Miller Hall 1898

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Given to the University of Kentucky by the class of 1994, Historical Marker #1953 commemorates Miller Hall. Built in 1898 and originally named Science Hall, it was one of the first classroom buildings on the campus. For many years it housed the natural sciences as well as a geological museum. Miller Hall was renovated in 1994 for administrative purposes. The three-story building was built of pressed brick and trimmed with Bowling Green limestone, which was typical of college buildings of that time.

It was renamed in 1940 to honor Arthur McQuiston Miller (1861-1929), who was the first Dean of the Arts and Sciences, professor of geology and zoology, and holds the distinction of coaching the first organized football team at UK. Miller was born on August 6, 1861 in Eaton, Ohio. He attended Princeton and received a BA in 1884 and an MA in 1887. In 1892, he joined the faculty at Kentucky State College (now University of Kentucky). By 1907, Miller was the head of the geological and zoological departments at Kentucky; from 1908 to 1917 he served as the school's first dean of arts and sciences. Miller retired from the university as a professor emeritus on June 30, 1925.

The UK Senior Challenge Historical Marker Project, administered by the Kentucky Historical Society, began in 1994 as a way for the graduating senior class to leave a memorial to the university. Every year since then, the UK historical marker committee has decided on the topic, raised the money, and written the text for the markers.