University of Minnesota Old Campus Historic District - Burton Hall, 1894

Burton Hall, 1894

Architects: LeRoy Buffington and Charles Sedgwick

The main library building on campus until Walter Library was built in 1924. Before Burton Hall was built, the library collection was housed in Old Main. A series of fires in Old Main convinced the Board of Regents that a new, fireproof building was needed. President William Watts Folwell first consulted with LeRoy S. Buffington on a library design, but the Regents overruled him. After much debate between the Regents and the faculty, the design was finalized, with the exterior designed by LeRoy S. Buffington in a Greek Revival style and the interior designed by Charles Sedgwick in a rather ornate Victorian style. The building also included an assembly hall which doubled as a chapel.