Robertson Hall

Description:	The groundbreaking for Robertson Hall occurred on December 6, 1940, and the building opened on January 28, 1942. Constructed to house Butler Universitys College of Religion, the $250,000 Georgian style building was designed by the architectural firm of Burns and James. Established in 1924, the College of Religion first opened for classes in 1925, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees. In 1939, based on the recommendations made to all seminaries in the United States by the American Association of Theological Schools, the undergraduate portion of the College was moved to the Department of Religion in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Additionally, the College of Religion became known as the School of Religion, although the names are sometimes used interchangeably, and it continued to offer graduate degrees. In 1958, the School of Religion incorporated as a separate entity known as the Christian Theological Seminary (CTS). When the organization moved to a new campus in February 1966, the University purchased the building for $600,000, using money from the Robertson Fund. Comprised of a series of donations from Carrie Robertson, the money was to be used for the construction of a chapel on the University campus, as a way to commemorate the lives of herself and her husband, Alexander M. Robertson. After her death, the Marion County Probate Court gave the University permission to use the funds towards the purchase of the building instead, since the fund did not contain enough money to build a chapel. In August 1966, the building was renamed Robertson Hall in her honor. The door on the right side of the building originally led to Sweeney Chapel, but the space was remodeled after the departure of CTS. Renamed Robertson Chapel, it was decorated in a colonial style and served as a student chapel, first opening for services on Sunday, February 26, 1967. The space was renovated again in 2004, becoming the Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall.
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/1562
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.841018, -86.172205 39.841018 -86.172205
Subjects:	Spires Trees Shrubs Stairs Handrails Columns Roof gutters Butler University--Buildings College buildings Architecture, Georgian Robertson, Carrie Francis, 1852-1941 Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History Robertson Hall Religion Building Sweeney Chapel Robertson Chapel Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall Robertson, Alexander M. Steeples Bushes Quoins Fairview campus

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