After a fire in 1935 destroyed Northwestern’s first building, the “Castle on the Hill,” replacement funds came from the Oklahoma Legislature and the Federal Public Works Administration. The new building, Jesse Dunn Hall, was designed by architect John Forsythe of Tulsa and constructed in 1935-36. It originally housed the school library, six different academic departments, and the president’s office. Its dedication was held on March 12, 1937, with Eleanor Roosevelt on the program. The building was named for a pioneer Alva attorney who later became Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court.