Wright Hall (1915)

In 1912, President Seerley, with the support of Board of Education President James Trewin, proposed a new building to be used for instruction in domestic science, manual training and agriculture. The Iowa General Assembly approved the $100,000 project in 1913, financed with funds collected under the millage tax, a statewide real estate levy. In March 1914, the Board approved both the Vocational Building and a women's dormitory (Bartlett Hall) and directed the architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird, and Rawson to create drawings. On December 17, 1914, the College Eye student newspaper reported plans for the Vocational Building were complete. It would be located at the southwest corner of the classroom buildings on campus. 

Work began in early 1915. By May 1915, crews were unloading stone and brick for the new building. A College Eye writer anticipated the building "will be, not only a place of utility but also an object of architectural beauty." 

In September 1915, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds James E. Robinson reported the foundation was complete and walls were in progress. He hoped to have the building enclosed before cold weather arrived.

The Vocational Building opened for summer 1917. The total cost of the project was $109,566. Students called the new building a symbol "that marks this school as a pioneer in the field of vocational education and interest….” One of its unique features was the limestone inscriptions over its two entrances, chosen by President Seerley. Above the northeast entrance were the words "Do not do what is already done." The southeast entrance inscription read "For the people had a mind to work," a portion of the King James Version Bible verse Nehemiah 4:6: "So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof; for the people had a mind to work." 

At its opening, the first floor was for agriculture studies, the second for manual training, the third for domestic science, and the fourth for art classes. When the study of agriculture declined in the 1930s, focus shifted to natural science.

In 1936, the building underwent minor roof repair after a tornado. In 1941, officials were concerned about skylight leaks in the art studios and covered them with conventional roofing and walls. The north windows, which were also built to maximize natural light for artists, remained. In 1946, the College Eye reported on current use of the Vocational Building: natural science specimens and microscopes on the first floor; engines and woodworking machines on the second floor; cooking equipment, sewing forms, and model home economics layouts on the third floor; and arts and crafts projects on the fourth floor.

In the mid-1940s, the college began plans for a new vocational or Arts and Industries building. Professor Harold Palmer, head of the Department of Arts (which included Art and Industrial Arts), noted substantial shortcomings in the old building. One was the lack of an elevator; a shaft was included in the building’s original construction, but no elevator was installed due to insufficient funds. This created difficulties transporting motors and machinery to shops on the second floor and 500 pound barrels of modeling clay to the fourth floor. The new Arts and Industries Building (now Latham Hall) was constructed and opened in 1949. Art and industrial arts classes moved out of the Vocational Building. 

The Vocational Building was remodeled from 1949 to 1951. Once complete, the biology portion of the Department of Science occupied the first floor and half of the second. Mathematics was housed in the other half of the second floor. The remainder of the building contained mathematics and home economics, which received six new kitchens during the renovation. 

In April 1957, the Vocational Building was renamed David Sands Wright Hall in honor of David Sands Wright, a member of the original 1876 school faculty. Wright taught English literature from 1876 until 1881, when he began teaching mathematics. In 1916, he became the Supervisor of Religious Education. He served the institution for 53 years.

In 1962, the heating system was improved. In 1968, science classes moved into the newly completed Science Building (now McCollum Science Hall ), and biology laboratories in Wright Hall were remodeled into classrooms and offices. In 1971, a $71,000 renovation added a home economics laboratory. In 1978, an elevator was installed in a $72,000 project. Wright Hall received significant roof repairs in the mid-1980s. In spring 1990, the Department of Home Economics moved to the newly remodeled Latham Hall. 

Wright Hall began a $2.7 million renovation project in fall 1990. It included an overhaul of the building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, accessibility improvements, new windows, and computer and electrical network upgrades. These would improve spaces for the Departments of Mathematics and Computer Science. The architects were Brooks, Borg, and Stiles of Des Moines. On November 14, 1990, the Board of Regents awarded the general contract to Prairie Construction Company of Waterloo. Young Plumbing and Heating of Waterloo were the plumbing contractors, and Mennenga Electric, Inc. were the electrical contractors. The project was completed as scheduled in December 1991. 

Wright Hall re-opened for classes in spring 1992. The building was re-dedicated on March 11, 1992, with tours and a formal ceremony, where Mathematics Professors Joel Haack, David Duncan and Augusta Schurrer gave remarks.