Bryan Hall (c. 1908)

Bryan Hall, built in 1908 served as a residence hall until 1969, when a fire destroyed a neighboring building and Bryan Hall was needed as administrative space. The building, named for U.S. Senator William James Bryan, is the oldest existing structure on Florida State’s campus. When administrative offices were moved back to their original location, a complete reconstruction of Bryan Hall took place to restore the building to its residential function. The process took two years and the careful deconstruction of the building’s infrastructure so as to retain the building’s walls. Floor timbers were carefully removed and salvaged for use in other projects. New mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were installed after lead paint removal and asbestos abatement were complete. Through value engineering, innovative building techniques were developed to reproduce the original building coping system utilizing an on-site cast-in-place form work method. The building envelope itself was in dire need of help. The existing mortar no longer had its adhesive qualities and was merely separating the brick. A new mixture was created to match the existing color and retain the original look. In order to find brick that matched the existing, an extensive search was done and finally, brick was ordered from two sources to restore the building’s exterior to its initial façade. The interior of Bryan Hall required the lobby staircase and railings to be rebuilt and original fireplaces to be restored. An exhaustive search found the appropriate materials and specialty craftsmen provided the skills that were necessary to bring back the unique setting of the early 1900s.