Newell Hall

Newell Hall. University of Florida. , , Born in 1878 in Hull, Iowa, Dr. Wilmon Newell was influential in Florida agriculture from his arrival in this state. His bachelor’s, master’s and Doctor of Science degrees were all from Iowa State College, and in 1937 he received a second doctorate from Clemson Agricultural College. In 1915, he moved from Texas to Florida to become the first plant commissioner of the newly created State Plant Board, a post he held for the rest of his life. In 1921, the Florida State Board of Control appointed Dr. Newell as dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. In 1938, he became provost for Agriculture at the University of Florida, continuing in that capacity until his death. An entomologist by specially, Dr. Newell authored more than one hundred scientific papers, and organized statewide campaigns against citrus canker and the Mediterranean fruit fly. Following Dr. Newell’s death in Gainesville in 1943, the rebuilt Agricultural Experiment Station memorialized his service to Floridians. , The Agricultural Experiment Station was constructed in 1909. Architect William A. Edwards and builder J.J. Cain followed in the Collegiate Gothic architectural tradition, emphasizing ornate facades of brick and terra cotta. When new, this was the southernmost major building on the University of Florida campus, and was surrounded by uncleared woods or open fields. In 1941, after three decades of service, Experiment Station staff and students vacated the building, allowing architect Rudolph Weaver to supervise a major renovation and expansion. Because of World War II, the project was obliged to compete for scare building materials and labor. The War Production Board found the Florida agriculture, supported by the Agricultural Experiment Station, was crucial to the war effort, and allocated the necessary material. By 1944, the rebuilding was complete, resulting in an expansion of the Experiment Station’s space and the addition of a fourth floor, two new stairwells, and an elevator. In a ceremony here on May 12, 1944, the Agricultural Experiment Station was dedicated in memory of Wilmon Newell. , This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.