English: The Hall of Languages was the first building on the Syracuse University campus. The cornerstone of this historic structure was laid on August 31, 1871, and the $136,000 building was dedicated on May 8, 1873. It was designed by Horatio Nelson White in the Second Empire style and is constructed of Onondaga Limestone, with wood framing and interior cast-iron columns. The east and west towers in the original structure were augmented with a central tower in 1886. This building originally had a slate mansard roof with 3.5 stories in the center and 2.5 stories in each wing. In 1979, the structure underwent a $4 million interior renovation, with minimal changes to the exterior facades. The first floor was lowered to grade to accommodate an elevator, and a new central five-story atrium and stairwell were added. The original four stories of wood were replaced with five stories of concrete, and the original timber columns were replaced with steel, except for retaining the timber beams supporting the mansard roof. This facility has always housed the College of Liberal Arts, but other schools and departments have also occupied the building, including the Registrar and the Chancellor. Currently this facility also contains offices and classrooms for Admissions, as well as the Departments of Religion, English, and Philosophy. It is reported to comprise 74,106 gross square feet.

Address: 101 Crouse Drive Syracuse, NY 13244

Location Decided: September 13, 1870 Building Plans Approved: May 17, 1871 Cornerstone Laid by Bishop Peck: August 31, 1871 Dedication: May 8, 1873 Dedication Speaker: Rev. Edmund S. James, Bishop of the New York Conference Architect: Horatio Nelson White Contractors: Randall and Nesdal, stone masons who had a stone yard on S. Salina Street, Syracuse Cost: $136,000 Style: Second Empire Materials: Onondaga Limestone, primarily wood framing with some interior cast-iron columns

Renovation: 1979 Cost of Renovation: $4 million Architects for Renovation: Sargent-Webster-Crenshaw & Folley, Syracuse, in association with Architectural Resources Cambridge, Inc., Cambridge, MA Contractors for Renovation: J.D. Taylor Construction Corporation, Syracuse

Notes: This was the first building built on campus. Prior to its construction classes were held in the Myers Block on E. Genesee and Montgomery Streets in downtown Syracuse. The building was primarily an H-shape with recesses in the front and rear walls on either side of the central section. The rear recesses were partially occupied by coal houses. The east and west towers were part of the original construction; the central tower was not added until 1886. The east and west towers held large water tanks capable, it was believed, of flooding the entire structure in the event of fire. The west tower also held a 600 pound bell. The building originally rose 3½ stories in the central section and 2½ stories in the wings and was topped by a slate-covered mansard roof. Molded metal cornices sported stone brackets and the exterior walls had a "pecked" finish. The building was the home of the College of Liberal Arts from its beginning, although other schools and departments have also occupied the edifice, including the Registrar and the Chancellor. A section of the eastern wing is said to have been used as a natural science museum.

During the 1979 renovation very few alterations were made to the exterior. Glass-enclosed vestibules were added to the rear of the building and the lowering of the first floor to grade for the addition of an elevator revealed the building's stone foundation. A new central stairway housed in a five-story atrium. Five concrete floors were inserted where there had been four of wood. The old floors were removed and the original timber columns replaced with steel. Wood timbers, however, were retained in the mansard roof.