Catt Hall is an administrative building completed in 1893, at Iowa State University

Iowa State University

Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...

 which currently houses the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Iowa State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established in 1959, as the College of Sciences and Humanities, and is currently the largest college of Iowa State University...

, the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and the Carrie Chapman Center for Women and Politics. The building is named for Carrie Chapman Catt

Carrie Chapman Catt

Carrie Chapman Catt was a women's suffrage leader who campaigned for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which gave U.S. women the right to vote in 1920...

, an American women's rights activist and founder of the League of Women Voters

League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...

. She graduated from Iowa State in 1880 at the top of her class.

History

Originally known as Agriculture Hall, the building was completed in 1893, and housed the Agriculture, Horticulture, and Veterinary Science departments. In the early 1900s, the Department of Agricultural Engineering moved into the building which was renamed Agricultural Engineering Building until 1922, when the department moved into its own building. Following this move, the building was renamed Botany Hall, then Old Botany Hall, after the Botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

 department moved to Bessey Hall in 1968. Although the building was condemned in 1966, Old Botany was partially occupied until spring of 1994. In 1985, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. The building's interior was gutted and renovated

Renovation

Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...

 in 1995, at which point it was given its current name and purpose as the administrative office for the College of Liberal Arts

Liberal arts

The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...

and Sciences.

Plaza of Heroines

Located in front of Catt Hall, the Plaza of Heroines is a brick filled area containing over 3,600 bricks dedicated to women who have made an impact on their families, communities, and society as role models.

External links

• Plaza of Heroines Website