Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1912 [PAGE 550]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

506

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

[Sept. 26

REPLACING BARN ON SOUTH FARM.

(1) A communication from Dean Eugene Davenport relating to the destruction of the large barn on the South Farm by lightning and proposing a plan for replacing it:

UEBANA, I I I . , Sept. 22, 1911.

President Edmund J. James, University of Illinois: MY DEAR MR. PRESIDENT—As you know and as has been reported, the large barn on the South farm was entirely destroyed by fire on Monday last. Besides the destruction of the building, the department has lost a large amount of feed andv practically all of its farm machinery. I t would doubtless be unwise to attempt to restore the building in its former plan even if funds were on hand for that purpose, which they are not, because of the fact that the barn was in no sense a modern structure. Quite independently of all these considerations, ^however, the department is confronted with the problem of caring for its animals. In this respect an emergency exists which must be met with the least delay possible and certainly "before winter. Because of this I have decided to recommend that the $5,000.00 provided for a clinic building be appropriated to the Animal Husbandry Department for the purpose of providing structures which will temporarily house its animals. I make this recommendation the more freely because it develops that this amount of money is entirely insufficient for the erection of a clinic building, which, from the nature of the case, must be on the University campus. It is therefore not available for its original. purpose. Of course, such buildings could not entirely replace the one that has been lost, nor could they permanently care for these interests, but the fund would erect structures which would meet the present emergency and be permanently useful; Because time is so important an element in this whole matter, I beg to request that the supervising architect be authorized to prepare the plans and proceed with the construction at the earliest possible moment. Yours very truly,

E. DAVENPORT,

Dean and Direetor. I t was the sense of the board t h a t i t would n o t be proper to use for this purpose the $5,000.00 provided by the General Assembly for a Clinic building. I t was voted, however, t h a t a sum of n o t to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) be appropriated from agricultural funds for t h e purpose of providing structures which will temporarily house the animals of the Department of Animal Husbandry; and t h a t the dean of the College of Agriculture be directed to draw plans for such structures, these plans to be submitted for approval to the supervising architect and the Committee on Agriculture.

SCHOOL OP PHARMACY LEASE.

2. A recommendation that the officers of the board be authorized to sign a lease for the premises now occupied by the School of Pharmacy, for a period of one year from May 1, 1912, at the present rental, namely, six thousand dollars ($6,000.00) for the year. This recommendation was approved. *