Demolition could uncover old hall

University of Nebraska-Lincoln historians and archaeologists hope the Ferguson Hall demolition uncovers remains of University Hall, UNL's first building, which was contstructed a year after the university's founding in 1869.

The demolition is scheduled for a Labor Day completion, the demolition team and university officials said last month, and this fall marks 141 years of UNL's existence.

"In destroying Ferguson Hall, we don't want to once again, destroy what's left of University Hall," said Peter Bleed, archaeologist and UNL professor of anthropology.

Bleed has been interested in the archaeology of UNL for some time and has spoken with Alan Wedige, UNL's project manager for Ferguson's demolition, on several occasions about the possibility of uncovering artifacts from UNL's premier building.

"He (Wedige) definitely wants to do the right thing," Bleed said. "The right thing would be to preserve as much as possible of what remains of University Hall."

Wedige, also designer with Facilities Management and Planning, said the demolition team was aware of the situation from the beginning of the demolition. He said they've been told to "leave everything in place" if remains of University Hall are uncovered.

No one is sure what the demolition will uncover, but Bleed said it is likely to bare some remains of University Hall because pre-modern demolitions were not as effective as they are today. University Hall was demolished by hand whereas today demolitions require special equipment and precautions.

The three-story building featured a full basement, a mansard roof, a large central tower, a chapel and a bell, according to Kay Logan-Peters' website about UNL's historic buildings (historicbuildings.unl.edu).

Construction of University Hall "was plagued by poor quality materials, cost overruns, and negative publicity," Logan-Peters, professor and architecture librarian wrote. The original foundation was constructed with limestone and the building with common brick, both too soft to support the structure, she said in a phone interview.

"It was too heavy and literally caved on its own weight," she said.

UNL officials made many attempts to preserve University Hall. According to Logan-Peters' site, the roof leaked from the beginning. The foundation was repaired in 1871, within a year of its construction, and the foundation of the chapel was replaced in 1873, three years into its establishment. In 1925, the mansard roof and upper stories had to be removed, "leaving a pathetic remnant of a once imposing structure," she wrote. Eventually University Hall was torn down in 1948.

That same year, began the construction of Ferguson Hall, parts of which overlapped the foundation of University Hall.

It's possible University Hall's demolition team left parts of the foundation and just filled the hole with dirt, Logan-Peters said, adding it would have preserved the original foundation. And that's what Bleed is hoping for.

"All I'm interested in doing right now is preserving the archaeological remains so that they can be studied at some point in the future. I can't tell when they would be studied, but if we destroy them now they'll never be studied," he said.

If the foundation is uncovered, Bleed wants to turn the area into an archaeological site, leaving the foundation in the ground until it is properly excavated. This would mean two projects would be in effect: Ferguson Hall demolition and University Hall unveiling. Wegide and Bleed said both projects are possible. And the Ferguson demolition will continue as planned.

"A great university has a great history," Bleed said.

tanikacooper
@dailynebraskan.com