Lee Hall

As I want to tell you about a fantastic documentary on architecture (kind of) we watched, I figured a shot of one of my favorite buildings on Mississippi State University's campus would be fitting.

From MSU's website:
"Lee Hall. 1909. Beaux Arts. Named for Stephen Dill Lee, the first president of the university, Lee Hall was built as an academic building and chapel. In the early years, it served as the main administration building housing the President, his secretary, the registrar, the comptroller, and the commandant of cadets. Also, up to 150 classes were conducted there daily. In October of 1948 a fire broke out on the roof where construction workers had been working with tar. The fire destroyed the fourth floor and most of the third floor. Damages were estimated at $1 million. Repair work began almost immediately after the fire, and Lee Hall was restored to its old form. Today, this grand building houses the English Department, Foreign Languages, Telecommunications, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Printing Department."

It has a great atmosphere. We go inside ever so often, as the concert series for which we have season tickets takes place in the Lee Hall Auditorium.

Now about the documentary: all photographers who enjoy architectural photography should watch it. All architects would get a kick out of it. All people remotely interested in design should watch it. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman.

This is 2/50 documentaries I vowed to watch this year.