Campus Chronicles: Picken Hall

By ALICIA FEYERHERM

Tiger Media Network

While the physical structures that make up Fort Hays State University’s campus may not be the most interesting part of Fort Hays and its history, each building has a unique story to tell. Throughout a three-part series, the history of some of FHSU’s most iconic buildings will be explored. 

Campus Chronicles Part One: Picken Hall.

Academic Hall

Picken Hall was the first permanent building on campus. Known then as the Academic Hall, the State Legislature appropriated $20,000 for its construction in 1903 and construction was completed in 1904.  

In 1908, the building was expanded to add the north and south wings ¹.

Picken Hall

In 1911, the building was renamed Picken Hall after William S. Picken, the school’s first administrator ².

Picken did not like that the school was simply a branch of the Normal School and instead had bigger plans for the school. While it started as a high school, the first college courses were added in 1905 and by 1910, a Bachelor of Arts in Education was offered. During his presidency, Picken increased enrollment from 34 to 501³. He also acted as a trainer and first aid attendant for the football team⁴. 

Ironically, Picken did not like the location of the building that would later become Picken Hall. Picken advocated for the buildings to be put on the high ground where the military buildings were instead of on the flats north of Big Creek³. 

The Library

The library was moved to Picken Hall in 1904 and stayed there until 1916. For two years, the library was moved to Martin Allen Hall before returning to Picken Hall in 1918. The library remained there until 1926, when the new library was built. 

1926 was also the year the famous Picken Hall columns were added to the building⁵.

Lily Pond

Little is recorded of the Picken Hall lily pond. 

Built in 1922 and renovated in 1939, the lily pond was east of Picken⁶. 

Until the trees started to obstruct sunlight, the pond had hardy and tropical lilies that were brought inside during the winter. 

Before the renovation, the walls of the pool were cracking and leaking water⁷. 

The Flood

On May 22, 1951, a severe flood in Hays caused extensive damage to Picken. The first floor was completely flooded ¹. 

Six people were killed in the flood including the 14-year-old stepson of President Emeritus Lyman Dwight Wooster (Robert Ripperteau) and Dr. C.F. Wiest, a 75-year-old retired faculty member. 

“The campus was inundated, and damage to buildings and campus made it impossible to continue with classes or to house the students,” Wooster wrote in his 1961 book “A History of Fort Hays Kansas State College 1902-1961” ⁸. “The college year ended without the usual final examinations and commencement. Faculty members prepared grades for students, degrees were granted in absentia, and the graduates were honored at summer school commencement. It was only through the patience and understanding of faculty and students and the use of some of the public school facilities that it was possible to hold a summer session.”

The state architect recommended the building be torn down entirely, but the university opted to renovate the building and preserve the history of Picken Hall ¹.

1960s Renovation 

During the 1960-1961 academic year, Picken was remodeled to provide more classrooms and office space as well as a language laboratory and other facilities ⁸. 

When alumni Gary Hulett was a student at Fort Hays in the 1950s, he took classes in the basement of Picken. He remembers taking German there as well as a class called “Man in Society,” which every student was required to take. 

Hulett went on to teach at the university. 

“I taught a class in the basement of Picken Hall one time when I was on the faculty later,” Hulett said. 

The $375,000 renovation also eliminated the auditorium because it was too small to be of further use to the growing student body.

Sheridan Renovations 

When Sheridan Coliseum was renovated in 1986, the majority of offices in Sheridan were moved to Picken. 

“The Business and Registrar’s Offices will hopefully be moved August 15,” Plant Architect Brien Murray said. “All other offices will be moved according to progress.” ⁹

1997 Renovations

The building was renovated again in 1997.

Projects included an elevator, stair tower, perimeter drainage system and handicapped-accessible restrooms. There was also interior remodeling, window replacements, and asbestos removal as part of this renovation.

The remodeling all took place with office personnel remaining in the building, which complicated the process ¹⁰.

While no one knows exactly when the Picken Hall cupola was constructed, records show it was in that location until the 1950s, when it was moved because of roof leaks. The new cupola was built during this time. Using early photographs of the building, the cupola was replicated as close as possible to the original ¹.

The Logo

Between 1988 and 1998, the university logo was inspired by the Picken Hall. 

“The colonnade on the west portico is the inspiration for the University’s logo,” a document overviewing Picken’s 1997 renovation said ¹⁰.

2010 Renovation

In 2010, the building was renovated one more time. 

“That was the first major project in that building since about 1960 and it was a total complete renovation that involved structural repairs to the building, as well as complete renovation of mechanical spaces, mechanical system, electrical systems,” Director of Facilities Planning Dana Cunningham said. “And then, obviously, a number of new people moved into Picken Hall once the project was complete.”

The renovation cost $4.5 million ⁴.

Other Purposes

The building has seen many uses over the years and served multiple functions, including graduate and personnel offices, the affirmative action office, the Docking Institute of Public Affairs and the campus post office¹¹. The building also acted as the School of Business building when the Sternberg Museum was moved to McCartney Hall ¹². 

Today

Not much has changed since the 2010 renovation. The building currently houses Admissions, Financial Assistance, Registrar, Graduate School, Student Fiscal services and a variety of other entities ⁴. 

With the ongoing renovation of Forsyth Library, the Makerspace and Honors College have temporarily relocated to the basement of Picken.

1. Fort Hays Kansas State College, “Rededication of Martin Allen Hall and Picken Hall” (1999). Buildings & Facilities. 612. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/612
2. https://www.fhsu.edu/about/fhsuhistory/buildings/#:~:text=Picken%20Hall%20was%20named%20for,but%20was%20renamed%20in%201911.
3. Fort Hays State University, “75th Anniversary Celebration Program” (1977). Buildings & Facilities. 1242. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/1242
4. https://www.fhsu.edu/administrative/facilities-planning/campus-buildings/Picken-Hall/
5. https://forsythlibrary.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/a-stroll-through-memory-lane/
6. Fort Hays Kansas State College, “Timeline of the Picken Hall Lily Pond” (2022). Buildings & Facilities. 290. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/290
7. Fort Hays Kansas State College, “Clipping of an Article About the Lily Pond Repairs” (1938). Buildings & Facilities. 289. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/289
8. Wooster, Lyman Dwight, “A History of Fort Hays Kansas State College 1902-1961” (1961). Fort Hays Studies Series. 36. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/fort_hays_studies_series/36
9. Newcomer, Eric, “Sheridan Project Requires Move” (1986). Buildings & Facilities. 1423. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/1423
10. Fort Hays State University, “Picken Hall Renovation Booklet” (1997). Buildings & Facilities. 1077. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/1077
11. https://www.fhsu.edu/about/fhsuhistory/buildings/#:~:text=Picken%20Hall%20was%20named%20for,but%20was%20renamed%20in%201911.
12. Choate, Jerry R., “The Fort Hays Museums” (2022). Buildings & Facilities. 1483.

https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/1483

Photos from Lyman Dwight Wooster Photograph Collection and University Archives Photographs Collection.