Building History

Spokane architect Herman Preusse (1847-1926) designed this 36 x 60-foot brick building that was first used for agricultural and biological laboratories. Erected in 1891, it stood as a stand-alone laboratory until 1901. It became known on the Pullman campus as "The Crib," probably because it was the first building on campus.

In 1901, this utilitarian building was incorporated into one end of the Gymnasium #2/Armory (later known as the Temporary Union Building or "TUB) that was completed the following year. Over the years, this conglomerated Crib/Gymnasium served various functions, including for athletics, ROTC, and as the student union.

Architect Preusse designed three buildings on the Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington's campus. These included the Crib, Ferry Hall #1 ("Old Ferry") of 1892 and College Hall #1 of 1892. In 1892, Preusse prepared plans for a very large and costly $275,000 building on campus. Although the building was never built due to a lack of funds, Preusse continued to ask for a 2.5% architectural fee based on the cost, which came out to over $6,000. At the time, various members of the school's board of regents were also coming under scrutiny for locating the institution in Pullman, and this cost-overrun added to the scandal. These combined scandals insured that Preusse would no longer receive commissions from the state for the Pullman campus.

Demolition

The Crib as it was later known, stood in altered form as part of the Gymansium/Armory until 09/1947, when it was razed.

PCAD id: 24142