Chemical Laboratory, State University Lincoln, Neb.
Description
Color postcard (14 x 9 cm) with a view captioned "Chemical Laboratory, State University, Lincoln, Neb." in red in the top left corner. It is a three story red brick structure with white stone around the bottom. There is a bell tower like structure over the main entrance. The top of University Hall is seen to the left side of the image above the trees. Other brick buildings are seen down the street. There is a fence running between the buildings and the street. The bottom of the card has a white border.
In 1884, University Chancellor Irving J. Manatt and the regents requested money from the legislature for a building program. They requested $75,000 for a laboratory and an Industrial College building. At that time the chemistry department occupied one room on a upper floor of University Hall (seen to the left), and "consisted of a plain pine table on top of which was a rack of bottles...in the upper part of the room, near the ceiling, was installed a barrel tank for the water service. There were numerous bottles, jugs, demijohns and carboys - mostly empty and unlabeled - scattered about the room. Of reference books, journals or even texts, there were none...." In 1883, 295 students had enrolled for chemistry courses but the laboratory could only accommodate 20 students. Funds were appropriated for the Chemical Laboratory and this was the second building to be built on campus, opening in 1886. University Hall (the tower seen over the tree tops to the left) was the first University building on the campus, cornerstone laid September 23, 1869, and first used September, 1871. Source: Manley, Robert N. Centennial History of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1969. Page 82.
