The UW’s oldest building, North Hall opened on September 17, 1851, just two years, seven months, and 12 days after the university held its first class. Student D. K. Tenney (for whom Madison’s Tenney Park is named) laid the cornerstone. The original plan for the university called for five buildings: four dormitories and one main hall. North was to be one of the dorms (its original name was North Dormitory), and its most famous resident was John Muir. It was here that he built his “alarm clock” — a bed that would collapse to wake the sleeper at an appointed hour. By 1855, South Hall had been built, and North was no longer the UW’s only building. In 1884, Science Hall burned down, and North Hall’s last student residents were removed to make room for classes and offices. In the decades since, North has housed such departments as pharmacy, German and Scandinavian, mathematics, and the Madison Weather Bureau. It’s currently the home of the political science department.

The art for the Badger Pride Wall was created for WAA by Madison illustrator Nate Koehler.