Durland–Rathbone–Fiedler-Engineering Hall
academic Building in Kansas, United States
Durland Hall, Rathbone Hall, Fiedler Hall and Engineering Hall are the names of four wings of the main building in the engineering complex on the campus of Kansas State University. The building is set on the old football practice field.
Additional engineering building include Ward Hall and the "Architecture" wing of Seaton Hall.
In 2016, an expansion to the original wings of the engineering complex was completed.
Construction and Naming
Durland Hall was the first wing constructed in 1976 at a cost of over $3 million. The building is named after Dean Merrill A. Durland, a Kansas State College graduate, professor, and Dean of the School of Engineering and Architecture, and Director of the Engineering Experiment Station.
Rathbone Hall was added on the north end of Durland Hall in 1982 at a cost of $8 million. The building is named after former dean of Engineering, Donald E. Rathbone.
Fiedler Hall was added onto the west end of Rathbone Hall and was completed in 2000. The building was dedicated on September 9, 2000 to George and Alice Fiedler.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Durland–Rathbone–Fiedler-Engineering Hall” as academic Building in Kansas, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as academic Building in Kansas, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5316674. Authority coordinates are 39.191, -96.584. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2016, 1976, 1982 and 2000.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Durland–Rathbone–Fiedler-Engineering Hall”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Durland–Rathbone–Fiedler-Engineering Hall primary sources, Durland–Rathbone–Fiedler-Engineering Hall archive and Durland research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Durland–Rathbone–Fiedler-Engineering Hall”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Durland–Rathbone–Fiedler-Engineering Hall” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.