James W. Norman Hall

James W. Norman Hall. University of Florida. , Raised on a farm called Shady Nook in Hartwell, Georgia, James W. Norman was urged by his father, William, to follow in his footsteps after graduating from high school. “A year between the plow handles never hurt anybody!” his father said. Norman took this advice for just one year before leaving the farm for New York and academia. He earned his doctorate from Teachers College at Columbia University and was appointed Dean of the College of Education at the University of Florida upon graduating. , Norman’s motto was “Do something extremely well.” He believed that both professional training and hands on experience were integral to success in the field of education, and he diligently worked toward the establishment of a laboratory school for the professional preparation of educators. In 1932, the P.K. Yonge Laboratory School was established , with an inaugural class of 470 students. Until its relocation in 1958, the school building housed the K-12 school as well as the College of Education. At this time, the building was renamed in honor of Dean Norman. Norman, awarded the distinction of Dean Emeritus, continued to contribute his talents to both the College and the Gainesville community until his death in 1969. , Rudolph Weaver designed James W. Norman Hall in the 1930s in the Collegiate Gothic style. It bears many of the hallmarks of this style, including a crenulated clock tower, a herringbone pattern between the first and second floors, and cast-stone gargoyles on the building’s cornices. Norman Hall was expanded in 1979 to provide additional space for the educational library, classrooms, and labs. Norman Gym is home to the Digital Worlds Institute for the College of Fine Arts. In 1989, the Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.