Professor Winchell’s Octagonal House

Prior to the construction of Hill Auditorium, its location was occupied by this unusual structure, the home of Professor Alexander Winchell of the Physics and Civil Engineering Faculty. The floorplan was octagonal in shape.Designed by Winchell himself, the structure was based on the work of New York architect Orson S. Fowler. Its shape was believed to improve functionality and reduce building costs. The house was completed in 1853. After Winchell’s death in 1891, his house was chosen as the site for the new Hill Auditorium, and the house was demolished in 1904.