Ballou Hall

Ballou Hall
Ballou Hall in 1905
Former names	College Hall
General information
Type	Administrative
Architectural style	Italianate
Town or city	Medford, Massachusetts
Country	US
Coordinates	42°24′27″N 71°07′13″W / 42.4075964°N 71.1203308°W / 42.4075964; -71.1203308Coordinates: 42°24′27″N 71°07′13″W / 42.4075964°N 71.1203308°W / 42.4075964; -71.1203308
Named for	Hosea Ballou II
Groundbreaking	July 19, 1852
Renovated	1955
Owner	Tufts University
Technical details
Material	Brick
Floor count	Three
Design and construction
Architect	Gridley J.F. Bryant
Renovating team
Renovating firm	McKim, Mead, and White

Ballou Hall is a historic academic building on the campus of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Built in 1852 and designed by Gridley J.F. Bryant, it was Tufts' first academic building following the university's establishment by a group of Universalists. The building was later restored by McKim, Mead, and White and remains the center of administration for the university.

Credit for the architectural design was questioned until Bryant's signature surfaced on a college legal document. During the 1850s, Bryant had been well known in Boston for designing civic and commercial buildings such as Boston City Hall and the Suffolk County Jail, however he prepared very few educational buildings. His design for Ballou is a refined version of Hathorn Hall which he designed for Bates College. The rectangular building was designed to be one hundred feet by sixty feet and designed to stand atop Walnut Hill. With three finished stories built in an Italianate style with red brick and sandstone trimmings. The whole building is crowned with a bracketed cornice and balustrade. The main entrance of the building is arched and enclosed by a Roman Ionic Portico, surmounted with another balustrade. The height was extended with the addition of six paneled brick chimneys which rose above a slate roof. Overall the building was designed to be seen for miles past campus. Hidden behind the balustrade was a cast-iron college bell used to call students and faculty to lectures and chapel services. The building is surrounded by sandstone course belts and features rusticated corner quoins. During the late 19th century, subsequent renovations changed the appearance of the building, until McKim, Mead, and White reverted the building to its original appearance in 1955-56. During the renovation the building was gutted and new steel-reinforced walls and floors were inserted. The last classes held in the building were in Spring of 1955.