Fohs Hall

Fohs Hall in Marion, Kentucky was built in 1926. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1]

Fohs Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	143 N. Walker St., Marion, Kentucky
Coordinates	37.334167°N 88.078611°W
Area	1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Built	1926
Built by	J.N. Boston & Sons
Architect	Frankel & Curtis
Architectural style	Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	82002682[1]
Added to NRHP	April 29, 1982

It was built to serve as a community center for Marion and was a donation of Ferdinand Julius Fohs, a notable petroleum geologist who grew up in Marion. Architects Frankel and Curtis of Lexington, Kentucky, designed the building, which was built at cost of $73,081 on the site of the small house where Fohs had lived. Fohs donated it to the Marion Board of Education to serve as a community center and as an auxiliary building for Marion High School, which was located across the street. The building included a music room, a lounge, a study hall, a small library, classrooms, and an auditorium.[2]

It is a two-story brick building on a limestone foundation. It has a recessed center bay in its front, north-facing facade, topped by a stone pediment supported by four Corinthian columns.[2]

Fohs formed a geological firm, Fohs and Gardner, with James H. Gardner as partner.[3] Fohs is credited with helping discover the Mexia oil field in 1920.[4]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fohs Hall". National Park Service. With four photos.
3. Clark, James; Halbouty, Michael (1972). The Last Oil Boom. New York: Random House. p. 119. ISBN 0394482328.
4. Olien, Diana; Olien, Roger (2002). Oil in Texas, The Gusher Age, 1895-1945. Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 119, 125. ISBN 0292760566.