Danforth Campus
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Washington University in St. Louis | |
Danforth Campus | |
Style | Collegiate gothic |
Erected | 1902 |
Location | St. Louis, Missouri 38°38'14"N 90°15'48"W |
Namesake | Dr. William H. Danforth |
Architects | Cope & Stewardson; Frederick Law Olmsted; Skidmore, Owings and Merrill; Fumihiko Maki |
Website | http://www.wustl.edu |
Formerly known as The Hilltop Campus, Danforth Campus at Washington University in St. Louis was officially dedicated on September 17, 2006, in honor of Dr. William H. Danforth, the 13th Chancellor of the University. Distinguished by its collegiate gothic architecture, the 169-acre campus lies at the western boundary of Forest Park, partially in the City of St. Louis. Most of the campus (including almost all academic and administrative buildings) is in unincorporated St. Louis County, while all the campus area south of Forsyth Boulevard (mostly student housing) is in suburban Clayton.
[edit] History
Danforth Campus construction was accelerated through a profitable lease of several buildings to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Through the efforts and influence of David R. Francis, an alumnus and former mayor of St. Louis, Missouri governor and U.S. Interior Secretary, newly-constructed campus buildings on the edge of Forest Park began use for classes when the Fair was over. This included facilities used by the six-day 1904 Summer Olympics, such as Francis Field and Francis Gymnasium [1]. The landscape design of the University's Danforth Campus grounds was created in 1895 by a firm best known for designing New York City's Central Park. The University's signature building, Brookings Hall (named for University board chairman Robert S. Brookings), was designed by Cope & Stewardson, which was famed for designing schools throughout the country based on motifs at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. A nearly identical Cope & Stewardson building is also a defining landmark at Princeton University -- Blair Hall [2]. Brookings Hall houses the office of the Chancellor, Admissions, the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and other administrative departments.
The nation's foremost landscape design firm of Olmsted, Olmsted, & Eliot, founded by Frederick Law Olmsted, updated their design of the Danforth Campus in 1899. (Olmsted's firm also created the 1897 master design renovations for the Missouri Botanical Garden a few miles away.) The University held a national competition in 1899 using Olmsted's master plan to select an architectural firm, and Cope & Stewardson were chosen to design the entire campus. [3] Just as the University was planning to move to its new campus from downtown St. Louis, the organizers of the St. Louis World's Fair asked if they could rent the entire campus during 1903-04 as the headquarters for the event in nearby Forest Park. The University agreed and delayed its move until 1905. Brookings Hall, Busch Hall, Cupples I & II Halls, Francis Field & Gymnasium (site of the 1904 Summer Olympics), Ridgley Hall, Eads Hall, and Prince Hall (a mens' dormitory) were then used by Fair organizers.
[edit] Campus Buildings
[edit] Arts and Sciences
- Adolphus Busch Hall - Named for Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, the building was the first to go under construction on the Danforth Campus, its corner stone being laid in 1900. Busch Hall served as the Chemistry Building from 1902 until 1950. It was then remodeled into a humanities building, which it currently serves as today.
- Beaumont Pavilion - An outdoor stage that sits in front of Cupples I. It was build in 1965 and was named after Louis D. Beaumont. The stage is used for annual commencement ceremonies, the semesterly W.I.L.D. concert, as well as other outdoor theater productions and concerts.
- Brookings Hall - The hallmark of Washington University. Named after Robert S. Brookings, it was completed in 1902 and served as the administrative center for the 1904 World's Fair. Today, it serves as the University's administrative center. South Brookings houses the Admissions Office and the Administrative offices for the College of Arts and Sciences. North Brookings houses the office of Student Financial Services, the office of the Chancellor, and the graduate school of Arts and Sciences.
- Busch Laboratory - Completed in 1959, the lab was built as an extension of Rebstock Hall. It is only 11,000 square feet and three stories high, helping to house the Biology Department.
- Compton Laboratory of Physics - A 65,000 square foot, 5 level structure, the Compton Lab was dedicated in 1966. It house the department of Physics and the Physics Library.
- Crow Hall - Dedicated in 1934, it is named for Wayman Crow, a founding member of the University. The building is not subject to the earth's natural vibrations and contains a shaft that expands the full height of the building. It also houses the department of physics, as well as the historic Crow Observatory.
- Cupples I Hall - This is the first building donate to the University by Samuel Cupples in 1900. It currently houses the math department
- Dunker Hall - Dedicated in 1923, Dunker Hall housed the School of Commerce and Finance. It is one of the three buildings to that have housed the School of Business for over three years (Prince Hall and Simon Hall are the other two). Dunker Hall now houses the English Department.
- Eads Hall - This building was the site of the experimental work that Arthur Holly Compton conducted to win the Nobel Prize in 1927. It went through an extensive renovation in 1998 and today houses the Arts and Sciences Computing Center, the Language and Instructional Media Center, the Teaching Center, and the Writing Center.
- Earth and Planetary Sciences Building - Dedicated in 2004, this building is the new home of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department.
- Eliot Hall - A concrete building that was dedicated in April of 1974. Eliot Hall houses the departments of Political Science and Economics, along with the Richard A. Gephardt Institute for Public Service. Eliot Hall is slated for removal in the near future as the Political Science and Economics departments will move to a new home in 2008.
- Goldfarb Plant Growth Facility - Completed in 1988, the facility expands the Biology Department. It contains office and labs space for biology students and professors, as well as a fully equipped greenhouse for experimental plant growth and research.
- January Hall - Completed in the mid 1920s, January housed the School of Law until the early 70s. It contains an elegant wooden-paneled room which serves as the East Asian Library. Today, January houses the Department of Classics, the Office of the University College, the Religious Studies Committee and the Arts and Sciences Summer School Office.
- Laboratory Sciences Building - Dedicated in 2002, this building provides additional lab space for teaching and research for the Chemistry Department. It also features a large 300-seat auditorium.
- Life Sciences Building - Another addition to Rebstock Hall. The building was completed in the mid 1970s and houses the Biology Library and the Natural Science Learning Center.
- Louderman Hall - Louderman Hall was built in the mid 1940s to meet the University's needs to support newer research in atomic sciences. Louderman Hall houses the department of Chemistry as well as the Chemistry Library.
- McDonnell Hall - Dedicated in 1993, McDonnell Hall contains a 150-seat auditorium, and 75 and 85 seat classrooms. It also provides lab and research space for the Departments of Biology, and Earth and Planetary Sciences. The Environmental Studies Program is also housed inside of McDonnell Hall.
- McMillan Hall - Dedicated in 1906, McMillan was the first women's dormitory on the Danforth Campus. In the early 1960s, McMillan Hall was remodeled into an academic building. It now houses the department of Anthropology, the Committee on Social Thought and Analysis, the department of Education, and the program of African and African American studies.
- McMillan Laboratory - Completed in 1964, this building also houses the Department of Chemistry. It is connected to Bryan Hall by Millstone Lounge, the last refuge for WU smokers before the university entirely banned smoking in campus building in the spring of 1994.
- Monsanto Laboratory - This lab also houses the department of Biology.
- Psychology Building - Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the Psychology Building was completed in 1994, and has yet to be dedicated. It is 105,000 square feet in size and forms a quadrangle with McDonnell Hall, Wilson Hall and Monsanto Lab. Its facade was modeled after the main facade of Brookings Hall. In the summer of 2006, the Psychology Building was extended to include other classroom and office space. It houses the Department of Psychology and the Linguistic Studies Program.
- Rebstock Hall - Dedicated in 1927, this building serves as the central home of the Biology Department.
- Ridgley Hall - This served as the University's first library building until the early 1960s. During the 1904 World's Fair, Ridgley housed an exhibit of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee gifts. The former library reading room was transformed into an ornate lounge space, which today is known as Holmes Lounge. Ridgley Hall is also the home of several language departments, the Committee on Comparative Literature and the Language Lab.
- Wilson Hall - This structure was built in 1925 with a mineralogy lab, a petrology lab, and a testing lab for the study of Geology and Geography. The structure was expanded in 1976. It was renovated in the summer of 2006 and now houses the Philosophy Department and a portion of the Biology Department.
[edit] Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts
- Bixby Hall - Houses the school of Art
- Givens Hall - Constructed in the 1930s, Givens Hall continues to house the school of Architecture and the Urban Research and Design Center
- Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum - Completed in 2006, this structure now houses the University's art museum facilities designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect, and former faculty member, Fumihiko Maki. The art museum was first established in 1881, and was the first art museum west of the Mississippi River.
- Steinberg Hall - Designed by Fumihiko Maki and completed as his first commission in 1960, Steinberg Hall houses the Art and Architecture Library and the Department of Art History and Archeology.[4] Steinberg Hall was renovated in the fall of 2006.
[edit] John M. Olin School of Business
- Simon Hall - Simon Hall was dedicated in 1986. With 80,000 feet of usable floor space, it is one of the largest academic buildings on the Danforth Campus. Simon Hall houses the Business Library, the Art and Marge McWilliams Computing Center, the School of Business and the Weston Career Center.
- Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center - This center was dedicated in 2001. It is a residential living and learning facility for the Olin School of Business. It is 135,000 square feet and five stories high. It contains classrooms, conference rooms, lounges, 66 guest hotel rooms, a 225-seat dining area, administrative offices, a boardroom, a fitness center, and a pub. It houses all Executive Education Programs and the Weston Career Resources Center.
[edit] School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Bryan Hall - Dedicated in 1970, this building contains office and lab space for engineering students and faculty. It houses the Computer and Communications Research Center, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering.
- Cupples II Hall - The oldest of the engineering buildings, its cornerstone was laid in 1901. Cupples II was the first building to be built outside of the Brookings Quadrangle. It was used as the Jefferson Guard Building during the 1904 World's Fair. It is connected to Bryan Hall by a bridge.
- Jolley Hall - Dedicated in 1990, Jolley houses the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering as well as departments housed in Bryan Hall. The building is connected to Bryan Hall.
- Lopata Hall - Lopata is the main entrance to the engineering complex. It is a link between Sever, Cupples II, and Urbauer Halls. Lopata has a unique four story gallery.
- Sever Institute of Technology - Sever houses the graduate division of the School of Engineering. It also houses the Center for Engineering Computing (CEC).
- Urbauer Hall - Dedicated in 1965, Urbauer contains lab space for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Housed inside are the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Center for Computational Mechanics.
- Whitaker Hall - Dedicated in 2003, this building houses the rapidly growing Department of Biomedical Engineering. Named after Uncas A. Whitaker , the building includes a 250-person auditorium, a 2,000 square-foot, three-story atrium, 22,000 square feet of wet and dry lab space for research and teaching, a nanofabrication room, a library and a landscape courtyard. There are also student and faculty lounges, along with several classrooms and office pods, containing conference rooms and staff support areas.
[edit] School of Law
- Anheuser-Busch Hall - Dedicated in 1997, this 175,000 square-foot structure is the home of the University's Law School. The Law School was previously housed in Mudd Hall (torn down to make room for the Knight Center). The hall contains a cafe, a reference library, and centers for two law journals.
[edit] George Warren Brown School of Social Work
- Brown Hall - Dedicated in 1937, Brown Hall contains a 500-seat auditorium. It houses a portion of the School of Social Work and the Social Work Library.
- Goldfarb Hall - Dedicated in 1998, Goldfarb Hall is the latest addition to the School of Social Work. It is connected to Brown Hall, doubling the space currently available school.
[edit] Student Centers
- Bowles Plaza - A large open space located between Mallinckrodt and Umrath Hall. It contains amphitheater-style seating and a patio.
- Graham Chapel - Dedicated in 1909, the chapel is used for concerts, plays, and the University's weekly lecture program, the Assembly Series.
- Mallinckrodt Center - The central student center on the Danforth Campus. It houses the Campus Book Store, Computer Store, Dining Services, the Edison Theatre, the Division of Drama, the Division of Dance and the Department of Performing Arts. WUTV is also housed inside.
- Olin Library - Dedicated in 1962 and renovated in 2003, the Olin Library is the largest library in Missouri. The library has several computing centers as well as a 24-hour cyber cafe.
- Umrath Hall - Begun as a men's dormitory, Umrath Hall now serves as a student center. It houses the Campus Y, a portion of the College of Arts and Sciences, Student Union and the Career Center.
- Women's Building - Opened in 1928, this building houses meeting spaces for sororities and other student groups. It is home to the Association of Black Students Lounge, the Office of Campus Life, the Office of Orientation, the Office of Student Activities, the KWUR Radio Station, Student Life and Student Union.
[edit] Athletic Complex
- Bushyhead Track - An eight-lane, 400-meter synthetic surface track that surrounds Francis Field.
- Field House - Renovated by 1985, provides seating for 3,800 during sports events. It is home to men's basketball and women's volleyball. It is also used for large events like convocation. It was the site for all of the campus presidential debates.
- Francis Field - Used during the 1904 Olympics. The field is home to men's football.
- Francis Gymnasium - Finished in 1903, it was one of the buildings used in the 3rd modern Olympic Games. It contains an Olympic sized pool.
- Recreational Gym - Housed inside are handball an racquetball courts.
- Tao Tennis Courts - Consists of 8 courts.
[edit] East Forsyth Buildings
- Alumni House - Built in 1911 as the private home of Robert S. Brookings, the building now houses the Public Affairs Office and the Office of Alumni and Development Programs.
- Blewett Hall - Houses the department of Music
- Gaylord Music Library - Dedicated in 1960, this building houses the music library.
- Harbison House - The residence of the Chancellor, also used for official University functions.
- Music Classroom Building - Connected to Tietjens studio. Contains three classrooms and four studios for private music instruction.
- STIX International House - Built in 1909, it houses the Study Abroad Office and resources for international students.
- Tietjens Memorial Music Studio - Contains 21 sound-proof practice rooms, a large area for band, choral, or orchestra practice and a recording studio.
- Whittemore House - An elegant structure built in 1912 use to house and dine special University guests.
[edit] Current Construction
- University Center - A new state-of-the-art student center is in the works, set to occupy the space where Prince Hall one stood, between Mallinckrodt Center and Simon Hall. The University Center will be the new home of KWUR Radio Station, Student Life, WUTV, Student Union, The Career Center, The Office of Event Services, and other on campus groups. The Center will include a "Great Hall" comparable to Holmes Lounge; it will serve as a gathering space for meetings and dining. The Center will also include a new food court. Construction on it will begin in April 2007, after the construction on the Central Underground Parking Garage, which will sit beneath the University Center, nears completion. The University Center should be completed by Fall 2008.
- Social Sciences/Law School Building - A new academic building is under construction near the Athletic Complex, south of Anheuser-Busch Hall. The building will be shared by the School of Law and Arts and Sciences. It will be four stories high, occupying about 130,000 gross square feet. It will include six 40-seat rooms with tables and chairs, two 40-seat rooms with tablet armchairs, two 60-seat rooms with tablet armchairs, one 100-seat tiered lecture hall, two 30-seat seminar rooms, and much more. The building should be completed by Fall 2008.
[edit] Campus Art and Sculpture
The Barry Flanagan bronze statue, "Thinker on Rock, "widely known, simply, as "The Bunny," is currently on loan to Washington University and features prominently near Olin Library.
[edit] References and notes
- ^ The 1904 World's Fair
- ^ http://etcweb.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/blair_hall.html
- ^ University Architectural frim Cope & and Stewardson
- ^ http://www.pritzkerprize.com/maki2.htm
[edit] Image Gallery
Gates at Francis Field |