Media are invited to attend the rededication ceremony, plus a surprise from 1906, of Wichita State University's oldest surviving building, Fiske Hall. The event is 3 p.m. Friday, May 3.
First dedicated in June 1906 as Fairmount College's men’s residence hall, Fiske has served many roles over the years, including home to the music department, ROTC, Upward Bound and the departments of Philosophy and History.
A century of use and lack of accessibility prompted a major overhaul that included a new elevator wing and a complete renovation of the interior of the main structure.
The university stored records of the original stone and brick used to build the hall and was able to get a near exact match for the brickwork on the addition. Arches and architectural elements seen on the building, designed by Normand Patton, were replicated in the exterior of the stairwell to stay consistent with the building's original design.
Now complete, Fiske Hall is ready for its next century of service to Shocker Nation.
The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State's Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wichitastate and Facebook at www.facebook.com/wichita.state.