2005: Fall A New Look for Two Familiar Faces

At first glance, it seems as though nothing has changed. On the west side of the Main Quadrangle, North and South dormitories stand just as they have for 182 years, albeit now handsomely refinished. And there, facing them across the quad, a reflection in brick, are James and Stearns dormitories, as always. Or so it seems.

But these are the new James and Stearns, the latest elements in the college’s extensive construction and renovation program, the Residential Master Plan, designed to enhance residential life at the college. And while the new James and Stearns echo the general style and shape of their namesakes, they are altogether different buildings.

The original dorms, built on a tight budget in the 1940s, were functional, but not exactly supportive of academic or residential life. “When you entered the front door,” says Tom Davies, assistant director for design and construction, “you were faced with a fire stair leading to a very narrow, dim corridor lined with glazed brick—very institutional—with low ceilings and the pipes and utility lines exposed. It was really pretty nasty.”

Residents of the old James and Stearns had perhaps learned to appreciate the limited light, the low ceilings and the narrow hallways. But the students who moved into the new James and Stearns in September found accommodations that are anything but nasty. The buildings’ exteriors, while generally similar to the originals, have an understated balance and grace that escaped the previous structures. The base of the buildings is made of layered granite laid in a style and color that match Barrett Hall next door, and the jack arches above the double-hung, divided light windows are real structural brickwork, not cosmetic affectations. The dorms are four stories tall, like their predecessors, and were constructed to roughly the same overall height; but while the ceiling heights in the former buildings were quite low, contributing to a dark, claustrophobic feel, the new ceilings are 9 feet high, providing an environment that is lighter and more conducive to hanging out.

The higher ceilings did pose a problem for the architects, Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott of Boston: The firm had to find a creative way to fit a full-size fourth floor under a low roof. The solution turned out to be both functional and fashionable: the architects turned the windows sideways and sloped the ceilings of the topmost rooms, matching the incline of the hipped copper roof. And just below the horizontal windows they incorporated a granite belt course, which, combined with the long eaves, creates an elegant cap for what might otherwise be a brick breadbox.

The front doors of the buildings are offset toward the center and mirror imaged, framed by sidelights and a transom then capped with a stout granite lintel. These features reinforce the puritan nature of the buildings’ architecture. But puritan simplicity gives way to continental sophistication at the rear of the buildings, where extensions curve in graceful arches that embrace the Neuhoff Sculpture Court in front of the Mead Art Museum.

Inside, the new James and Stearns are nothing like the old. In each building, the front door opens onto a vestibule that
in turn opens onto a wide, airy foyer. At one end of the hall, beyond the foyer, is a library with cherry wainscots; a study nook occupies the opposite end of the hall. And at the back of each dorm is a comfortable house lounge, with more wainscoting, a large stone fireplace and floor-to ceiling windows that curve along the back of the building, providing a quiet view of the courtyard. These lounges and libraries are important features of the new structures, designed to counteract
the shortage of informal social space on campus by providing comfortable locations where students can gather for group study and discussions.

The upper floors feature smaller lounges and study areas at either end of each hall, and each basement boasts a large, windowed laundry room. A long, underground hallway connects the two buildings and also provides space for four music practice rooms, designed to bring the academic and co-curricular life of the college out of the Arms Music Center and into the dorms. The practice rooms feature thick, multilayered walls, acoustic paneling and elaborately sealed doors, and each room is sited so that it does not have a student’s dorm room above it.

The dorm rooms are simple but comfortable and well thought out, with ample shelf space and storage, variable lighting and wall-to-wall Berber carpeting (5 percent of the rooms in each dorm are tiled rather than carpeted, for students with allergies or chemical sensitivities). The buildings were designed to be especially energy efficient, with tight-fitting double-glazed windows and a heat-exchange system that preheats incoming fresh air.

James and Stearns serve as a centerpiece of the ongoing Residential Master Plan, designed to enhance residential space on campus. “These two buildings stand at the center of campus, and in many ways they're at the center of our first-year students’ lives,” says Dean of Students Ben Lieber. “Sadly, over time, the old structures had become inadequate. These new buildings were designed with the help of students,” he says, “and they really are intended to foster community. Even the hallways”—which are extra wide and well lit—“are designed to encourage community.”

Elsewhere on campus, the new Earth Sciences Building is nearly finished; most of the remaining work involves transferring the natural history collection from the Pratt Museum and setting up exhibits in the new natural history museum. Once the transfer is complete, in spring 2006, the college will solicit bids for the renovation of Charles Pratt to a first-year dormitory.

The renovation of Morris Pratt and Morrow dormitories began this summer, before the Class of 2005 had even left campus. The exterior of Morris Pratt is unchanged, but the building has been gutted and interior construction is now well under way. Work on both dorms is expected to be complete in August 2006. Renovations of Hamilton and Porter will begin next summer and continue through August 2007.

Photo: Frank Ward