Willis Hall-Carleton College
About this property
Willis Hall is a historic building on the campus of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Willis Hall was the first building specifically built for the college. The first students started attending classes at the former American House hotel in Northfield in 1867, but the building had some serious mechanical problems. Construction of a new building began in 1868, but construction was slow and halted before the building could be erected due to a lack of funds. The president of the college, James W. Strong, traveled to New England in 1870 for a fundraising tour. After Strong was injured in a railroad accident and subsequently recovered from his injuries, benefactor William Carleton donated $50,000 to the college to ensure its survival. His wife, Susan Willis Carleton, donated $10,000 to help clear the construction debt of the college's first permanent building. The building was named Willis Hall in her honor. It was designed in the French Second Empire style by a prominent Minneapolis architecture firm, Alden and Howe. The upper floor was a men's dormitory, the first floor was a chapel, and the rest of the building was used for lecture space and a library. On December 23 1879, a fire ravaged the building, gutting it entirely. It was rebuilt with minor changes to the exterior, as well as improvements to the chapel, a new classroom, and a furnace. From 1954 to 1979, Willis officially operated as the campus student union, and it housed the campus bookstore, the post office, a game room, a darkroom, lounges, and the KARL radio station (now known as KRLX).
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Willis Hall-Carleton College
This page lists Willis Hall-Carleton College. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Willis Hall-Carleton College listed on the National Register?
Willis Hall-Carleton College was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 12, 1975.
What type of historic resource is Willis Hall-Carleton College?
Willis Hall-Carleton College is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Willis Hall-Carleton College?
The period of significance for Willis Hall-Carleton College is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Willis Hall-Carleton College?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Willis Hall-Carleton College will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Rice County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Rice County.
Explore RiceCounty ›More historic places in Minnesota
Browse all historic places in Minnesota.
View Minnesotahistoric sites ›Minnesota history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Minnesotahistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Willis Hall-Carleton College will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.