I love FSU for many reasons, especially its beautiful campus. One of the best parts of becoming a tour guide was learning about FSU’s history and how it intertwines with the present-day campus. Here are 10 facts I thought were worth sharing!
- FSU has been both an all-women and an all-men college
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In 1851, FSU wasn’t called FSU at all; instead, it was the West Florida Seminary and a school that only enrolled men. In fact, it took eight names before FSU arrived at its titular destination. Yes, FSU has had a total of nine names spanning its more than 174-year history.
However, in 1909, the school was designated to become a college for women. Per the Buckman Act, the school was to be made all-female, but what the act didn’t require is what made FSU (then Florida State College for Women) exceptional. Instead of focusing on industrial and teaching education like almost all women’s colleges at the time, it focused on liberal arts education just like all the schools for men. The choice to educate women in the same subjects as men set the university apart from others and attracted many to it.
- Jennie Murphree was a women’s-only residence hall until 2015
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Jennie Murphree was the wife of the first president of the Florida State College for Women. The residence hall was named after her because she acted as a dutiful first lady of the university; one of her notable qualities was her dedication to musical education, impacting her children’s lives and the University’s resources.
Unfortunately, Murphree died suddenly in 1921. Immediately after her death, the University named a residence hall in her honor, and the girls who lived there were often called “Jennie Roses.” Partially because of the hall’s deep connection to Jennie Murphree herself, it remained an all-women’s dorm until 2015, when it became co-ed like the rest of the residence halls on campus.
- FSU has a public mineral collection in the EOAS Building
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On the first floor of the Earth, Oceanic, and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) Building, there’s an extensive mineral collection with pieces from all over the world. Across the hall, there’s a shell collection with similar diversity. This is one of my favorite hidden gems on campus, so much so that I reached out to learn more about it during my freshman year.
The donors responsible for the collection are the late Emeritus Professor Dr. James Cowart and his wife, Emerita Dean Dr. Marie Cowart. Dr. Marie Cowart was kind enough to tell me how she and her late husband collected for 40 years and were happy to share the fruits of their collection with the students at FSU. That story is just one small testament to the deep community ties FSU has with its students and faculty, and knowing what I do now about the collection makes it even more impactful. I highly recommend that you take a look!
- FSU has an in-house weather broadcast
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Also in the EOAS building, FSU students broadcast weather reports every weeknight at 6 p.m. ET. Not only that, but meteorology students will also broadcast during special weather events (like the recent Hurricane Helene) with live updates.
- FSU has its own radio station
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Since 1987, V89 has been on the air and available to Tallahassee residents 24/7. Continuously operating for over 38 years, V89 is a student-run radio station that airs from its headquarters on the fourth floor of the Diffenbaugh Building, known as the station’s “laser lounge.” The next time you’re at Westcott, look at the top of the Diffenbaugh Building, and you’ll see an antenna; that’s where V89 is broadcasting from!
- Dodd Hall used to be a library
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Dodd Hall was a library until 1956. This certainly gives some context for its tympanum, which displays, “The Half of Knowledge, is to Know Where to Find Knowledge.” The library served the University during the Florida State College for Women era and until 1956, when FSU built a new, hipper library: Strozier Library.
- There used to be a pool where HCB is today
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Before the Humanities Classroom Building (HCB) was built in 2007, the area had a swimming pool. On March 1, 1965, the pool was announced as the “University Union Pool.” Most likely, to address the growing student population, the space was renovated, with HCB replacing the pool.
- Montgomery Hall used to be a recreation center
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Montgomery Hall is home to FSU’s dance majors today, and it boasts a dance studio and theater on its lower level. However, Montgomery Hall used to have different facilities. Under the leadership of Dr. Katherine Montgomery, this area was the campus epicenter for sports. Dr. Montgomery was so honored that the building was going to be named after her that she slept on the gym floor the night before its official opening in 1929.
One of the most notable FSU sports at the time was synchronized swimming. For that reason, there used to be a heated swimming pool where the Tarpon Team practiced. Another popular intramural sport at the school was bowling, explaining why there used to be a bowling alley in the basement.
In 2004, the Montgomery Building underwent renovation, and the pool and bowling alley were removed to serve the dance students at FSU better. If it’s any consolation, FSU does have a 16-lane swimming pool at the Leach and Bowling & Billiards in the Student Union.
- Bryan Hall is the oldest existing building on FSU’s campus
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Although FSU’s history goes back to the nineteenth century, there are, unfortunately, no buildings from that period still standing on campus. There is, however, Bryan Hall from 1908! The building served as a residence hall until 1969, when a fire broke out in the Westcott Building, and Bryan was used as an office space. In 1997, renovations made it possible for students to live there once again, and Bryan Hall remains a functioning residence hall today.
- There’s a secret sculpture in the Ruby Diamond Auditorium
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The next time you watch a show in the Ruby Diamond Auditorium, don’t look forward — look up! Visible from the audience seats but nearly out of eyesight, there’s a wooden sculpture of an owl suspended from the ceiling of the Ruby Diamond Auditorium in the Westcott Building. The owl itself may be a nod to the University’s days as Florida State College for Women, when the owl was widely used as a symbol for the school.
Hopefully, these 10 facts will give you a new perspective on FSU since there’s something extraordinary about even an ordinary day on this campus.
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