File:University of Idaho, circa 1940 - Moscow, Idaho (4259165542).jpg

UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO, MOSCOW, IDAHO.

Date: Circa 1940 Source Type: Postcard Printer, Publisher, Photographer: Wesley Andrews Company (#93) Postmark: September 6, 1942, Moscow, Idaho Collection: Steven R. Shook Remark: This photograph was taken facing northeast and the Moscow Mountain Range can be seen in the distance. The large structure visible on the left is present day [2014] Brink-Phinney Hall.

Phinney Hall is to the far left in this image. The hall was constructed in 1938 at a cost of $138,130 (funded through bonds). It consists of four floors and a basement and is constructed of concrete, red brick, and a wood shingle roof. The footprint of the building is approximately 98-feet by 30-feet.

Phinney Hall was was originally named Chrisman Hall, in honor of General Edward R. Chrisman, who was in charge of the university's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) from 1894 to 1939. Chrisman died very early in the morning on January 15, 1939, at Moscow's Gritman Hospital due to complication from a ruptured appendix. Earlier, in 1935, Chrisman had written down that "It is my desire that when death overtakes me that my mortal remains be cremated, and the ashes be unceremoniously distributed on the campus of the University of Idaho." Soon after his death, an airplane flew over the University of Idaho campus and scattered Chrisman's ashes. The airplane then circled back over campus and dipped a wing in honor of General Chrisman.

Later Chrisman Hall was renamed Faculty Office Complex West and, as the name suggests, housed faculty offices. In the early 1980s, the building was once again renamed in honor of Archie Phinney Hall.

Brink Hall is located immediately to the right of Phinney Hall in this image. Originally named Willis Sweet Hall, the structure was designed by White, Price, architects from Spokane and served as a men's dormitory to house 200. The structure was completed in 1936 at a cost of $250,000 (funded by Board of Regents bonds), and is built of Boise sandstone, reinforced concrete, red fireproof brick, and roofed with composition shingles. The footprint of the five story building is 178 feet long, with wings of 81 feet and 129 feet, each wing being 29 feet wide.

Willis Sweet was one of the founders of the University of Idaho, later to become a member of the Board of Regents from 1889 to 1893. The building was later renamed Faculty Office Complex East, and then renamed again in the early 1980s in honor of Moscow native and alumna Carol Ryrie Brink, a nationally prominent author.

Morrill Hall, the tall building with the white dormers, is visible on the right. Construction on Morrill Hall began in 1906 and was completed in 1907. The building was funded through insurance money received by the university when the original Administration Building was destroyed by fire; total cost was $55,907. The four story stone and brick structure has a 65-foot by 125-foot footprint and an area of 28,246 square feet. Originally a three story building, a fourth story was added in 1930. Morrill Hall first served as the home for the College of Agriculture and the Agricultural Experiment Station. The structure was renamed as the Forestry Building in 1950. Currently [2014], the College of Graduate Studies, Philosophy Department, and Office of Sponsored Programs is housed in Morrill Hall.

The flat roof building next to Morrill Hall is known today [2014] as the Food Research Center. The building was originally named the Dairy Science Building and was constructed during 1941 and 1942. Designed by the Boise architectural firm Tourtellotte and Hummell, the building cost $103,750 (state appropriation) and is constructed of reinforced concrete and brick. The building's footprint is 92-feet by 94-feet and contains 14,995 square feet on two floors and a basement.

The two story, flat roofed building next to the automobiles is the Small Animals Laboratory. Built at a cost of $33,900 and occupied from 1953-1998, the structure is constructed entirely of reinforced concrete. After serving as a small animal research facility, the building was remodeled in 1986 and renamed the Media Center. In 1998, the building was demolished and the Idaho Commons was constructed on the site.