On March 29, 1906 debate teams from the universities of Washington and Idaho met at the University of Idaho in a hard-fought academic contest that was witnessed by some 300 people. The debate was held in the university’s administration building, which served many functions on the campus, including as the home of the library. The contest was close, but the University of Washington team took home the trophy. The debaters and the audience left the building at 11 that night.
At 2:30 the next morning, Assistant Janitor J.F. Williams, who slept in the building, smelled smoke. He quickly discovered a fire in the basement stairway near the girl’s rest room. He immediately sounded the alarm.
Within minutes a hose company appeared on the scene and began sending streams of water into the building. They hoped to contain the fire to the basement. When that didn’t work, they tried containing the flames to the south wing.
Half the population of Moscow came out to see the conflagration. It lit up the sky like a second sun. While they stood watching the cupola with its topping flagpole twisted slowly and sank into the ruins. The towers fell next, one after another. In a few hours only the skeleton of the building remained.
Students and teachers scrambled to save records and artifacts. They could not save the seven pianos, a professor’s lifetime entomological collection, and museum artifacts. The library was a total loss.
That exact cause of the blaze that brought down the building, valued at $200,000, was never determined. Construction of the administration building had begun in 1892. It had served as the most important building on campus for just 14 years.
At 2:30 the next morning, Assistant Janitor J.F. Williams, who slept in the building, smelled smoke. He quickly discovered a fire in the basement stairway near the girl’s rest room. He immediately sounded the alarm.
Within minutes a hose company appeared on the scene and began sending streams of water into the building. They hoped to contain the fire to the basement. When that didn’t work, they tried containing the flames to the south wing.
Half the population of Moscow came out to see the conflagration. It lit up the sky like a second sun. While they stood watching the cupola with its topping flagpole twisted slowly and sank into the ruins. The towers fell next, one after another. In a few hours only the skeleton of the building remained.
Students and teachers scrambled to save records and artifacts. They could not save the seven pianos, a professor’s lifetime entomological collection, and museum artifacts. The library was a total loss.
That exact cause of the blaze that brought down the building, valued at $200,000, was never determined. Construction of the administration building had begun in 1892. It had served as the most important building on campus for just 14 years.
The University of Idaho Administration Building in the 1890s. Photo courtesy of the Hugh Hartman Collection.
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