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Is the 'cow in the cupola' story bull?
Taking one of MSU's legends by the horns
by Marjorie Smith |
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For the last 15 years, Montana State University's iconic image has been its cupola atop Montana Hall. Anchored by the solid 19th century bulk of the building, the airy cupola centered on its roof rises as a cultural grace note to institutional seriousness.
But for 80 years, generations passed through the Bozeman campus unaware that something was missing from Montana Hall -- unless, of course, they heard about the cow in the cupola.
According to campus legend, long ago -- some versions say 1906, others in the 1920s -- students coaxed a cow up into the cupola -- or onto the roof platform left after the wind-wracked cupola was removed. As the cow tale goes, the prank may or may not have resulted in the destruction of the first cupola.
Whatever the cause, the MSU campus was without a cupola until 1993. In honor of MSU's Centennial, then-president Michael Malone decided some campus refurbishment was in order. Garfield Street was transformed into the Centennial Mall and a cupola was reinstalled.
The new cupola is different from the original 1898 stick-built structure that began to list in the wind as early as 1910, according to Robert Lashaway, director of MSU Facilities Services.
"Apparently in 1914, the upper cupola housing and spire were removed to prevent complete failure, leaving the lower platform with its surrounding railing," Lashaway says.
Working with MSU engineering professor emeritus Fred Videon, Cecilia Vaniman -- then serving as campus architect -- designed the replacement cupola. Vaniman credits Videon with ensuring that the cupola will stay up on top of the building.
Vaniman's biggest challenge came in duplicating the ornamental details of the original cupola.
"It had large, spherical brass or copper finials at each corner," she explains. "We couldn't find anything that large, and it would have been extremely costly to have them fabricated."
Then a plumber acquaintance told her about some huge brass toilet floats that had just been removed from a local elementary school.
"They were perfect," Vaniman says. "Over the years they've developed just the right patina."
The new cupola was constructed by campus carpenters but getting it onto the towering building involved bringing in a special crane from Billings.
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