Marston Hall
Departments housed in Marston Hall: Engineering Administration, Engineering Alumni Relations, Engineering Computing Support Services, Engineering Communications and Marketing, Engineering Undergradate Programs
Work on Engineering Hall started in 1900 and was completed in 1903. In 1947, the building was renamed Marston Hall in honor of Anson Marston, longtime professor and the first dean of engineering at Iowa State. Marston was informed of the honor on May 31, 1944, at a small dinner commemorating his 80th birthday.
Original planning sketches from the university archives show the Muses depicted as women dressed in the fashions of the early 1900s, holding garlands of flowers entwined with ribbons. An unknown stonecutter, however, chose to sculpt traditional Greek statues. Each of the eight-foot-tall Muses represents an engineering field taught in 1900—mining, civil, mechanical, and electrical—and each holds artifacts of the profession she represents.
- The niches on either side of the exterior east entrance were created with the purpose of placing statues of individuals who had made the greatest contributions to engineering. They remain vacant.
- The fourth floor was built without a central corridor. There were small offices on the north and south ends; the remaining space was divided into two large rooms that stretched the width of the building. The open area was needed to accommodate the large drafting tables used by students at the turn of the century. There were also five skylights on the fourth floor; all have been covered. A central corridor was added in the ’70s by removing interior walls. The large drafting rooms were converted into smaller classrooms and offices.
View a panoramic scene that includes Marston Hall
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