Ladies Annex
The first building built on the current Southwestern University campus.
This stop is at a building that no longer exists. The Ladies’ Annex, built in 1889, was the first building constructed on today’s campus. Built in the French Revival Style, the Annex was a self-contained boarding and classroom facility for the women who attended Southwestern. In addition to sleeping quarters, it contained an art studio, a gymnasium, meeting rooms for three sororities, as well as spaces for the Althean and Clio Literary Societies. At the start, the Annex awarded diplomas to female students - not the bachelor’s degrees awarded to male students at graduation, but eventually, female students would earn bachelor’s degrees. This photograph was taken after 1905, when a wing was added on the east, giving the building an H design.
At approximately 4 a.m. on January 8, 1925, a report of fire reached the Georgetown Fire Department. By the time firefighters arrived at the Ladies’ Annex, the fire was beyond their control, having already consumed the wooden roof. When the sun rose that morning, only the walls of the building remained. Despite the complete loss of the building, the quick actions of Laura Kuykendall, among others, saved the lives of all 200 women residing in the annex. This image, taken shortly after the fire, shows the former residents of the annex and the burned shell of the building.
[French Revival was a style of architecture that was popular in Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. It took inspiration from 16th and 17th century French Renaissance architecture. Structures built in this style, usually of stone or brick, looked like castles or chateaus and often have multiple floors. The roofs of the building will have dormer windows and decorative elements. ]
