Construction of Kilgore Hall

Department of Horticultural Science - History

by Erin Naegle and Kristen Keenan

(click on each image below to see a larger version)

In the early 1950s, many army veterans returning from the war headed to universities and colleges to take advantage of the GI Bill. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, a state treasury surplus had developed during wartime years. Governor W. Kerr Scott and members of the General Assembly looked favorably upon the School of Agriculture and Forestry at State College. Funds were made available for four new buildings on campus, thus doubling the space available to the school.

At this time, Scott Hall, Williams Hall, Gardner Hall and Kilgore Hall were constructed. The last of the four buildings built, Kilgore Hall was completed in 1953, built at a cost of $850,000. The 51,000 square foot building was shared by the Departments of Horticulture and Forestry. It was named in honor of Benjamin W. Kilgore, the dean of the school, and director of both the research station and the extension service. Also constructed for the Horticulture Department were a headhouse, a propagating house and two greenhouses.

Reference: W.L. Carpenter and D.W. Colvard. 1987. Knowledge is Power: A history of the school of agriculture and life sciences at North Carolina State University, 1877-1984.

The first two pictures tell the story of the construction of the aforementioned buildings in the early 1950s, specifically Kilgore Hall and its location within the campus.

The second two pictures give you a feeling of how Kilgore Hall looked then and in 2002.