- Samford Hall
Infobox Skyscraper
building_name= William J. Samford Hall
location= Auburn,Alabama
antenna_spire= 170 feet
roof= 154 feetAmy Weaver, [http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OAN/MGArticle/OAN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350153079&path=!news "What time is it?"] , "Opelika-Auburn News", March 11, 2007.]
floor_count= 4
constructed= 1888
floor_area= 49,376 ft²
elevator_count=
architect= Bruce and Morgan
contractor= James Smith
owner=Auburn University William J. Samford Hall is a structure on the campus of
Auburn University in Auburn,Alabama . It is an icon ofAuburn University and houses the school's administration. The building is named forWilliam J. Samford , the Governor of Alabama from 1900 to 1901.History
When Auburn University (as East Alabama Male College) opened in 1859, classes were held in a structure named "Old Main" on the current site of Samford Hall. On June 24, 1887, Old Main was destroyed by fire. The following year, Samford Hall (then simply known as the "Main Building") was constructed, using bricks salvaged from the ruins of Old Main. The design of Samford Hall roughly mirrored that of Old Main, except that Samford Hall had two main entrances instead of Old Main's one, and on Samford one of the two flanking towers was considerably taller and was constructed to contain a clock.Mickey Logue and Jack Simms, "Auburn, A Pictorial History of the Loveliest Village" (Auburn: s.n., 1996), Mollie Hollifield, "Auburn: Loveliest Village of the Plain" (S.l.: s.n., 1955)] In 1889, a
clockworks and bell were added to the taller tower. Brian Dennig, " [http://www.auburn.edu/~dennibr/samfordbelltower.html Samford Hall Clock Tower and Samford Carillon] ", accessed March 11, 2007.]Through the late 19th century, Samford Hall was the college's main classroom building and contained the library. When the school formed a
basketball team, the attic of Samford Hall was converted into a court. In May 1929, the building was officially named forWilliam J. Samford . [Auburn University Libraries, " [http://www.lib.auburn.edu/arch/buildings/samford_hall1.htm History of Samford Hall] ", accessed March 11, 2007.] In 1941, the tower's mechanical clock was converted to run on electricity, and in 1977, acarillon was added. Samford Hall underwent major renovations in 1971, and the original clockworks were replaced in 1995.Roy Summerford, " [http://www.auburn.edu/administration/univrel/news/archive/1995news/199504news/19950428auclock.txt Auburn University's "Big Sam" Gets His Hands Back] ", Auburn University News Release, April 27, 1995, accessed March 11, 2007.] Today, Samford Hall houses the school's administration, accounting, planning, and public relations offices. [Auburn University Libraries, " [http://www.lib.auburn.edu/arch/buildings/samford_hall.htm Samford Hall] ", accessed March 11, 2007.]Clock tower
Samford Hall's clock tower is the most recognized part of the building. The original clockworks were built by the Seth Thomas Clock Company of
Thomaston, Connecticut . These clockworks were replaced in 1995 by a clock and electronic carillon made by the [http://www.verdin.com/ Verdin Company] ofCincinnati, Ohio . A portion of the original clockworks and an original clockface are on display in the reception area of Samford Hall. The Samford Hall carillon plays theWestminster Chimes on the quarter-hour, and plays the Auburn University fight song, "War Eagle", a few seconds after 12:00 noon."Holiday Tree" naming controversy
Since 2000, an evergreen tree in front of Samford Hall has been the site of the school's
Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The decision to officially refer to the tree as a "Holiday Tree" (rather than a "Christmas Tree") resulted in controversy in 2005 when commentators ontownhall.com andWorld Net Daily criticized Auburn University's choice of names as an example ofpolitical correctness gone amok. As a compromise, the ceremony was in subsequent years renamed the "Holiday Celebration featuring the Lighting of the Christmas Tree." [Hiram Hover, " [http://hiramhover.typepad.com/hiramhover/2005/12/the_war_on_the_.html The War on the War on Xmas Goes to College] ", "Hiram Hover", December 6, 2005, accessed March 11, 2007]External links
* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=samfordhall-auburn-al-usa Emporis listing]
* [http://www.ocm.auburn.edu/webcams/samcam.html Webcam view from Samford Hall]Notes
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