iconic brick streets and sidewalks.

History: Brick Streets, Sidewalks, and Amphitheater From its founding in to the early Alabama College featured a number of dirt paths and roads. In the there was a short-lived attempt to concrete sidewalks and streets as rain created muddy, puddle-filled streets and walkways while drier weather turned them into dusty avenues. In addition to these inconveniences, one can imagine the practical and logistical problems of trucking items onto and across campus. A prime example being the shipping of food products to Alabama College s dining facility; Montevallo s train depot was located roughly one mile south of campus, a mile that included crossing a creek and then climbing uphill to campus.

Once on campus, wagons, and later trucks, had to continue their ascent to the top of the hill and negotiate the narrow roads to make deliveries. THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 3 In an effort to continue the fledgling paving campaign, Alabama College requested the Olmsted Brothers Firm include streets and sidewalks on its plan for the school. Submitted in June the Olmsted Brothers landscape architectural drawings called for better streets and sidewalks and for an amphitheater. Unfortunately, Alabama College, like other institutions, began feeling the economic pinch of the Great Depression. In an effort to economize, the president suggested using bricks to pave certain roads deemed temporary.

He argued bricking the roads created stable service ways for construction projects then the bricks could be repurposed for other construction projects. The Olmsted Firm thought the idea terrible, citing labor concerns and the fact that paved temporary roads often turned into permanent entities. Ultimately, brick was selected as the paving material of choice. Administrators and the Board of Trustees appealed to the federal government s WPA program for assistance. Approved, laborers began laying brick in and within a decade all campus pathways were finished. In and several heavily traveled sidewalks were bricked under the Civil Works Administration (CWA), a short-lived forerunner to the PWA.

The campus newspaper writes, students will be proud and thankful [for] the new brick walk which will join the brick walk at the West Wing of Main Hall and extend to the west side gate of the campus. On October 10, the Alabamian published the editorial plea our campus roads need to be paved now! The article points to dust covering everything from shoes to flowers and dust traveling into classroom spaces and dorm rooms. On the other hand, rain created a scene of hundreds of students wading through rain puddles and ankle-deep mud--who have ruined multitudinous hose and shoes In late the CWA announced it would donate in labor and materials to brick the campus streets and remaining sidewalks using an estimated bricks manufactured by the Montevallo Brick and Tile Company.

The selected streets connected Palmer Hall, Hanson Hall, Main Hall, the Tower, and Calkins Hall. Additionally, this phase also included sidewalks connecting Calkins, Ramsay, and Hanson to the dining hall. Although the CWA program ended in Alabama College s brick paving work continued until May In the summer of campus paving began under the WPA s Public Works Administration (PWA) program. The PWA s goal included paving the remainder of campus streets and sidewalks at a total cost of Under the CWA, only four sidewalks were completed in their entirety. The PWA plan called for finishing the job. Most of the streets were already complete, but the PWA intended to connect the streets between campus proper and the campus laundry and power plant.

It also connected the president's home to campus and called for paving the street on the north side of Palmer Auditorium. The Palmer project alone employed 22 workers for several months. The college catalog states, An out-door theatre is being constructed in THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 4 the natural cup just below and to the west of Flower Hill. Finished in this facility functioned as an outdoor entertainment venue featuring concerts and plays as well as celebrations such as May Day. Connected to campus by a brick sidewalk, the amphitheater was placed near the president s home. Shaped like an egg with a truncated point, the amphitheater was sloped downhill, encircled by a brick pathway which led down to a brick-paved landing.

Drainage grates in this landing captured storm water run-off from the amphitheater. Immediately beyond the drainage grates, the landscape turns upward to the earthen stage. Seating was on open ground. The amphitheater remained in use until the mainly as an outdoor concert venue for Student Life events. However, this facility fell into disuse and disrepair for almost forty years. Some of the theater bricks were even repurposed for street and sidewalk repair. Field investigation showed that much of the original mortared brick curbs lining the pathways remain intact and covered with soil and sod. Parts of the original stage landing and drainage system also remain. Currently, the amphitheater is undergoing a renaissance, with a portion of the brick ring being replaced.

Immediate campus plans call for the restoration of this area. Bibb Graves Hall Named for a former Alabama Governor, David Bibb Graves Bibb Graves Hall has long served the gymnasium needs of the campus. Alabama College administrators and Board Members demonstrated a need for gym to house indoor physical education activities as far back as School leaders went so far as to have renderings drawn and ground cleared, but construction attempts failed due to the Great Depression. At the November 28, Board of Trustees meeting, the firm of Warren, Knight, and Davis submitted plans for a gymnasium that would be the largest building on any Alabama campus at the time.

Approved, the plans called for a brick Georgian-style two-story central structure topped with a cupola located between two one-story wings. The total dimensions were to be 314 by 60 and included a large gymnasium with spectator balcony, a small gymnasium, and a 75 by 35 swimming pool, offices, classrooms, lockers, and showers. The structure was designed to support a campus enrollment of students. Plans were even made to dedicate the building in October and name it for Governor Graves, a proponent of health education. However, the impressive structure came with a price tag. Dissuaded, the administration petitioned the federal government for assistance, but the request was denied because gymnasiums were deemed unimportant.

In a stroke of savvy and creative genius, administrators again petitioned for WPA money, but this time for an airplane hangar. A deal was made allowing the federal government to place a small airport on campus to service Shelby County while Alabama College used the facility and runway areas for physical education activities. THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 5 Construction began on March 23, with the total cost and labor, borne by the WPA. Bibb Graves Hall called for an 80 by 60 indoor area, approximately twice the size of the existing gymnasium. In addition to the building, the adjacent grounds were graded and leveled to accommodate an earthen runway.

Shortly before construction ended, the federal government decommissioned the airport and school administrators renovated the hangar space and installed a multifunctional wooden floor and faculty offices. The yearbook states, Once it was an airplane hangar surrounded by an acre or more of mud--now it is a modern gymnasium with offices .It has a beautiful hardwood floor and a cooling system that s a life-saver. It is the scene of sports tournaments and many a festive dance class. In the mid-1950s, men officially joined the ranks of Alabama College. The subsequent increase in enrollment and the addition of officially sanctioned sports teams quickly overmatched Graves Hall s capacity.

A new gymnasium opened in and Bibb Graves was renovated to include additional faculty offices, a weight room, and a dance studio. For a number of years, it served as a supplemental facility for the Physical Education Department. In the University of Montevallo opened an all-encompassing Student Activity Center named for former president Robert McChesney. Today, Bibb Graves Hall serves various students uses, including intramural sports activities, Student Government Association recreational events and dances, Greek-life recruiting, and indoor practice space for the baseball team. Tutwiler Hall Famed Alabama social reformer and education activist Julia Strudwick Tutwiler played an important role in the Alabama Girls Industrial School founding.

In addition to her advocating, she was initially named the institution's first president. Though she resigned the office before ever serving, Tutwiler remained a staunch supporter of the school. With a need for an additional dormitory and a desire to house students by academic class, the Alabama College Administration and Board of Trustees pursued WPA funding for construction of Julia Strudwick Tutwiler Hall. The federal government approved in WPA funds for construction, with Upchurch Construction Company submitting the winning bid. The architectural firm Warren, Davis, and Knight designed the brick building to house 102 seniors. The dormitory was dedicated on April 25, by Julia Tutwiler s nephew Gessner T.

McCorvey, but eager students moved in on March The dorm featured two parlors just inside the main entrance. The parlors functioned as social spaces for seniors to relax with one parlor featuring a baby grand piano. Other amenities included mirrors on room doors, a chandelier, and an elevator. As dormitory policies relaxed, female students from the freshmen, sophomore, and junior ranks were allowed admittance, even though Tutwiler remained an in- THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 6 demand housing option. In the early the building underwent a thorough renovation. Electrical wiring and security features were updated and air- conditioning and direct dial phone lines were installed. Today, Tutwiler still serves the University of Montevallo as a women s residence.

Comer Hall Named for former Alabama governor and educational leader Braxton Bragg Comer this desperately needed structure relieved classroom overcrowding and housed many academic departments, including history, English, foreign languages, secretarial science, speech, mathematics, and radio courses. It was only the second building designed specifically for academic use and also featured soundproof radio broadcasting studios. Birmingham s own Warren, Knight, and Davis Architectural Firm designed Comer Hall to house 30 classrooms and a 200-seat lecture hall. According to mid-1930s Board of Trustee Minutes, the student population exceeded 800 pupils, resulting in the need to expand academic campus.

The administration sought funding and labor from the WPA and work began in Alabama College subsidized the remaining debt by assessing students a per semester building fee. Comer Hall was officially dedicated on April 25, though classes began using it on January In the Harbert Writing Center opened on the third floor. This facility offers campus-wide, cross-disciplinary help with composition and citation questions. On the second floor, Palmer Commons offers a space where English and Foreign Language students gather for meetings or study between classes. Today, Comer Hall houses the Department of English and Foreign Languages, Psychology, Foreign Language and Psychology computer labs, Palmer Commons, and Comer Auditorium.

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS AL-5. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

A Pleasant Surprise Awaits You." The Alabamian, September 1, p. 2. Alabama College Newspaper Scrapbook: May 1938-August Milner Archives. University of Montevallo Library. Barnett, Ethel. "Bibb Graves Hall, Future Gymnasium." The Alabamian, December 2. "Buildings and Additions Will Complete New Program." The Alabamian, February 26, p. "Carroll Atkinson Uses School Radio Work As Example." The Alabamian, December 11, p. 4. "Campus Improved During Vacation." The Alabamian, August 27, p. 1. THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 7 Campus Roads and Walks to Be Paved." The Alabamian, December 5, p. 2. Carmichael, O. C. Dr. O. C. Carmichael to Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, December 14, Carmichael, O. C. Dr. O. C.

Carmichael to Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, August 22, Carmichael, O. C. Dr. O. C. Carmichael to Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, August 30, Carmichael, O. C. Dr. O. C. Carmichael to Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, September 1, Carmichael, O. C. Dr. O. C. Carmichael to Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, October 19, Carmichael, O. C. Dr. O. C. Carmichael to Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, November 3, Carmichael, O. C. Dr. O. C. Carmichael to Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, April 6, Carmichael, O. C. Dr. O. C. Carmichael to Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, April 9, Exercises in Dedication: April 25, Montevallo, AL: Alabama College, Quarterly Bulletin. Griffith, Lucille.

Alabama College: Montevallo, AL: University of Montevallo Press, Griffith, Lucille. White Columns and Red Bricks: the University of Montevallo Buildings. Montevallo, AL: University of Montevallo Press, Hultquist, Clark and Carey Heatherly. Montevallo. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, Moorer, Birdie M., ed. The Technala. Montevallo, AL: Students of Montevallo, "New Buildings Will Enlarge School Capacity." The Alabamian, August 31, p. 1. THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 8 "New Campus Buildings are Now Under Construction." The Alabamian, March 27, p. 4. Olmsted Brothers. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects to Dr. O. C. Carmichael, Palas Verdes Estates, CA, Olmsted Brothers. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects to Dr. O. C.

Carmichael, Brookline, MA, April 10, Olmsted Brothers. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects to Dr. O. C. Carmichael, Brookline, MA, August 15, Olmsted Brothers. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects to Dr. O. C. Carmichael, Brookline, MA, September 13, Olmsted Brothers. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects to Dr. O. C. Carmichael, Brookline, MA, October 31, Olmsted Brothers. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects to Dr. O. C. Carmichael, Brookline, MA, February 6, Olmsted Brothers. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects to Dr. O. C. Carmichael, Brookline, MA, July 22, Olmsted Brothers. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects to Dr. O. C. Carmichael, Brookline, MA, April 6, "Paving." The Alabamian, November 5, p. 2. "Paving on North Campus to Begin." The Alabamian, April 28, p. 2.

"President Harman Announces Methods of Liquidating College Obligations." The Alabamian, January 30, p. 1. "P. W. A. Application is Approved." The Alabamian, December 17, p. 5. State of Massachusetts. Olmsted Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts vs. State of Alabama, "The Campus." The Alabamian, May 7, Though We Have Been Silent We Are Grateful." The Alabamian, January 16, p. 2. "Tutwiler and Comer are Hall Names." The Alabamian, December 12, p. THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 9 1. We Beg of You." The Alabamian, October 10, p. 2

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS AL-5. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Carey W. Heatherly, MLIS University Archivist Associate Professor Station University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL July 30, Entry HALS Challenge: Documenting the Landscapes of the New Deal THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 10 View from Main Hall of street and sidewalk before brick paving. (Milner Archives, c. View from Main Hall after brick paving of streets and sidewalks. (Milner Archives, mid-1940s) THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 11 A portion of a Photostat version of Olmsted Brothers plan featuring red pencil markings that indicate which streets are to be paved with brick. (Milner Archives, THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO.

AL-5 PAGE 12 A portion of the original Olmsted Brothers design featuring the Outdoor Theatre, built in the wooded area between the President s home and the main part of campus. (Milner Archives, THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 13 Originally designed by the PWA as an airplane hangar, Bibb Graves Hall was remodeled into the campus gymnasium in the late (Milner Archives, c. THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 14 Tutwiler Hall, a women s dormitory, under construction by the PWA. (Milner Archives, c. A completed Tutwiler Hall provided much needed living and socializing space for students. (Milner Archives, c. THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 15 A side view of Tutwiler Hall shortly after its completion.

This photo illustrates the detail and attention paid to Alabama College s brick sidewalks and streets. (Milner Archives, c. THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO HALS NO. AL-5 PAGE 16 Comer Hall, under construction by the PWA, provided desperately needed classroom space, a 200-seat lecture hall, and amenities such as radio studio space. The photo also features a newly bricked street. (Milner Archives, c. Comer Hall, with bricked sidewalks and road. (Milner Archives, late