Despite widely circulated rumors to the contrary, the University’s first building was not moved from Elko to Reno.
It just wasn’t logistically possible in those days. Instead, an entirely new building was constructed on a bluff just a mile north of Reno’s railroad station. The Board of Regents purchased ten acres of land in June 1885 from J. N. Evans, and broke ground for the new building Aug. 2. The cornerstone was placed Sept. 12, 1885, and in March 1886, the building’s doors opened to students and faculty.
The lone, three-story, Second Empire style, brick building was perched on a bluff amidst an expanse of sagebrush and some alfalfa fields. It was referred to as “the main building” before it was named Morrill Hall after Senator Justin S. Morrill, the architect of the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862.
Designed by well-known Reno architect M.J. Curtis, Morrill Hall is one of the few remaining examples of Victorian architecture in the city. It cost $13,500 to build, which equates to about $450,308 today. Morrill Hall was a beacon of the future. It represented the opportunity for people to uplift themselves and their children through access to higher education. This marked a turning point for Reno. No longer would it be just a small railroad town dotted with mining camps.
Morrill Hall housed the entire University until the Agricultural Experiment Station was built in 1889, followed by Stewart Hall in 1890.
“Located on a very picturesque site less than one mile north of the railroad depot at Reno, the New Building is built of brick, having a stone foundation. Both the basement and mansard roof floors are well lighted, commodious and adapted for school purposes. The basement is divided into four rooms for the janitor, stores, assay furnaces, quartz crushers and workshops. The first floor is approached by a broad flight of steps leading to a fine vestibule and hall. On the left-hand side are the Principal’s office, reception room, Regents’ room, library and museum; on the right-hand side the Assayer’s office, assaying room, weighing room, lavatory and gymnasium. Ascending to the second floor the visitor will find a large lecture hall on the right and two fine classrooms on the left-hand side. The third floor has two large apartments, a general assembly room and an armory.”
— Daily Nevada State Journal, March 23, 1886