Located at the center of campus, historic Johnson Hall presides the end of Main Campus Drive. Johnson Hall welcomes prospective students as well as assists current students in various areas: it houses the offices of Accounting, Financial Assistance, the Registrar, Marketing, and Admissions. In addition, Johnson Hall is also home to the Class Doll Collection on display on the third floor.
As one of the original buildings completed in 1925, the impressive Administration Building held a place of prominence on the new campus. In 1931, it was named after Livingston Johnson, a farmer, minister, trustee, frequent chapel speaker and financial supporter of the Meredith community. He was also the father of Mary Lynch Johnson, Meredith alumni, decades-long professor and Meredith College historian,
The first floor housed the offices of the President, Secretary and Bursar, as well as the post office, and parlors for students. The second floor contained the library and reading room and on the third floor was the "society hall" used by the Astrotekton and Philaretian Literary Societies.
In the decades since its creation, Johnson Hall has undergone numerous interior and exterior renovations and updates as the needs of the school changed. The large flight of front steps, often used for ceremonies and group photographs, and that led to the second floor library, was removed in 1956. The library itself was moved to the new Carlyle Campbell building in 1969, and subsequently, the second floor of Johnson Hall was raised to create a space open to the rotunda.
Most recently, extensive renovations during 2015-16 improved the then 90-year-old building’s function and accessibility with new signage, a reconfigured interior staircase, entrance ramps, and office suites. The first floor Jo Ellen Ammons Welcome Center, named after Board of Trustees member Jo Ellen Ammons (Class of 1957), houses all student services, including admissions, financial assistance, the registrar, and the business office. The refreshed exterior included a copper dome, a back patio and fully accessible doors. The new water fountain at the front of the Johnson Hall was designed to recreate the look of the original entrance stairs - and indeed, includes some elements from them.
On February 5, 1969, three weeks before the official dedication of the new Carlyle Campbell Library, students joined faculty and staff to hand carry the books from Johnson Hall to the new building in what was soon deemed a 'Book In'.
2016 exterior renovations included a new copper dome and fountain.
"The passage of time amidst this kind of historical legacy is a reminder to use our time wisely to preserve and enhance Meredith." Dr. Jo Allen, President
Despite renovations, Johnson Hall has retained the graceful, curved staircases from the 2nd to 3rd floors.
In March 1986, students, alumnae and faculty gathered in Johnson Hall to protest the Board of Trustees meeting. The trustees met to vote on the inclusion or exclusion of men to the graduate school. The protesters felt that they had been excluded from the decision-making process.
Fulfilling one goal of the master plan for the campus, the The Shaw Memorial Fountain in front of Johnson Hall was dedicated in October 1974. The fountain included seven water spouts and twenty underwater lights.
After the library books were moved to the Campbell Carlyle Library, renovations at Johnson included removing what had been the 2nd floor in the rotunda, creating an airy open area from the ground floor to the dome.
Among the objects placed in the cornerstone was a Bible, the 1891 charter incorporating the Baptist Female University, copies of the 1924 Acorn, Twig and college catalog, a blueprint of the new campus, a manuscript copy of the history of Meredith College written by Rev. O.L. Stringfield, and a some coins.
The staircase was stored on campus and used 60 years later during the 2016-2017 renovation to create the new fountain.
An early benefactor of the Baptist Female University/Meredith College, trustee Livingston Johnson sold a small family farm he had inherited and donated the proceeds to the school during a financial crisis. In posthumous recognition of his generosity, support and work as a trustee, the Administration Building was named Johnson Hall in 1931.
"Such was the kindliness of his heart and the brightness of his faith that few paused to consider his remarkable intellectual capacity of his indefatigable application to his tasks." -- J.W. Bailey, Bibical Recorder, January 2, 1935
When complete in January 1926, the new administration building contained college offices, the post office and parlors on the first floor; a day student's room and the library on the second and the "society" halls on the third.
Carlyle Campbell Library
Meredith College
3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-760-8532
