The Columns (Columbia, Missouri)

The Columns
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
The six Ionic columns in front of Jesse Hall
Location	Columbia, Missouri
Coordinates	38°56′47″N 92°19′44″W
Built	1840–1843
Architect	Stephen Hills
Architectural style	Classical Revival
Part of	Francis Quadrangle Historic District (ID73001036)
Added to NRHP	December 18, 1973

The Columns are the most recognizable landmark of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Standing 43 feet (13 m) tall in the center of Francis Quadrangle and at the south end of the Avenue of the Columns, they are the remains of the portico of Academic Hall. Along with Jesse Hall, they are one of the most photographed sites in Missouri. The Columns have been at the center of many traditions and events including graduations, concerts, pranks, weddings, and protests. Mizzou's school song mentions the columns, and they have been the setting for a work of fiction. They are a contributing structure to the Francis Quadrangle National Historic District. The columns underwent preservation work in 2017.

History

Academic Hall was constructed in 1840–1843 as the first building of the University of Missouri and the first public university building west of the Mississippi River. Accountant and architect Stephen Hills, who also designed the first Missouri State Capitol Building, designed the hall. The hall's columns were made from limestone drums from the Hinkson Creek Valley south of the campus. When Academic Hall burned to the ground in 1892, the columns remained standing.

In the next few months after the fire, many people thought that the Columns were an eyesore that blocked the view of the new buildings (Red Campus) being constructed on the Quadrangle. Some worried that they were structurally unsound and a safety hazard. In August 1893, the board of curators issued a resolution that called for the Columns to be demolished "as soon as convenient". A local newspaper reported that Gideon F. Rothwell, the university's president, had ordered two mule teams to pull down and remove the Columns. Jerry S. Dorsey, a leading Columbia citizen, led a protest against their removal, saying that "the Columns could not be pulled down by a herd of elephants". Rothwell replied that the columns were coming down "even if he had to dynamite them."

Dorsey obtained a judicial writ that halted the immediate destruction of the Columns, and an architect said they would be structurally sound. The protest from Columbia citizens and the reassurance that the Columns did not pose a safety hazard led Rothwell and the other curators to have a change of heart in December 1893, and the Columns remained.

In 2017, the columns underwent a major preservation effort. In the 2017 fall semester, the university offered a class called "The Geology of the Columns".

Traditions

At the beginning of the academic year, freshmen participate in Tiger Walk to symbolize their move from the wider community to the university by walking through the columns. Tap Day occurs under the columns, when the schools secret societies announce their new members.

Appearances in art and literature

A mural of James S. Rollins and the Columns is located in the office of the Missouri Governor in the Missouri State Capitol. They are also featured in a monumental stained-glass window titled Missouri at Peace located in the Missouri House Chamber.

A mural by George Caleb Bingham depicting Academic Hall was destroyed when the same burned. Academic Hall and the Columns are also featured in murals in the Boone County Courthouse and the Columbia Municipal Court.

Gallery

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  Drawing of Academic Hall, Switzler Hall, and the President's House around 1875
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  Academic Hall as it was originally constructed, sometime before 1885
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  Academic Hall with the expanded east and west wings, perhaps in 1890-1892
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  The burning of Academic Hall in 1892. Flame can be seen licking the columns of the portico
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  The Columns stand in the rubble of Academic Hall after the 1892 fire, the new buildings of Francis Quad in the background
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  1922 Savitar yearbook picture of ivy covered Columns
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  1930-45 postcard of the "Historic Columns Missouri University"
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  The Columns in the snow
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  The Columns with Jesse Hall in the background
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  From the Avenue of the Columns
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  From Elm Street in snow
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  Jesse and the Columns
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