{"nrhp_refnum":"73001199","name":"Old Biology Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Colgate University","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hamilton","county":"Madison County","state":"NY","lat":42.81790418600008,"lon":-75.53453972999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-09-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Old Biology Hall is a two-story rock-faced stone and brick building on the Colgate University campus in Hamilton, Madison County, New York. It was built in 1884 and enlarged in 1906, and it forms the eastern side of the main quadrangle.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the building is architecturally significant for its scale and design, its relationship to the campus quadrangle, and the way it expresses Richardsonian elements. Its compact size and polychrome exterior set it apart from larger neighboring buildings while providing visual interest to the quadrangle.","narrative":"Old Biology Hall sits on the eastern edge of the main quadrangle at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. Built in 1884 as a two-story, 44 by 70 foot building of rock-faced stone with brick trim, it gained a rectangular addition in 1906 that gave it a T-shaped plan. The original section has a high slate hip roof with gabled dormers, eyebrow windows, ridge chimneys, and a wide semicircular entrance arch. The addition uses the same materials but has a gable roof, shed dormers, a raised foundation, and rectangular windows. Inside, the original wooden staircase and several iron columns survive, though the rooms have been repartitioned. The building was listed for its architecture. Its compact scale and colorful masonry contrast with the larger, more sober buildings around it, and it balances the chapel directly opposite across the quadrangle. Its sturdy massing, picturesque roofline, and bold arched entrance illustrate the Richardsonian manner.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1884)","architect_builder":"C.B. Cutler, Troy, N.Y. (named as architect in a photograph caption)","architectural_style":"Richardsonian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition and occupied; altered at the interior. Educational use. A reviewer's note says it was in use as art studios, with demolition having been discussed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.295477-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/73001199.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001199/73935745d0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001199/73935745d0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"User:Stephen Sommerhalter","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hascall_Hall_at_Colgate_University.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Stephen Sommerhalter</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hascall_Hall_at_Colgate_University.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318730","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hascall_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7083476"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/madison-county/old-biology-hall-73001199/"}