The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Baity Hall

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Institution Name: Missouri Valley College
Original/Historic Place Name: The College
Location on Campus: 500 E. College St.
Date(s) of Construction:

1888-1889

original construction

Designer: unknown
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Victorian (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: limestone

Walls: brick

Roof: composite, slate

Function:

ca. 1889	chapel
ca. 1889	library
ca. 1889	gymnasium
ca. 1889	old main (included labs)
1889-present (2006)	faculty offices
1889-present (2006)	administration
1889-present (2006)	classrooms
ca. 2004-present (2006)	other (tutoring facilities)

Narrative:
The exterior of Baity Hall (The College/Old Main) appears much as it did in 1889. Baity Hall possesses several attractive and unique small touches that enhance its beauty and appeal. From the terra cotta flame-shaped finials on the roof atop the main entrance to the large stained glass window, Baity Hall is an architectural feast for the eyes. Baity Hall's interior, however, has undergone many changes over the years. Some features have--luckily for all--remained constant throughout the years. For instance, the well-worn (but still magnificent) original wooden staircase is still being used daily by the current generation of our students, just as it was by the first. Our new Learning Center was created in the old "Barn" room--an old laboratory space that was originally the Chapel. This room has been restored to better than its former grandeur. The room was built in the shape of a cross, and its focal point is the large stained glass window.

Baity Hall is not only significant to our campus because of its aesthetic qualities, but also because of the sentimental value that is attached to this beautiful building. Because Baity Hall is still the main classroom building on campus, the link to the past is ever present. It is a powerful feeling to know that every generation of Missouri Valley College students has spent a large portion of their college careers within the walls of Baity Hall, and that many generations yet to come will be lucky enough to have the same experience.

References:

Hamilton, Jean Tyree. Baity Hall [Missouri Valley College]. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1986.