The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Agnes Scott Hall

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Agnes Scott Hall (Main) (aerial view), Agnes Scott College

Agnes Scott Hall (Main) (front facade), Agnes Scott College

Agnes Scott Hall (Main) (detail, front facade), Agnes Scott College

Institution Name: Agnes Scott College
Original/Historic Place Name: Agnes Scott Hall
Location on Campus: Milton Candler Loop
Date(s) of Construction:

1891	original construction Bruce & Morgan

Designer: Bruce & Morgan (Atlanta)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Greek revival, Romanesque revival, Modern/pre-WWII (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: dry stack granite footings, granite mortar above grade

Walls: brick

Roof: slate and rubber membrane

Function:

ca. 1891	residence hall
ca. 1891	gymnasium
ca. 1891	academic department building (art studio)
ca. 1891	classrooms (including music practice room)
ca. 1891	administration (offices)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	residence hall
ca. 2004-present (2006)	infirmary
ca. 2004-present (2006)	administration (offices)

Narrative:
The oldest building on campus, Agnes Scott Hall (also known simply as "Main") was opened in 1891. It was named in memory of the mother of George Washington Scott, one of the institution's founders. At the time it opened, Main was the epitome of luxurious college living. It featured electric lights, steam heat, hot and cold running water, and sanitary plumbing. Constructed at a cost of $82,500, Main anchors the Agnes Scott-South Candler Street Historic District.

Thomas H. Morgan, of the architectural firms Bruce and Morgan and Morgan and Dillon, designed Agnes Scott Hall, Rebekah Scott Hall, and Inman Hall. Morgan was one of the founders of the AIA in Georgia and was the state's first registered architect. He also designed buildings at Oglethorpe University and Georgia Institute of Technology that are more reflective of the Academic Gothic Revival style than the earlier buildings at ASC.

Main is a three-story red-brick structure with a white-columned porch running from the tower in the center of the building across the front façade. There is an arched entrance supported by marble columns with Corinthian capitals, and decorative brick work is visible between each floor, with a different design at each level. The tower is centered over the entrance and has a pointed slate roof, and there is a hexagonal turret on the building's west side. It was built with a bell tower, but for reasons unknown no bell was placed in the tower until 1986, when a bell cast by Royal Eijsbouts of Holland and bearing the college motto was installed as part of an overall renovation. Together, Rebekah Scott and Agnes Scott Halls form the north side of the campus's main quadrangle.

Currently, Main's upper three floors are used as dormitories. Administrative offices, including the President's Office, are located on the first floor. The Atlanta Architectural firm Jova/Daniels/Busby managed the renovation and worked closely with the college's Alumnae Association to secure donations of furniture, rugs, lamps, mirrors, and other accessories.

References:

Agnes Scott Alumnae Magazine (Winter 1986).

McNair, Walter Edward. Lest We Forget: An Account of Agnes Scott College. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 1983.

Rededication of Agnes Scott and Rebekah Scott Halls, Agnes Scott College. Program brochure. October 10, 1986.

Sayrs, M. Lee, and Christine S. Cozzens. A Full and Rich Measure. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 1990.

Sharp, Leslie N. South Candler Street--Agnes Scott College Historic District. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1994.