Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Photo: Library of Congress
Tucked away on the University of Alabama campus at Tuscaloosa, is a Beaux Arts gem. Founded in 1831 the Alabama Museum of Natural History was the first museum in the state & among the first in the Nation. In the seventy nine years between 1831 & 1910 the institutions collections of geological, zoological, mineralogical, paleontological, & ethnological outgrew their home. Enter Eugene Allen Smith, a leading geologist who successfully lobbied for the creation of a new home for the museums ever multiplying number of artifacts.
Opened in 1910, the new Beaux Arts structure was modeled on similar institutions appearing across the country. A top lit vaulted hall provided a venue to display large artifacts whilst also providing light to surrounding galleries. Expansive windows, elaborate ironwork, tall columns, & a grand beautified what would otherwise be utilitarian spaces. Small Hall, as the building is officially known, is still in use by scholars & museum goers today. Favorite parts? All that marvelous ironwork! Also, that top lit hall!
More information on this structure here.
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