Contributed by Kelly Murray

When you head to the North Campus student bookstore this fall, you may be surprised to find that the shop has moved from its familiar location on Dunn Avenue to one of North Carolina State University’s most notorious landmarks. Harrelson Hall, named for former NC State alumnus, professor, math department head, and eventually chancellor, Colonel John William Harrelson (1885-1955), will play host to the bookstore during the Talley Student Center addition and renovation project. The building’s circular physique and labyrinthine passages will continue to house classes and student affairs groups during this time.

It is no secret that many faculty members and students have long hoped for the structure’s demise, with one article in the February 25, 2008, issue of the Technician going so far as to call for a “Harrelson Hall Haters’ Fair.” Those hoping to see the building demolished recently found cause to celebrate: the January 9, 2011, edition of the Technician reported that the NC State Board of Trustees approved the future demolition of Harrelson Hall after two separate reports declared that it could not be successfully renovated.

Was Harrelson Hall always the subject of “Haters’ Fairs”? Records from its first year of existence indicate otherwise. In the fall of 1961, shortly before Harrelson Hall’s grand opening in November, the two-million dollar building became the subject of national coverage as the first circular classroom facility built on a college campus. It was described by the Technician as “not only strikingly attractive; but it is also extremely functional” with each room said to maintain “an attractive, individual color scheme.” Harrelson Hall was even the subject of several NC State postcards, with captions under its cylindrical edifice describing it as “unique” and “remarkable.”

Despite such accolades, it did not take long for a waterlogged winter to dampen the campus’s enthusiasm for the architecturally unconventional building. A February 1962 issue of the Technician points out that the familiar late winter Raleigh rains created a muddy mess outside Harrelson. One particularly incensed bystander complained that Harrelson Hall was “a two million dollar building but we have to walk through mud to get to it.” More grievances arose as tenants moved in to their new rotund home. The Department of History’s 1972 annual report described the building as “one of the most unsatisfactory academic buildings imaginable,” going on to accuse the structure of drastic temperature changes and crowded conditions. Additionally, Harrelson Hall’s unusual cylindrical shape allowed for a variety of pranks and acts of vandalism, including grocery cart races and a 1983 bonfire during which students removed the building’s doors and used them for kindling.

Distinctive in both history and shape, Harrelson Hall remains one of NC State’s most striking landmarks. Perhaps the best description of the building comes from head architect Ralph Reeves, who stated shortly before its completion, “If you put a bunch of slices of pie together, you get a pie.” For more information about the history of this particular NC State pie and its namesake, please visit Historical State.

Sources: Historical State; Technician (14 September 1961, 31 October 1961, 8 February 1962, 8 March 1962, 25 February 2008, 9 January 2011); Department of History Annual Report, 1971-1972, US 120.014 – North Carolina State University College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of History Records, Box 1.