The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-07-27
Full Description OF the MagnIfi-
cent Temple of Learning.

\ west wing oil the main building, IL be-
| comes a matter of interest to the public
| to be informed as to the size, plan and
appearance ofthe structure to be erected
With that object in view, a reporter of the
| STATESMAN visited the office of Mr.. +. E.
Ruf6ni, the architect, whose design for
| the university was adopted by the board
OF regents, and from the plans and specI-
| fications laid before him Is enabled to
give the following description:
In justice to the board it should be
| mentioned that competitive designs were
invited, OF which eight different ones
were offered by leading architects from
different parts OF the state and from
abroad. All designs were carefully con-
sidered and the adopted one selected, be-
cause IL met IN the best and most CON-
plete manner the several requirements
that had been made.
DIMENSIONS.
The building will be located in the
practical center of the university
grounds, on the plateau, which is just SUIT
ticiently large for 1t. The main frontage
will be towards the south, with a length
from east to west of 80 feet. The depth
from south to north will be 1875 feet, por-
ticoes not measured. In general plan the
building can be described as a group,
having a center building As feet front by
90 feet deep, with wings radiating from
4 lO0H
by 81 feet deep. The entire structure
will be four full stories In height; the
basement II feet high, first floor 16 feet
high, second floor 10 feet high, ana third
floor IA feet high. The basement ceiling
will be feet above the grade line and an
area all around it; this arrangement pro-
vidlng lighLs and ventilation equal to the
other stories.
CONSTRUCTION.
The basement will be built of stone, the
superstructure walls of brick. The eX-
terror walls will be hollow, to prevent
dampness entering the building; the entire
exterior will be faced with pressed brick.
The trimmings to all the openings will be
of cut stone. and cOlored tiles, nodded
brick, ETC., will also be used for decora-
ton. The cornice to be of galvanized
iron, the steep parts of roofs covered with
slate, and the fiat decks with tin. The
building will be practically fireproof, by
the use OF double floors with a bed of
mortar between an by using iron lathing
for all ceilings. The entrance porticos
will be of cast iron, ana the floors of halls
will be laid with marble tilIng. All the
rooms and halls will be wainscotted to
prevent the plastering being broken.
Especial care has been taken to make the
lighting of the rooms perfect by having
the light enter over the students left
shoulder as he sits facing the professor,
whose platform is set against solid blank
wall, unbroken by doors or windows.
Two systems of ventilation will be intro
duced to keep the air pure and fresh,
while complete system of steam-he eating
will furnish the necessary warmth during
the cold season. Gaslight will be supplied
throughout the building, while the water
works and plumbing conveniences will
be most perfect and of the latest and best
improved patterns.
EXTERIOR APPEARANCE.
In exterior appearance the center
building will be higher than the wings,
and topped with mansard roof. the top
of which is seventy-six feet from the
ground. In the front Is the main en-
trance portico, and porte-cochere, through
which we enter the entrance vestibule in
the main tower, which has a total h eight
of 40 feet. In the top story of this will
be placed an immense clock, with faces
on four sides, and also the usual college
bells. The several wings will be similar
in design, each having an entradce por-
tico and tower ITO feet high, to the east
and west entrances.
The effect of the building when COM
pleted, from Its commanding site, will be
grand. and fit monument to record to
posterIty the high estimate placed upon
education by the founders of our great
state.
THE INTERIOR ARRANGEMENT
is very complete, combining convenience
Of communication of the different de-
partments with economy of administra-
ton, and so locating the several classes
that kindred branches Join each other and
are grouped in the several wings.
The building is cut through the center
from south to north by a corridor 16 feet
wide, which is crossed by another corri-
dor IA feet wide, connecting the east and
west entrances, thus obtaining four main
entrances, while cross-hall separates
the north wing from the main building
and provides two more entrances. In
the
CENTER BUILDING
are located the meeting room of the
board of regents and the secretary's
office, to which a fire-proOf vault is at
tached; also the faculty room, the presi-
dents office and reception parlor. In
the center building are also located a num-
OF professors study-rOoms, cloak-roOms
and also the two grand staircases leading
to the upper floors, and suitable space
for an elevator, when desired. The
several wings are similar in plan, having
an entrance hall, vestibule, cloak-rooms,
professors rooms and five lecture rooms
lin size from 81 by 80 feet to 80 by 81 feet)
on the each floor. In the
WEST WING
will be located in the basement the chemi-
cal laboratories, the museum of botany
and natural history and the janitor's
rooms on the first floor, the departing nj
OF chemistry and also of English language,
| literature and history; on the second
| floor, the lecture rooms for Latin
and French; on the third floor,
two society or reading rooms and
| the library room with n capacity of about
80 900 volumes. In the
EAST WING
will be located, in the basement. the
museum of geology and the drawing
room of the school of mines, the model
room and drawing room of the depart
ment of engineering, and the laboratory
| of physics and mechanics; on the first
| floor will be the school of mines, miner
ology and geology, and the schools o.
| mathematics and engineering; on the
second floor the classes of moral phil.
osophy, ethics and political economy, also
| three rooms of the law department, in.
Guiding governmental science, civil anG
common law and statute law; on the
| third floor three law lecture rooms and 8
law library room, with capacity Of
about Il 900 volumes. In the basement
of the
/ NOkIh WING
/ will be located the heating apparatus, In
| Guiding boiler room, engine rooms anC
| fuel rooms on the first floor will be the
departments of natural history and bot
| any, and of natural philosophy and me
| chanics, astronomy and meteorology OF
the second floor of this wing will be 10
| Gated the
| GRAND LECTURE HALL,
in size eighty-one by eighty-seven feet
and thirty feet high. This hall will bt
built in amphitheatrical form, with seat
radiating and rising from the stage OF
platform at the center and furnishing
la seating capacity of 14O(
students. This room will be covered
with. n self-supporting truss roof,
dispensing with supporting columns, anC
win be arranged after the most modern
models, as TO acoustics, lighting anC
heating.
The lecture rooms will at least affort
from 40 to 160 sittings, while the clas
rooms will each accommodate 70 to so sit
I tings. There will be nine lecture room
and 80 class rooms, besides literary room
and chapel-altogether over 80 rooms II
the. building. The entire cost of thu
building win be about $4,000, withou
fixtures, furniture or apparatus and will
no doubt be one of the most complete uni
versity buildings in this country. Onl,
the west wing has been placed under con
tract at present, to be finished by June
1888, and is being built by Mr.. A. Cook
builder of this city. The work of con
struction and erection will be supervised