Gerberding Hall (formerly the Administration Building) is an academic building located on the campus of the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

History

Built in 1949 to house the university's administrative offices, it was the first major structure erected on campus following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Constructed from a design by Victor N. Jones and John T. Jacobsen, it was built at a cost of $1,561,924. Twenty years later in 1969, a bomb was detonated inside the main entrance in the early hours of Sunday, June 29. The explosion created a hole in diameter in the reinforced concrete and shattered windows in other campus buildings as far as away. The only occupant at the time of the blast was a custodian in the basement, and he was not injured. It was one of four bombs that were set off that day in Seattle, all without injuries. The Administration Building was renamed in 1995 in honor of retiring university president William Gerberding. As of 2017, Gerberding Hall houses the office of the university's president.

Design

Located on the south edge of

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

and constructed entirely of cast stone, Gerberding Hall is built in the

collegiate Gothic Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...

style with its characteristic elements including gargoyles, pointed arches, towers, and gabled roofs. Along its parapets are 25 sculptures by

Dudley Pratt Dudley Pratt (June 14, 1897 – November 18, 1975) was an American sculptor. He was born in Paris, France to Boston sculptors Bela and Helen Pratt. His sculptural education included study under Charles Grafly, Antoine Bourdelle, and Alexande ...

representing different academic disciplines; for example, a figure of the god

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

on the building's east gable is intended to represent

oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of to ...

and

fisheries science Fisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding fisheries. It is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of limnology, oceanography, freshwater biology, marine biology, meteorology, conservation, ...

. The structure is dominated by a central, square tower. On the face of each of its sides is engraved the keys of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. The tower itself, originally intended to serve as a

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

, did not fulfill that purpose until 2008. In that year, a set of eight bells – the Gordon Stuart Peek Foundation Memorial Bells – was installed which were designed to be operated by

change ringing Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuning (music), tuned bell (instrument), bells in a tightly controlled manner to produce precise variations in their successive striking sequences, known as "changes". This can be by method ringing in ...

. A shield bearing the visage of Herbert Condon in relief and the words "Friend of Youth" sits over the exterior doorway to the tower. Other sculptures on the building's exterior include a

Siberian Husky The Siberian Husky is a dog breed, breed of medium-sized Working dog, working sled dog. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family. It is recognizable by its thickly furred Coat (dog), double coat, erect triangular ears, and distinctive mark ...

and a man wearing academic gowns holding an adding machine and a money bag. The interior consists of two, three-story wings set at different ground levels, hinged at the central tower.

Gallery

File:UDub Gerberding Hall tower.jpg, Gerberding Hall from the southeast in 2010 File:Gerberding Hall Roof Sculptures.jpg, Closeup of rooftop sculptures

Notes

References

External links

University of Washington Libraries – Digital Collections
– Gerberding Hall {{Authority Control University of Washington buildings Collegiate Gothic architecture 1949 establishments in Washington (state) University and college buildings completed in 1949