University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection

History

The Mines Building is the third structure on the University of Idaho campus to bear that name. The original 1902 building was repeatedly condemned and ultimately razed in 1951. The university remodeled the 1907 Metallurgical Building that same year, designating it the “New Mines Building.” Growing enrollment and expansion of the College of Mines curriculum and faculty soon rendered that facility inadequate. Planning for a new building began in 1956 under Dean of Mines J.D. Forrester. Spokane-based architects Hicks, James, Culler, Gale, and Martell finalized the design. Commercial Builder’s Inc. of Moscow completed the building in 1961 at an approximate cost of $525,000. The project was jointly funded by a $250,000 appropriation from the Idaho State Legislature, mining companies, and individual donors. The Mines Building reflects a key era of campus growth in the early 1960s, as the university prepared for surging enrollment and embraced Modernist architectural principles.¹

Design

The three-story structure exhibits International Style characteristics with a functional, minimalist ethos. The design follows a Miesian approach, featuring a recessed first floor behind concrete pilotis that create the visual impression of upper floors suspended above the base. A two-story curtain wall dominates the primary north elevation façade, composed of bands of untrimmed two-sash windows separated by thin metal mullions and ceramic-tile panels. Red brick on the west and east elevations connects the building visually to earlier campus architecture. Painted concrete block walls with vertical buttresses accent the south elevation. Metal two-leaf entry doors appear throughout the building.²

Physical Description

The Mines Building contains approximately 28,000 square feet of teaching, laboratory, and office space. It is constructed of steel-reinforced concrete on a smooth concrete foundation and features a flat roof and concrete masonry interior walls. The recessed entrance is located on the west side of the north elevation. The curtain wall’s bands of windows and ceramic-tile panels create a distinctive façade. The building’s geometry and minimal ornamentation emphasize the functional qualities typical of Modern design.³

Notes

Images of Mines Building (New)