Himes Hall, LSU

The main office and all faculty offices of the History Department are located on the second floor of Himes Hall, part of the historical Quad (Quadrangle) that lies at the heart of the Baton Rouge campus. Buildings in this area of campus, designed in a distinctive Italian Renaissance style complete with red-tile roofs, were part of a major push to develop the university's educational facilities that began in the 1920s and continued, despite the effects of the Great Depression, in the 1930s, under the Works Progress Administration. Under the shade of the magnificent oak trees that are perhaps the most distinctive feature of the campus's beauty, the Quad is a favorite spot for study and relaxation, and is today fondly recalled by many generations of LSU alumni.

A definitive history of LSU is one of the many research projects still being pursued, even in retirement, by Professor of History Emeritus Paul Hoffman. Pending its publication, a shortened online version of the campus's history can be read here: History of LSU