Stuart Hall
The first-ever concrete building in the CPU campus
The 24-hectare campus of Central Philippine University is now adorned with many buildings in which the latest to be constructed this 2019 is the 5-storey Senior High School Building. But do you know the first ever concrete building that was constructed on campus? The answer is the Stuart Hall which was built from 1913 to 1914. First called as the Principal’s Residence, it is the oldest edifice in the campus of CPU.
Before the Principal’s Residence was constructed, all the buildings in the campus were made with bamboo and nipa materials. Later the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society sent $6,000 for the construction of the residence of the principal of Jaro Industrial School.
This first-ever concrete edifice were lovingly constructed by the students taking up the House-building subject under the direction of Rev. Dr. Francis Rose and Rev. Dr. William Valentine. The plumbing and the electric wiring were installed by the American Baptist missionaries themselves. Rev. Valentine, his wife Ina Jane and their family were the first residents of this building. Rev. Valentine was the principal of Jaro Industrial School up to 1915. The next residents were Rev. Dr. Rose and his wife Gertrude. Dr. Rose became the principal up to 1916 when Rev. Valentine transferred to Negros.
The longest residents of the Principal’s Residence were Dr. Harland Stuart, his wife Marion Guendolen and their children. When they occupied it, it was renamed as the President’s House. They resided there from 1922 to 1938. Dr. Stuart was the last principal of Jaro Industrial School and the first president of Central Philippine College. He had the distinction of being the only missionary who served CPU who graduated his Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees from the famous Harvard University. While he was still alive later on in 1965, CPU gave him a Doctor of Laws, honorary degree. He is best remembered as the one who engineered the building of Franklin, Weston, Valentine, and Roblee Halls and the Iloilo Mission Hospital. Dr. Rose was the architect who drew up the plans of these buildings. They were all constructed of reinforced concrete.
