New Mexico State University: Goddard Hall – Las Cruces NM

Description

"The engineering building with its distinctive bell tower and Spanish Renaissance style was completed in 1913. An annex was added under the auspices of the WPA in 1936-37. The annex was designed and supervised by college faculty and built with student labor.

The building was dedicated in 1934 to the late dean of engineering, Ralph Willis Goddard. Born in Waltham, Mass., in 1887, Goddard was hired by the college as an electrical engineering professor in 1914 and became dean of engineering in 1920. He was a pioneer in radio engineering and his experiments received national attention. He also trained enlisted men to become proficient in sending and receiving wireless messages during World War I.

Goddard died on Dec. 31, 1929, from electrocution inside the transmitter room of radio station KOB on the NMSU campus. Funding for the renovation of Goddard Hall, which was the symbol for NMSU's Centennial celebration, is under way. Two sections of the building will be remodeled.

The WPA section rehabilitation project, partially funded by the National Science Foundation, will house research support services. The historic Trost section will house registration and student services offices."

-NMSU