1050 Bascom Mall Built 1849-51 by John F. Rague
Madison Landmark National Register National Historic Landmark
May, 1850 15-year old
Daniel Tenney, who apprenticed as
a bricklayer, helps lay cornerstone. September 17, 1851 Opens. The First UW Building & contained
the entire University for four years
Built with Madison sandstone and hand-hewn tamarack timbers
Tall narrow windows and low-pitched roof suggest Italianate influence, popular in Madison at the time
First three floors were dormitory space for up to 65 students, 4th had lecture & study rooms, faculty offices.
Heated by wood burning furnace, later replaced by stoves in each room.
John Muir lived here while a student in 1863.
A fire in 1884 destroyed the main classroom.
