Students stroll under a blue sky along the sidewalk on the north side of 12th and R streets with Sheldon Museum of Art and the Geography Building in the background in this image from November 1965.

Designed by Phillip Johnson, Sheldon Museum of Art was dedicated in 1963 after construction began in 1961. The building was funded through a gift from Frances Sheldon of Lincoln, who died in 1950, and her brother A. Bromley Sheldon of Lexington, who died in 1957. Norman Geske, then director of the university’s art museum, began planning the new Gallery in 1958. Sheldon was built on the site of the first Chemistry Laboratory, which was razed to make way for the new gallery. Learn more about the history of the building.

Designed by architect Thomas Kimball to house the University of Nebraska State Museum, the Geography Building (also known as the old museum) was completed in 1905 and held collections before Morrill Hall’s construction in 1927. The Geography Building was razed in 1970. Learn more about the history of the Geography Building.

“From the Archives” is a weekly feature in Nebraska Today. Images are provided by Traci Robison, outreach archivist and assistant professor of practice with Archives and Special Collections in the University Libraries. Explore the Archives and Special Collections online. For more information, contact Troy Fedderson at tfedderson2@unl.edu or 402-472-8515.