{"nrhp_refnum":"73001236","name":"Hall of Languages, Syracuse University","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Syracuse University campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Syracuse","county":"Onondaga County","state":"NY","lat":43.038478077000036,"lon":-76.13431020099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-09-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A masonry university building at the southern end of University Avenue on the Syracuse University campus in Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York. Designed by Horatio Nelson White, it was built 1871-73 as the first building of the campus.","why_significant":"It is the only known university building designed by Horatio Nelson White, a pioneer architect in Central New York. It was the first building constructed on the Syracuse University campus in 1873. It illustrates the Second Empire mode during the prosperous post-Civil War period, and it is noted for its formal massing, towers and excellent local stone masonry.","narrative":"Crowning a hilltop at the head of University Avenue, the Hall of Languages was the first building of Syracuse University's campus. Built of Onondaga limestone between 1871 and 1873 to designs by Syracuse architect Horatio Nelson White, it has an H-shaped plan, a high central section with two lower wings, a mansard roof and three cupolas. Two of the cupolas were built to hold water tanks; the central one over the clock was added about fifteen years later. Stone quoins and belt courses contrast with the rough pecked finish of the walls. Inside, the original pressed sheet metal ceilings, paneled doors, a curving main staircase and early steam radiators remain. The building first housed the whole university, including the chancellor's offices and a chapel, and is now used for classrooms. It is the only known university building by White, and it illustrates the Second Empire style in post-Civil War Central New York. The contractors, Randall and Nesdall, were stone masons whose contract price was $136,000.","period_of_significance":"1871-73","architect_builder":"Horatio Nelson White (architect); Randall and Nesdall (contractors)","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition and altered only in minor ways; used for classrooms, with some original large spaces, including the chapel, partitioned.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.361709-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/73001236.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001236/514b26d899-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001236/514b26d899-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Kiran891","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hall_of_Languages_(April_2022).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kiran891</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hall_of_Languages_(April_2022).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320359","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Languages,_Syracuse_University","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5642697"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/onondaga-county/hall-of-languages-syracuse-university-73001236/"}