Built in 1928 and renovated in 1976, Peele Hall is named after prominent Raleigh lawyer William Joseph Peele, a believer in education for the common man and the value of industrial education. He founded the... Built in 1928 and renovated in 1976, Peele Hall is named after prominent Raleigh lawyer William Joseph Peele, a believer in education for the common man and the value of industrial education. He founded the Watauga Club (Watauga Hall), which played a central role in creating what is now NC State in 1887, and established the North Carolina Historical Commission. Peele was the principal speaker during the cornerstone ceremony for the university's first building, Holladay Hall, in 1888.