 exas A&M's first veterinary building, Mark Francis Hall,
appropriately named for the father of veterinary medicine at Texas
A&M, had its beginnings in 1913 on the drawing board of
Rolland Adelsperger (College Architect, Professor of Architecture
and Architectural Engineering, 1913-1918). Adelsperger
designed what was to be a highly distinctive Romanesque structure
as part of a separate agricultural quadrangle to be constructed
northeast of what would become the Academic Building. The
large and decorative structure completed in 1918 was to be the
home of the newly proposed school of veterinary medicine.
Accordingly, Texas A&M requested $125,000
from the 33rd Texas Legislature. It was approved in the
first called session, only to be vetoed by Oscar Branch Colquitt,
in his second term as governor. It must be remembered that
at the time there was strong political pressure to close the tiny
Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas. Fortunately,
dedicated former students garnered sufficient political support
from around the state to ensure a more favorable political climate
by the time the 34th legislature met in 1915. Dr. Mark
Francis further advanced A&M's cause by successfully
inoculating a number of newly-elected Governor James E. Ferguson's
prize bulls against the scourges of Texas fever. Ferguson,
impressed by the work of Dr. Francis and the A&M College,
gladly signed the appropriation.
Unfortunately, the appropriation was well short
of the amount requested, but Adelsperger insisted that the
building could be built for under $100,000. The project was
put up for bid twice, both times returning with costs exceeding
the appropriation.
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In frustration the board of directors
turned the design of the building over to the architectural firm
of Endress & Watkin for a solution. Obviously changes
had to be made to stay within the budget. Endress &
Watkin came up with a simple plan that saved money in the short
term, but created headaches and additional costs for years to
come. Their solution as to keep Adelsperger's floor plan
intact but reduce the overall size. In shrinking the building
they did not redesign the location of plumbing outlets or the size
of custom-made laboratory tables ordered for the building.
Thus, almost nothing fit when it came time to install fixtures in the
building. It took years of remodeling and expensive
redesigns to make the shrunken structure suitable as a class and
laboratory building.
In addition, the architectural firm radically
changed the exterior design to more closely resemble existing
campus structures of the era. Adelsperger's dream of a
Romanesque quadrangle for the school of agriculture virtually died
with the redesigning of Francis Hall. The Animal Husbandry
Pavilion built in 1917 (now known simply as The Pavilion), the
only portion of this campus plan ever constructed, provides hint
of what Adelsperger had in mind for Francis Hall and the rest of
the agricultural complex.
For those who know the history of the building,
it stands as a reminder of the often difficult struggle to keep
Texas A&M open and moving forward. Francis Hall is on
the north side of the Sterling C. Evans Library and currently
houses the department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Science.
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ca.
1930s
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