U of I campus named to National Register of Historic Places

Student-led research earns national recognition for campus architecture and U of I’s role in shaping higher education in Idaho

By Rebecca Scofield, Department Chair and Professor of History; Dulce Kersting-Lark, Special Collections and Archives Head, Assistant Professor - October 28, 2026

Source article can be found at: https://www.uidaho.edu/newsroom/historic-campus-national-register

University of Idaho’s Administration Building, pictured circa 1920, is among the campus buildings previously listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places.

MOSCOW, Idaho — University of Idaho’s historic Moscow campus has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its architecture and role in the development of higher education in Idaho.

The National Park Service approved the University of Idaho Historic District on Oct. 1, making it Idaho’s first university historic district included in the register.

The roughly 188-acre district includes academic buildings, residence halls, agricultural facilities and campus landscapes. The designation recognizes the district’s historical significance from 1900 to 1976, a period that shaped the campus’s architecture and development.

The listing follows a multiyear research effort involving students and employees from the College of Art and Architecture, the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences and the U of I Library.

Students make their way along Hello Walk near the Infirmary circa 1962. Campus landscapes, along with academic buildings, residence halls and agricultural facilities, are included in the University of Idaho Historic District.

“This nomination was authored by talented history students dedicated to preserving our beloved campus,” said Rebecca Scofield, professor of American history and chair of the Department of History. “We are so proud to have contributed to an experiential learning project that will now serve our entire community.”

Nathan Moody, who earned a master’s degree in history from U of I in 2025, served as the nomination’s primary author and completed much of the work during his graduate studies. Scofield and Dulce Kersting-Lark, head of Special Collections and Archives, mentored and supervised the project.

Students surveyed campus properties, researched their histories and documented their architectural features. Moody and Shelley Walker-Harmon, another graduate student and chair of Moscow’s Historic Preservation Commission, helped edit the student survey reports. Specialists with the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) reviewed the research to confirm the properties’ historic significance and finalize the district boundaries.

“The University of Idaho Historic District holds statewide significance for its contributions to the development of higher education in Idaho and for its remarkable collection of historic architecture, which reflects the evolution of architectural styles and campus development throughout the state’s history,” said Alexis Matrone, SHPO outreach historian.

Students gather beneath a tree outside University of Idaho’s Music Building circa 1951. The newly designated historic district recognizes a period from 1900 to 1976 that shaped the campus’s architecture and development.

The district brings broader recognition to a campus where several buildings, including the Administration Building, Ridenbaugh Hall and Memorial Gym, were already individually listed in the register.

“The Idaho State Historic Preservation Office is proud to partner with University of Idaho and its students on preservation initiatives that provide meaningful, hands-on educational experiences while documenting and celebrating Idaho’s history,” Matrone said.

The designation does not, by itself, prevent U of I from renovating or updating campus buildings. Projects involving federal funding, permits or approvals may require preservation review. Learn more through the Idaho State Historical Society’s National Register frequently asked questions.

Information about the district is available in the Idaho Cultural Resource Information System (ICRIS).