George Seymour: UNL’s Visionary Campus Planner of the 1920s

Campus plan, George Seymour

Figure 1. The above image is George Seymour’s design for the future of City Campus. Kay Logan-Peters, “George Seymour,” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL (2005).

Morrill Hall

Figure 2. A photograph of Morrill Hall (front) and Andrews Hall (back) taken recently after their completion. Kay Logan-Peters, “Morrill Hall,” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL (2005).

Leo Van Horn, History 250: The Historian Craft, Spring 2019

Over the last 150 years, City Campus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln expanded its territory many times and went through many campus building plans. One of the most extravagant plans for UNL came from George Seymour. As a member of the Board of Regents during the 1920s, Seymour used his position to influence the future planning of City Campus. The 1920s saw a substantial increase in student enrollment and territorial expansion of the campus, and Seymour used the opportunity to create a plan he hoped would shape the future of the growing campus for decades to come. Seymour’s focused primarily on the aesthetics of the campus instead of the functionality. He viewed the university campus as an entity in itself instead of a collection of buildings or colleges. Much of Seymour’s design still affects the campus today. During Seymour’s time on the Board of Regents, the university built Memorial Stadium, the Coliseum, Morrill Hall, and Andrews Hall. George Seymour’s expansion plan effectively addressed the problems UNL faced during the 1920s, but his plan for a grand unified campus was incompatible in the long run.[1]

George Seymour was originally from the east coast. He grew up in New York and attended Amherst College. After graduating in 1888, Seymour moved to Elgin, Nebraska, to enter into the banking business. He saw an opportunity to earn his fortune in the growing state of Nebraska. Seymour was prosperous banker, and bought out many of his competitors. Besides spending time in finance, Seymour also enjoyed spending time outside of work doing various hobbies. Some of his most passionate hobbies included landscaping, architecture, and art. When his daughter married an architect from Omaha, he became even closer connected landscaping and architecture. After establishing himself as a successful banker, Seymour became involved with UNL. He became a Regent in 1921 and eventually became the president of the Board of Regents. As a Regent he used his passion for art and landscaping to shape the future of UNL for decades to come.[2]

The 1920s were a time of sharp growth for City Campus at UNL. Following the conclusion of World War I, enrollment numbers were higher than ever. UNL’s enrollment continued to grow even larger into the 1920s. The infrastructure on City Campus swelled in its attempt to contain the growing student body. In 1915, the total enrollment of UNL was around 4,500 students. Within five years enrollment increased to almost 7,000 students, and by 1927 the number of enrolled students was nearly 12,000. The university needed to act swiftly to accommodate the growing student body on campus. Seymour and other leading figures at UNL set out to solve the problem with a new campus expansion project.[3]

In April of 1925, Seymour ordered Chancellor Samuel Avery to send out a questionnaire to every Dean, Director, or Superintendent within the University. Seymour hoped to learn the recent enrollment numbers of each college as well as each college’s needs. Most of the colleges on campus saw their numbers skyrocketing. The Military Department increased their enrollment over fifty percent between 1919 and 1924. Sidney Erikson, head of the Military Department, asked for an armory to be built in his response to Chancellor Avery’s questionnaire. He believed a new armory would be sufficient for double the current students. The College of Business Administration was another college that doubled its enrolment between 1918 and 1924. Following World War I, the college had 423 students, but by 1924 it had almost 1,000 students enrolled. The increase significant increase prompted the College of Business Administration to ask for its own building. At the time they were sharing a building with Social Studies. The college of Business Administration also predicated its enrollment would increase to about 1,300 students within three years. Another overwhelmed part of campus was the library. It requested to increase its space by several times in order to make space for cramped readers. The heads of the university were loud and clear with their responses to Seymour’s questions. UNL needed an immediate increase in its infrastructure to allow the growing student body to flourish.[4]

During the early twentieth century, the actual territory of City Campus also grew. The Board of Regents zoned areas surrounding the campus in preparation for future expansion. In 1913, City Campus expanded its eastern border from Twelfth Street to Fourteenth Street and its northern border from T Street to U Street. The university also added new area to the north on Tenth Street. Much of the new territory was undeveloped until the 1920s when Seymour placed many of the new buildings there. The university erected Memorial Stadium in 1923, the Coliseum in 1925, Morrill Hall in 1927, and Andrews Hall in 1928. All four building projects were placed to the north and east of the original campus. Seymour used the newly acquired area for his immediate plans, but he also anticipated further expansion east to Sixteenth Street and as far north as the Missouri Pacific rail line. He planned for Sixteenth Street to be an outer edge of City Campus and for the Greek Houses there to serve as dormitories. Seymour not only addressed the current issues of the 1920s, but he also wanted to plan ahead for the future.[5]

In a letter to the Chancellor Avery and the rest of the Regents, Seymour described the project as something they would work at slowly over time. Seymour knew most of his plan could not be built until much later, but he wanted to have everything in place for when it was ready. Seymour publicly showcased his master plan in the 1926 yearbook. He compared the situation facing the university to an overgrown child trying to fit into outgrown garments. Although the need to expand for practical reasons was obvious, Seymour was adamant the university should also be a place of beauty. Seymour argued the university should be purposefully designed so it will bring a sense of awe to all who stood within it. He compared his plans for UNL to a golf course. Although the purpose of the course is to play the holes, a proper golf course is also aesthetically pleasing to the players. Likewise, Seymour’s plan for UNL contained large green spaces and central figures to compliment the new classrooms and laboratories. He thought of his campus expansion plan more as a situational project instead of a building project.In the overall scheme of things, the placement of each building was just as important as the building itself.[6]

Seymour plan encompassed the campus he inherited, the undeveloped land to the north and east, and the land he expected the university to eventually control. His plan called for two major malls. The first major mall in Seymour’s plan was Memorial Mall. It ran east-west in line with Vine Street between Twelfth Street and Fourteenth Street. The other major mall in Seymour’s plan was the Quadrangle. It also ran east-west between Eleventh Street and Fourteenth Street along T Street. Most of the academic buildings were located along the two malls. Seymour planned for the academic core of campus to be surrounded by Greek houses and dormitories. The central piece of his plan was a monumental structure built at the east end of the Quadrangle. Located cattycorner to Memorial Stadium, this significant center piece would act as an administration building or some other building of significance. Seymour wanted a person standing in any position on campus to witness amazement from his creation. Functionality of the campus was part of the plan, but it was more of an excuse for Seymour to craft a piece of landscaping beauty. He was more interested in creating a unified campus instead of individual building projects. Seymour’s main focus was on designing open green spaces and large malls lined with buildings.[7]

At the west end of Seymour’s Memorial Mall lies Memorial Stadium. Itwas the first building project during Seymour’s time as Regent in the newly acquired land north of the original campus.Built in 1923, the stadium added much needed facilities for the athletic teams. Football’s popularity was on the rise, and the university needed a new stadium. Memorial Stadium also acted as a memorial to the veterans of World War I. Alumni and other donors privately fundraised the project because the legislature could not spare any funds. The fundraising campaign did not bring in enough money to fulfill everything planned, so in 1925 the university built the Coliseum to compensate for what the stadium lacked. Located in the center of the north side of Memorial Mall, the Coliseum added more facilities for athletics. By 1926, UNL had up-to-date facilities for football and basketball. The Coliseum also had stage for performing arts and commencement ceremonies. Both Memorial Stadium and the Coliseum solved problems at UNL and fit well into Seymour’s plan for a unified campus.[8]

By the end of the 1920s, the university placed two more buildings to the northeast of the original campus. Morrill Hall and Andrews Hall created the northeast quadrant on City Campus. Morrill Hall, built in 1927, was placed on the southeast corner of Memorial Mall. The building acted as a museum for the geological findings of the university. The university never had a proper place for their geological museum, and by the 1920s they had built up quite a collection of fossils. A university museum became a priority to house the large collection. Morrill Hall also added much needed classroom space. Andrews Hall was the next building to go up in Seymour’s plan. Built just south of Morrill Hall in 1928, the new building added more classrooms for the university. The three-story building housed dentistry on the top floor. English and foreign languages took up the rest of the building. Both new halls built up the academic core of campus.[9]

UNL continued to use Seymour’s design as the primary building and expansion plan many years after he left the Board of Regents in 1927. Seymour continued to influence the placement of buildings as a member of the Campus Planning Committee until he died in 1940. Although he carefully thought out the future needs of City Campus, Seymour’s plans ultimately became incompatible after World War II. The end of the war brought in another huge influx of students, and the campus’ infrastructure was overwhelmed again. The first major diversion from Seymour’s plan came when the university built the Selleck Quadrangle to house the increasing number of students. The Selleck Quadrangle location was supposed to be saved for Seymour’s grand structure, but the new building was put in its place. Furthermore, the design of the new dorms did not match the style of the earlier campus. The younger architects who designed the building decided to use a modern building style. During the 1960s the university completely disregarded Seymour’s ideas. A new comprehensive building plan was put in place to meet the updated needs of the campus.[10]

George Seymour created a master building plan for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during his time as Regent to solve the problem of growing enrollment in the 1920s, but his careful planning for the future did not pan out as he had hoped. Seymour did accomplish many great projects for the university during the 1920s. Memorial Stadium and the Coliseum greatly contributed to the university’s athletic programs. Morrill Hall finally allowed the university’s paleontology collection to have a proper building, and Andrews Hall created more classrooms for the student’s academic needs. Seymour developed beautiful green spaces and malls on City Campus. Future builders never fully brought his plans into fruition, but Seymour did enhance the aesthetics on campus. He correctly predicted City Campus would expand further north to the rail line and further east to Sixteenth Street. Although Seymour did contribute much to the university’s landscape, his plans were unrealistic for the future needs of the campus. His monumental structure was never built, and the university’s malls were not maintained. Still, George Seymour’s vision assisted UNL in a time of need, and it greatly affected the future of City Campus.

Notes

  1. Robert E Knoll, Prairie University. (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1995), 69, 75;Kay Logan-Peters, “George Seymour,” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL (2005).
  2. Knoll, 75; Logan-Peters, “George Seymour”
  3. Knoll, 69
  4. Sidney Erikson to Samuel Avery, Letter, 4/9/1925, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-04, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, Subject Correspondence, 1908-1928, P-T, Box 3. Seymour (Regent) reports for 1925.; J. E. LaRossignal to Samuel Avery, Letter, 4/15/25, 9/4/1925, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-04, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, Subject Correspondence, 1908-1928, P-T, Box 3. Seymour (Regent) reports for 1925. ; N. J. Compton to Samuel Avery, Letter, 4/27/25, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG# 05-10-04, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, Subject Correspondence, 1908-1928, P-T, Box 3. Seymour (Regent) reports for 1925.
  5. Knoll, 61; Kay Logan-Peters, “Morrill Hall,” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL (2005).
  6. George Seymour to Samuel Avery, Letter, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-03, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, University Correspondence, 1908-1928, N-S, Box 6. Seymour, Geo. N. Regent 1920-1926.; George Seymour to Samuel Avery and Regents, Letter, 2/13/1925, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-03, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, University Correspondence, 1908-1928, N-S, Box 6. Seymour, Geo. N. Regent 1920-1926.; The Cornhusker, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. Vol. 20. Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska, 1926, 1-6.
  7. Logan-Peters, “George Seymour;” The Cornhusker,  
  8. Logan-Peters, “Memorial Stadium,” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL (2005); Logan-Peters, “Coliseum,” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL (2005)
  9. Logan-Peters, “Morrill Hall;” Logan-Peters, “Andrews Hall,” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL (2005)
  10. Knoll, 140; Logan-Peters, “Selleck Quadrangle,” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL (2005)

Bibliography

  • George Seymour to Samuel Avery. Letter. Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-03, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, University Correspondence, 1908-1928, N-S, Box 6. Seymour, Geo. N. Regent 1920-1926.
  • George Seymour to Samuel Avery and Regents. Letter. 2/13/1925, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-03, Office of the   Chancellor Samuel Avery, University Correspondence, 1908-1928, N-S, Box 6. Seymour, Geo. N. Regent 1920-1926.
  •  J. E. LaRossignal to Samuel Avery. Letter. 4/9/1925. Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-04, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, Subject Correspondence, 1908-1928, P-T, Box 3. Seymour (Regent) reports for 1925.
  • Knoll, Robert E. Prairie University. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.
  • Logan-Peters, Kay. “Andrews Hall.” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL. (2005)
  • Logan-Peters, Kay. “Coliseum.” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL. (2005)
  • Logan-Peters, Kay. “George Seymour.” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL. (2005)
  •  Logan-Peters, Kay. “Memorial Stadium.” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL. (2005)
  •  Logan-Peters, Kay. “Morrill Hall.” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL. (2005)
  •  Logan-Peters, Kay. “Selleck Quadrangle.” An Architectural Tour of Historic UNL. (2005)
  •  N. J. Compton to Samuel Avery. Letter. 4/27/25. Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-04, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, Subject Correspondence, 1908-1928, P-T, Box 3. Seymour (Regent) reports for 1925.
  •  Sidney Erikson to Samuel Avery, Letter, 4/9/1925, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. RG 05-10-04, Office of the Chancellor Samuel Avery, Subject Correspondence, 1908-1928, P-T, Box 3. Seymour (Regent) reports for 1925.
  •  The Cornhusker. Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. Vol. 20. Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska, 1926.
George Seymour: UNL’s Visionary Campus Planner of the 1920s