its whole scope and purpose and development must conform thereto.
The following table gives the dates and amounts of the several appropriations made by the General Assembly for the erection of a college building: 1864, to aid in the erection of a college building, $20,000; 1866, for completing the college building, $91,000; 1868, for heating and cooking apparatus, $10,000; for extra work on college building, $3,000; for completing college building, $10,000; 1870, for extending and completing wings of college building, $50,000; 1876, for engine house and air duct, $5,000; for steam heating apparatus, $15,000; repairing brick walls, $14,000; for other repairs on main building, $3,400.
Only about $25,000 of the appropriation of 1876 was expended, but on the other hand various sums from time to time were expended on the building for minor repairs, so that the actual cost to the State as the building now stands (July, 1890) amounts to $221,400.
Let us trace briefly the evolution of this structure. Work was begun on the foundation in the summer of 1864, and what little was done on the stone foundation was found to be defective and had to be done over again, at a cost of $1,000 and half of next summer. The architect, Mr John Browne, was discharged as incompetent, and Mr. C. A. Dunham of Burlington, Iowa, architect, was employed.
Many changes were made now in the original design. "Perhaps it was fortunate for the institution that an incompetent architect was at first engaged. The trustees were bound by the terms of the law making the appropriation to procure plans, the total estimated cost of which when the building should be completed would not exceed $50,000. The trustees, guided by the sworn estimates of the architect, which were within the amount named, unconsciously adopted plans which required nearly three times the amount to carry out, The State was thus saved from being placed in the ridiculous position of being committed to the erection of a building totally inadequate to meet the wants of even today, the first formal opening of the college." [Extract from address of John A. Russell, chairman of building committee, in presenting the keys to President-elect Welch.] During 1865 the foundations were completed. The contract for the building was let to Jacob Reichard for $74,000, the brick to be furnished by the board. The work progressed rapidly during the fall of 1866; and in the spring of 1867 work was resumed on the walls. Over one and a half million bricks were used in the building, exclusive of wings, all being burned on the college farm, the contractor hoping to complete the building by January, 1868. Owing to the many difficulties encountered, the building was not completed till the fall of 1868.
The heating of so large a building is an important item. At first steam-heating was proposed and preferred by the trustees, but the cost would not permit it; after investigation the Ruttan system of heating by hot air was adopted. The system did not work well even when new, and after putting in a few more furnaces, when the college wings were extended in 1871 and 1872, the system was tolerated only by necessity. In 1876 the Ruttan system was abandoned, and a steam-heating system introduced, since which time the heating of the building has been very satisfactory. The cooking range, water supply and gas plant were put in working order in 1868 and 1869. The water was obtained from a well dug near the head of a spring a few rods west of the present dynamo room, and forced by means of a wind-mill into a tank in the main building.
When Mr. Reichard had completed his contract, the building was wholly destitute of all