Archie Phinney Hall
Archie Phinney Hall, originally named Chrisman Hall after Brigadier General Edward R. Chrisman, was constructed in 1938 as an addition to Willis Sweet Hall to provide supplemental dormitory space. Designed by Hugh Richardson of Lewiston and based on plans by Whitehouse & Price of Spokane, it was built by the Howard S. Wright Company of Seattle for $388,130, funded through regents’ and local bonds. Connected to Willis Sweet Hall via a shared kitchen, it provided housing for 111 male students.
The hall was renamed in 1987 from Chrisman Hall to Archie Phinney Hall, for Nez Perce anthropologist Archie Phinney of Culdesac, Idaho. For a number of years the hall housed the Anthropology and Sociology Department, its museum, and related offices. As of 2024, it is home to the Department of Culture, Society and Justice.[1]
Design
Archie Phinney Hall is a four-story, L-shaped Collegiate Gothic-style building constructed of masonry and concrete. Its exterior features burnt red brick laid in stretcher bond with randomly placed clinker bricks and Gothic-arched entryways. Influenced by the English Arts and Crafts movement, the building emphasizes simplicity over ornamentation, similar to its counterpart Brink Hall (1937). A concrete basement, partially at grade, supports the structure, while a gabled-belcast roof with wood shingles and dormered fourth floor (attic) crowns it. Fenestration is predominantly symmetrical, consisting mostly of six-over-six, one- and two-sash windows, with an elevator tower added in 1999 that echoes the original aesthetic. Set into a grassy hillside, the building is framed by a concrete retaining wall and a later-added parking area.[2]
Physical Description
Archie Phinney Hall is a four-story, L-shaped masonry building featuring Collegiate Gothic style with simple Arts and Crafts influences. It has a gabled-belcast stone coated metal roof and burnt red brick walls accented by clinker bricks. The windows are mainly six-over-six sash, arranged symmetrically except for the elevator tower addition from 1999. The building sits on a grassy hillside with a concrete retaining wall and parking area nearby. [3]
Archie Phinney
Archie Phinney was born on September 4, 1904, in Culdesac, Idaho, and passed away on October 29, 1949, in Lewiston, Idaho, at the age of 45. He was the first Nez Perce to earn a B.A. from the University of Kansas and the first Plateau Indian to receive a Ph.D. He authored Nez Perce Texts, a significant contribution to the preservation of Nez Perce language and oral tradition. Phinney worked for many years with the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the North Idaho Agency and played a central role in the formation of the National Congress of American Indians. His career focused on improving conditions for the Nez Perce and advancing their status as a sovereign nation within the United States. Though he died young, his work had a lasting influence on Native advocacy, policy, and education. [4]
Edward R. Chrisman
General Edward R. Chrisman (1866–1939), Idaho’s “Grand Old Man”, played a foundational role at the University of Idaho. He arrived at the school in 1894 to establish the Military Science Department while also teaching mathematics. [5]
Chrisman, a West Point graduate with distinguished service in the Spanish-American War, served as Professor of Military Science and later as Commandant of Cadets at the University of Idaho. In 1936, Congress honored him with an emeritus appointment, a role he held for the remainder of his life.[6] His tenure at the university spanned over 40 years, including a cumulative 22 years of teaching and instruction.[7]
Notes
[1]: Nathan J. Moody, “National Register of Historic Places—Registration Form: The University of Idaho Historic District,” initial submission to Idaho SHPO, unpublished, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, May 7, 2025, 31.
[2]: Ibid.
[3]: Ibid.
[4]: Walker-Harmon, Shelley. “Archie Phinney Hall: Building History and Institutional Memory at the University of Idaho.” HIST495: Senior History Seminar, Dr. Dale Graden, unpublished, University of Idaho, December 2024, 23-30.
[5]: Special Collections and Archives, General Chrisman: Idaho’s Grand Old Man, University of Idaho Library, July 2, 2014, https://harvester.lib.uidaho.edu/posts/2014/07/02/general-chrisman-idahos-grand-old-man.html.
[6] Ibid.
[7]: Walker-Harmon, “Archie Phinney Hall,” 15.
“Chrisman Hall, University of Idaho. Architect’s drawing. [76-1]”, University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/
“Chrisman Hall, University of Idaho. [76-5]”, University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/
“Chrisman Hall, University of Idaho. [76-7]”, University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/
And for the Archie Phinney photo from JONA:
“Archie Phinney” Journal of Northwest Anthropology, Northwest Anthropology LLC, accessed August 6, 2025, https://www.