Columbia, MO

Columbia's Jesse Hall gives the University of Missouri campus a prominent architectural and public gathering place. After the fire of 9 January 1892 destroyed the earlier Academic Hall, leaving its columns standing, a new building designed by Morris Frederick Bell was completed in 1895. It received the name Jesse Hall in 1922 in honour of university president Richard Henry Jesse. Its dome rises above the campus, while the auditorium has hosted occasions extending beyond university administration. Speakers included William Jennings Bryan in 1900 and Amelia Earhart in 1936. The building brings the memory of reconstruction together with a continuing tradition of public assembly.