University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection

History

The University of Idaho College of Law was established in 1909. It became a member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1914 and achieved American Bar Association accreditation in 1925. For much of its early history, the college operated without a centralized facility, utilizing classrooms and administrative spaces dispersed across campus. By the early 1970s, university planners moved forward with a purpose-built law facility to consolidate classrooms, offices, and the college’s library. The Boise architectural firm Dropping, Kelley, Hosford & LaMarche designed the new building, which was occupied in fall 1973 and formally dedicated in April 1974. The building was named in 1984 for Albert Menard, who served as dean from 1967 to 1978. The Menard Law Building provided a permanent home for the College of Law and supported the university’s commitment to legal education.

Design

The Menard Law Building reflects Brutalist-style geometry, disciplined by uniform window openings and monumental stairways that lead to multiple terraces.

Physical Description

The exterior is clad in stretcher bond brick masonry over poured concrete. Tiered concrete stairs channel foot traffic up to the recessed, window-surrounded main entrance on the east elevation. Brick planters and short square pillars with rowlock and soldier brick detailing tie the stair complex into the overall aesthetic. Fenestration is consistent, with sash windows set beneath flat arch tops of vertical joint bricks, slip sills, and header-brick mullions. Doors are metal with glass panels, many with flush-light transoms. Renovations since 1973 include a redesign of the main stairway to improve accessibility, completed in 2020.

Albert R. Menard

Albert R. Menard Jr. (1918–1993) served as dean of the University of Idaho College of Law from 1967 to 1978 and continued teaching until his retirement in 1984. He led significant growth in the law school, helping to triple both enrollment and faculty during his tenure, and played a key role in securing a new building and law library, which the university named in his honor in 1984. The Idaho Bar Association presented him with a Resolution of Appreciation in 1977 in recognition of his leadership in developing the college.¹

Menard earned degrees from the University of Georgia, Columbia University, and completed law study at Harvard. He held faculty positions at Wake Forest and the University of Colorado before joining the University of Idaho. His service extended beyond academia through consulting roles for legal and civic organizations.

Notes

Images of Law Building