, 1866-01-15
IOWA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE,

| OtEAA1 1Akutl luAu a4Q III OUllC1QG Up tnQs
: IN our own neighborhood.
IOWA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
j. Its Cost, Present Condition, style q
Architecture Capacity Etc.
From the Des Moines state Rcxister.1
The building committee and the archjtcc
Of the Agricultural College are busily engage
In making up their regular annual reports.
J An appropriation was made by the las
Legislature, amounting to $50, 900, to be ez
pended In specific sums, at various stages o
The Gn9, w91l, Il erecting college building Of
was paid out n the year 1864, and something
commenced when labor and material wers
comparatively cheap. Since that time hott
Of these very Important items have full,
doubled; a plan was drafted BY the lrs
amonnt Of brick required for the structurs
would be 100000. Another architect wen
through the computations, aad estimated tha
it would TAKE from l, ,00o, 900 to l, SOC, 600.
Much Of the basement wall, which was pu
up in 1se4, was torn down and rebuilt On nc
count Of defective workmanship. There wert
also many essential changes made In tht
original plan, and all these items, it Is appa
rent, cost large additional expenditure O.
money. The cost Of the edit1cc Will therefore
exceed the original sum stipulated by tht
legislature. The stone foundation wills o.
the final grade line, and are safely covered te
protect them from the weather. The premises
are properly graded and In good condition
for resumption Of operations in the spring.
The general ground plan Of the structure Is
aomething Ike the letter E. The length eI
the front is 1G5 feet, and Of each Of the wings
80 feet, although 1t Is intended that at som5
future time they shall be extended until they
wtll be Of the same length as the front f1te
feet) There will be i've stories ant 4 cellcr,
a veraudah at the front entrance, an1 two
towers at the CORNERS: The style Of architec.
fs termed Romanesque, being pleasing CON-
hinatton Of both. Should the wing extensions
ever be made, and rear towers erected In &C.
coEdance with the architects ideal plan. it
will be ono Of. the most beautiful and I'M
posing piles in the Union. It Is situated upon
. commanding elevation, in the midst Of a
noble domain OF highly cultivated land. The
ground will be terTaced md laid out with all
the skill Of the Landscape gardeners art, pre-
senting molel to the STUDENT and to the
The story above the cellar Is termed a base
ment, though the floor is only three feet be-
| low the level Of the grade. Hero Will be a
large dining room SC y 10 feet, 1arye
Kitchen furnished with tables, sinks, range,
china closet, store room, and areas A wide
corridor rms through the remainder OF this
story, upon which open q great number OF
| useful apartments, the first of which Is the
lavatory, 14H II, furnished with eight marble
washing bowls. The adjoining room Is q fine
bath room with five tubs. Across the hall
from there is the laboratory, 20AaU, with ap-
| pa1atus, closets, rostrun,, and forms for tho
I students. Upon this same floor there l. s7a-
cious laundry 131< 20H, 4 wash-room OF the
same sic adjacent, q drying room, and store
room.. There are also several rooms which
are ret apart for the servants, the housckeeper
and the steward. There are i've outer en-
frances
The next story above the basement il called
the Principal Story, and contains Lecture
Room, Ss1 4o55, and an adjoining museum,
a 50. The lecture room Will eventually DO
torium. There Is also on this floor library
room 191< s., President's room, Il X ii,
md q reception room OF the same Dimensions.
There are six studcnts' rooms, each 1UL5
144, two recitation rooms, Presidents
chamber, and an elegant geranda on this
story.
Tle floor above this Is cut up into corsi-
dors, students rooms, professors = rooms, d
cabinet, an Armory, linen closets and ser
wants rooms. With the exceptions Of the
cabinet and ar1noEy the next story is divided
similarly, as Is also the case with tho last
Will be 7 teet high, the basement o feet, the
stories from ID to 1O5S. It win be some 60
feet from the surface OF the ground to the top
Of the main roof. The towers will be 100
feet high The roof will be Of slate, and all
the floors will be deafened..
We found On looking over u report upon
the sale Of College lands, that there had been
leased 81, 43G.34 acres at a total valuation Of
$l09, ,45914, upon which has been paid rs ad-
vance interest s7,748 u. In q majority Of
leases from date, up to january I, 1857, max
ing the date Of the payment Of Interest uni-
form for convenience. The original amount
Of land sat apart for University purposes by
the General Government WIS 22l0 200 acres.
There remains Of the grant undisposed Of,
168, 1856 acres, making the total value Of the
grant rnder the present apprnisement nbout
&4337 ,26t.e .eS. The available income from the
lands already leased Is S6,5G7.58 per anf,um.
The value Of the unsold lands will Increase,
no doubt, 80 that there Is a probability that
they may be disposed Of for $500, coo. The
lands nze leased for ten years with the psiTi-
lego Of buying at m appraised value, tie IN
tcrest being paid up annually in advance ut
the rate of per cent. When the grant Is
converted into available funds 1t will yield an
annual income Of $D0 900. This Is the enaow-
ment fund, set apart to carry on the opera
tions Of teaching, and is not to be devoted to
vide suitable College building in order to
avail itself OF this m1niAcent grant of land.
Tho State paid for the College Farm gas
acres) and some Its improvements 80, eco.
Story county donated Sf0,oOO for the purpose
Of having the institution located within her
boundaries. Three sections OF land In jasper
county were procured Of the General Govern
ment, aud disposed Of for the purposes of i'm
proyement. The State has also paid s30. COO
on the College building, as we have shown
The lands Of the Farm and The available as
sets in the hands Of the Executive
Committee arc worth to-day 10000, so
that should the State dispose Of the properly
and abandon the project, ahe would make
profit of &C, ,0C0. There are some S1l, ,46{;Sj
worth Of improved stock and tools on the
farm, n fine young orchard In bearing ronli-
tion, consisting Of 400 trees and comnodious
farm house and barn. The condition and
prospects Of the whole project are highly
1attering and prosperous.
If the Legislature should make the neces-
sary appropriation this winter, the college
buildins; will be completed within the ensu-
Ing eighteen months, and the course Of H.
strrction be commenced. It Is necessary. In
order that the Stnte ahould avail Itself ofthe
college grant, that Instruction IN the college
course should be commenced In the spring Of
1867, 80 that 1t behooycs Iowa to sec that the
prize shall not be lost by default. The gen
tlemen who have the affairs OF the farm under
their supervision, are capable, responsible and
energetic. It Is their great desire to push the
building forward to a speedy completion,
Only 10000 Of the last appropriation have
been expended, leaving, however, m Insult
cheney to carry the enterprise through. The
few thousands required will no doubt ba given