Mars Hill University

Mars Hill University. The Mars Hill College Historic District. When Mars Hill University opened its doors in 1856, the buildings and grounds looked very different than they do today. The small four-acre campus, then called French Broad Baptist Institute, was located on the quadrangle in front of this kiosk. It consisted of only one building, which was located near where the Founders Memorial (23) and fountain stands today. , In 1892, Founders Hall was added to the campus. That building, which still stands, is the oldest original building on the university campus. By the 1920s, many of the buildings which now stand on the upper quad of the campus had been added, including Montague Hall (then a library), Mars Hill Baptist Church (now Owen Theatre), Treat Home for Boys (now Spilman Hall), the Administration Building (now Marshbanks Hall) and McConnell Gymnasium. The campus had also expanded to include “Men's Hill” to the south of the quad, where sat Melrose (now Turner) and Brown residence halls. At that point, Carter-Humphrey Guest House was a private residence. It would not become part of the campus until 1946. , The 1930s and 1940s saw the addition of Robinson Infirmary, Anderson Amphitheater, Wall Science Building, and three residence halls on “Women's Hill” to the north of the quad: Edna Moore, Stroup, and Huffman. The college also created a memorial on campus for Joseph Anderson, a young black man who was held in an Asheville jail to secure payment for the trustees' debt on the first building. , By the 1950s, Memorial Library (now Nash Education Hall) and Myers Residence Hall had been added to the campus, completing what is now the historic district of the campus. , In 1989, Professor Harley Jolley's senior history seminar students researched the history of some of the older buildings on the quad. Their research led President Fred Bentley in 1995 to support placing the quad and its buildings on the North Carolina Study List for possible listing in the National Register of Historic Places with the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. , Later, President Dr. Max Lennon (1996-2002) approved the hiring of an architectural historian for the research. Davyd Foard Hood, architectural and landscape historian, of Vale, North Carolina, was employed, while regional specialist Richard Sams Dillingham served as history consultant for the research. Consistent with Hood's recommendation, the college proposed a historic district including sites and buildings that were 50 years or older, making the institutional timeline for the district 1856-1955. The historic district covers over 27 of the campus's 174 acres, and consists of 20 contributing sites. , In 2004, the university received a $125,000 grant from the Getty Foundation for architectural preservation of the quad buildings, in anticipation of the historic district designation. , The Mars Hill College Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 2006 during the university's sesquicentennial celebration, under the direction of President Dan Lunsford. As of October 2017, it is among the largest educational historic districts in the state in terms of the number of contributing sites. , Mars Hill College Historic District , (Contributing sites, with dates of construction and architects). 1. Campus grounds, 1856-1955 , 1a. French Broad Baptist Institute original building, built 1856. The building was removed in 1910. , 2. Robinson Infirmary, built 1935; Henry Irven Gains, architect , 3. Founders Hall, built 1892. Formerly known as the “Music Building” and the “Office Building,” it was renamed in 1978; J. S. Yades, architect , 4. Montague Hall, built as Montague Library in 1918; C. Gilbert Humphries, architect , 5. Owen Theatre, built as Mars Hill Baptist Church in 1918; Martin Egbert Parmalee, architect , 6. Spilman Hall, built in 1907 as Treat Home for Boys in 1941; architect unknown; renovation in 1941; Henry Irven Gains, architect , 7. Marshbanks Hall, built in 1910 as the Administration Building, later renamed Robert Lee Moore Hall; Martin Egbert Parmalee, architect , 8. Anderson Amphitheater, 1935; Clayton I. Poor, landscape architect , 9. McConnell Hall, built as McConnell Gymnasium in 1924; Smith and Carrier, architects , 10. Edna Moore Residence Hall, built as a women's residence hall in 1938; Henry Irven Gains, architect , 11. Stroup Residence Hall, built as a women's residence hall in 1941; Henry Irven Gains, architect , 12. Huffman Residence Hall, built as a women's residence hall in 1946; Henry Irven Gains, architect , 13. Carter-Humphrey Guest House, built as a private residence ca. 1925, added to campus in 1946; architect unknown , 14. Carter-Humphrey Dependency, ca. 1932-1945, added to campus in 1946; architect unknown , 15. Wall Science Building, built 1940; Henry Irven Gains, architect , 16. Nash Education Hall, built as Memorial Library in 1955; Henry Irven Gains, architect , 17. Myers Residence Hall, built 1955; Henry Irven Gains, architect , 18. Turner Residence Hall, built as Melrose Residence Hall in 1924; Martin Egbert Parmalee, architect , 19. Brown Residence Hall, built 1925; Martin Egbert Parmalee, architect , 20. Joseph Anderson Memorial, built 1932 by Trustee Charles Palmer Stoneworks , Noncontributing sites , These sites are located within the historic district, but do not belong by virtue of age or historic value). 21. Heritage Cabin, 1850s, (reconstructed on the campus in 1939; moved to lower quad in 1972) Arrington Branch Community , 22. Blackwell Hall, 1978; Six Associates, architects , 23. Founders Memorial, 2007; Wayne Roberts, architect , 24. Day Hall, 2015; Legerton Architecture , [Captions] , (Top, left to right) , 1. College grounds and buildings, ca. 1901 . 1a. First building . 2. Robinson Infirmary . 3. Founders . 4. Montague . 5. Owen . 6. Spilman . 7. Marshbans . 8. Anderson Amphitheater . 9. McConnel . 10. Edna Moore , (Bottom, left to right) , 11. Stroup . 12. Huffman . 13. Carter-Humphrey . 14. Carter-Humphrey Dependency . 15. Wall . 16. Nash . 17. Myers . 18. Turner . 19. Brown . 20. Joseph Anderson Memorial