Structural History of UT Martin

Name(s) of Building:         Hall-Moody Institute; Administration Building; Music Building

Construction Dates: 1899-1901; demolished 1970

Cost: $52,000

Brief History:

Cornerstones for the main building of the Hall-Moody Institute were laid October 2, 1900. It was finished by the time the first classes were held the following September. This building originally served as the offices and classrooms of the Hall-Moody schools from 1900 to 1927. Due to damage from a storm in 1912, the steeple was removed, the facade restructured, and two-story classrooms added to each side. The college bell, on loan from the Martin Baptist Church, was relocated to a separate tower south of the building.

When Hall-Moody merged with Union University in 1927, the State of Tennessee acquired the building and adjacent property to create a junior college for west Tennessee. By then the building measured 132 feet by 117 feet, had fourteen classrooms, a 450 seat auditorium, a library, and three offices. The University of Tennessee Junior College used the building initially for classrooms, but as the campus expanded and other buildings were constructed, administrative offices began to gradually fill the classroom spaces. During most of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s the building operated as the administrative hub of the campus. The library moved to the new ABL building in 1951. Following construction of the new Administration Building in 1959, the building was used for various purposes, including storage, until finally housing the Music and Drama departments. It was unoccupied and slated for demolition when in 1970 a fire destroyed the structure on Thanksgiving Day.