Agricultural Hall, built in 1901 in the Beaux-arts Neoclassic style, served as the epicenter for agrarian teaching and research at the university for seven decades. It was renamed Entomology Hall in 1969 when the department took up occupancy in the building. When it faced demolition in the 1990s, preservationists vocalized their desire to save the second-oldest building on campus.
Forestry and Natural Resources was a growing department that required more space and also had access to the funds needed to mount the $16 million renovation. The John S. Wright Fund for the Promotion of Forestry in Indiana, established by an 1892 Purdue alum, provided $12 million.
“The vault was part of the original building, and during renovation as much effort as possible was put into retaining the building’s historical appearance, such as the woodwork, tin ceiling, and terrazzo floors,” says Bill Hoover, FNR professor emeritus.
In the early 20th century, all the business transactions for the agriculture school would have been conducted in the building, according to Dennis LeMaster, former FNR department head and professor emeritus. “The vault was likely used to store cash in the days when the university operated a dairy selling butter, milk, and cream, as well as records of transaction that could be equally as important if not more,” he says. “It may have also housed student records before such files were centralized and digitized.”
Renamed for Dave Pfendler (A’32) in 2004 upon its re-dedication, the building, and its vault, offers a window to the past and pays tribute to the university’s rich agricultural heritage.
This story appeared in the Sept/Oct 2016 issue of Purdue Alumnus magazine.
