Baldwin Hall – UGA 50 (1938, Category 2). Baldwin Hall, built in 1938, is located behind the main library east of Jackson Street at the intersection with Baldwin. Baldwin Hall was built for the Department of Education using PWA funding and based on a design prepared by Robert Driftmier and Roy Hitchcock. It now serves the Departments of Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, Criminal Justice, and Public Administration and Policy. The building is named for the university’s first president.
Baldwin Hall is designed in the Beaux-Arts campus tradition with a large symmetrical Classical facade fronting on Jackson Street. The building is brick with a painted rusticated stone base comprising its lower level. A large stone portico with Corinthian columns is symmetrically located on the principal facade with entrance doors in the stove base below. Inside the entrance, a dramatic classical double stair rises to the primary first floor level. The entrance retains its original wood doors.
The rectangular mass of the three-story building parallels Jackson Street and terminates in slightly projecting gable masses at each end. The building’s large windows have been replaced with new metal windows with insulating glass. The windows have applied exterior muntins, which is not a recommended treatment, but the overall appearance generally replicates the building’s historic character. Original windows were probably wood double-hung; the replacement are not double-hung. A rear wing on the building, creating a T-shape in plan, appears to have been a meeting space but has been adapted, creating two interior floor levels. Overall, Baldwin Hall retains integrity and appears to contribute to a National Register-eligible historic district. It is assessed as a Category 2 resource.
