King Hall - Soil Science

1535 Observatory Drive

Built in 1894 (east wing and central tower), 1896 (west wing)

Constructed in two phases to house the Departments of Horticulture and Agricultural Physics, King Hall is now home to the Department of Soil Science (www.soils.wisc.edu). The building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981. F. H. King was the first professor of agricultural physics (1888-1902), conducting research on silos, windmills, barn ventilation, and soil physics. In the building’s early years, there was a windmill mounted on top of the octagonal tower of King Hall’s west wing. In 1904, the agricultural physics department was divided into the Departments of Soils and Agricultural Engineering. The Soils Annex, connected to King Hall’s west wing, was constructed in 1915.