Reynolds Hall; The Center for Physical Sciences dedicated to John Hugh Reynolds
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Reynolds Hall; The Center for Physical Sciences dedicated to John Hugh Reynolds
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John Hugh Reynolds was the fourth president of Hendrix College. He was instrumental in the college’s development by increasing the endowment and initiating the construction of many campus buildings. The construction of Reynolds Hall began in 1930 and opened in 1931 with financial assistance from the General Education Board of New York and from Conway Corporation, the local utility company. On a Little Rock radio show, Rev. Ben Bogard said the construction of Reynolds Hall was a “premeditated and concerted movement to destroy confidence in the Bible.” It was Reynolds’s support for the teaching of evolution and his significant contributions to the college that led to building being named for him. Reynolds Hall, originally named Science Hall, was dedicated on December 5, 1931, by Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Robert A. Millikan. It was not until 1950, five years after the retirement of John Reynolds, that the Board of Trustees voted to rename the building after him. Despite his advancement of the sciences at Hendrix College, Reynolds’ advocated for the Lost Cause. His textbook, “Makers of Arkansas History," reinforced harmful narratives about African Americans in the South and upheld white supremacist ideology. “Makers of Arkansas History” was reprinted multiple times and became an educational tool for Arkansas school districts. Renovated in 2000, Reynolds Hall remains a prominent campus landmark and space for education and research in the physical sciences.
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Reynolds Hall is a three-story brick building with white grid windows and a sun dial affixed directly above the cement inscription of Reynolds Hall. At its erection, Reynolds Hall was a stand-alone building that housed the physical sciences. After the donation given from Acxiom Corporation and the chairman of the Hendrix Board of Trustees, Charles D. Morgan, Reynolds Hall was combined by an atrium to form the Charles D. Morgan Center for Physical Sciences.
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“Made Possible By The Generosity Of The General Education Board Of New York. Named For John Hugh Reynolds, President of Hendrix College 1913-1945. Hoyt M. Dobbs, Bishop, John Hugh Reynolds, President of The College, James Thomas, President of the Trustees, W. R. Stock, Chairman of Building Committee, Wittenberg and Delony, Architects. 1931.”
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Wittenberg and Delony Architects
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September 1931
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5 December 1931
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2000
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1950
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General Education Board of New York
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Conway Corporation.
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