Contact: Sammy McDavid
Montgomery Hall
One of Mississippi State's most historic buildings will be rededicated Saturday [Sept. 11] for another century of use by the university.
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies at Montgomery Hall take place at 9:30 a.m. on the front steps of the four-story, 37,000-square-foot structure. An open house will be held 9-11 a.m.
Built in the Neo-Palladian style in 1902 and originally called the Scientific Building, Montgomery has been included on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. The red-brick edifice later was renamed the W.B. Montgomery Agricultural Hall to honor a prominent Oktibbeha County dairy farmer and original Mississippi Agricultural & Mechanical College trustee who played a decisive role in having the land-grant institution placed in Starkville.
While continuing to house the Office of Student Support Services, Montgomery is the new home for the offices of Admissions and Enrollment Services, as well as the Career Center.
MSU President Charles Lee and William Kibler, vice president of the Division of Student Affairs, will be joined on the program by MSU alumnus Jack Montgomery Harris, an Inverness agribusinessman and Montgomery descendant. State Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory, another MSU alumnus, and Student Association President Adam Telle also will speak.
A major renovation feature of Montgomery Hall is the restoration of a vaulted ceiling in the apse-or semicircular recess-that originally was designed to house the A&M library. Located at the building's rear, the apse has been called "MSU's single most dramatic architectural feature."
The rededication ceremony precedes the 11:30 a.m. televised campus football game between MSU and Southeastern Conference rival Auburn University, another land-grant institution.
For additional information on the program, telephone the student affairs office at (662) 325-3045.