Campus

Architecture

Emma Willard's Gargoyles

mma Willard School's Pawling Avenue campus is the present-day home of the nation's oldest secondary school for girls, and carries on the tradition of leadership in women's education begun in 1814 by its founder, Emma Hart Willard.

The school has made its home in Troy since 1821, where it was known as the Troy Female Seminary until the name was changed to honor its founder in 1895.

In 1910, the school moved from its location on Second Street to its present site on Pawling Avenue. Margaret Olivia Slocum, an 1847 graduate of the Troy Female Seminary, and second wife of famous financier, Russell Sage, presented the school with its new campus, and also commissioned M.F. Cummings & Son, Architects, to build three structures. Mrs. Sage, long recognized as one of America's first female philanthropists, spared no expense in the construction or interior design of these buildings. Slocum Hall, so called in honor of Mrs. Sage's maiden name, Sage Hall, named in honor of her late husband, and a gymnasium, were built in collegiate Gothic splendor, at an expense which, if equated with today's standards, would be prohibitive. These structures stand today as a memorial to the era in which they were built, for the Depression which was to come less than twenty years after their completion, was to virtually put an end to construction of such exorbitant cost. Few schools, if any, built after the early 1900s, were designed in such a grand style as Emma Willard School's three original structures.

Perhaps the greatest testimonial to the magnificence of Slocum Hall, Sage Hall, and the gymnasium, has been the conscious effort on the part of the school's leaders throughout the years to construct new buildings in a style and manner which enhance and complement the original three. Overbridge, the campus infirmary, was built in 1926; Kellas Hall, the second student residence, was built in 1927; the science building, Weaver Hall, was constucted in 1936–37. Each of these buildings was designed in Tudor Gothic style, as were their predecessors. Kellas Hall, in particular, emulated its predecessor, Sage Hall. The exterior and interior features were almost exact, only the gargoyles are missing from the facade of Kellas Hall.

Even the Snell Music Building/Dietel Library/Maguire Music Building complex, completed in 1971, nearly sixty years after the original three buildings, was designed by Edward Larabee Barnes in a manner truly compatible with that of the earlier structures. He utilized bluestone for the exterior, and incorporated prime forms such as half circles and triangles to form the windows and doorways, as did the artisans who created the Tudor Gothic windows and doorways of the earlier buildings.

The two former Cluett properties, which today form an integral part of the Emma Willard campus, are also important structures in the history of Troy. The Cluett family, and in particular George B. Cluett, was instrumental in the founding of one of Troy's largest industries, the collar industry. Due greatly to the formation of G.B. Cluett & Company, which was later to become Cluett, Peabody & Company, Troy became known as the Collar City, a nickname which remains today. The estate of E. Harold Cluett, (son of G.B. Cluett) with its Tudor mansion built at approximately the same time as Emma Willard School's three original buildings (1909–1910), was given to the school in 1944, upon the death of Mr. Cluett's wife, Margaret Gorham Cluett. Today, named in her honor, Margaret Gorham Cluett House has office space and houses faculty members.

The adjacent properties of George B. Cluett were given to the school in 1956; upon the death of Miss Nellie Cluett, daughter of the original owner. The Georgian-style mansion was built in 1911–12, and was designed by Marcus Reynolds, who also designed E. Harold Cluett's home. The mansion property included a carriage house, help's quarters, a garage and a gatehouse; all were renovated by the school and are now used as faculty homes. The mansion itself is known as Wellington-Lay Hall, so named in honor of the headmistresses of the school at the time the building joined the campus.

The present Emma Willard campus, now more than 90 years old, holds a distinct place in not only the history of education and of the city of Troy, but also an architectural distinction as a school built in an era of grandeur not likely to be known again.

Features Of Slocum, Sage, and Alumnae Chapel

Slocum Hall, Sage Hall, and the then gymnasium, were the three structures originally built on the campus site donated by Mrs. Russell Sage. There was no expense spared in their building. The architect was Mr. Frederick M. Cummings, the "son" of the firm M.F. Cummings & Son. Associated with this firm and assisting with the Emma Willard School buildings was Mr. William Lamb. Commissioned to work on the buildings and in charge of all architectural details, such as gargoyles, doorways, interior carving, and paneling, was Mr. Abraham Mosley, a native of England. From his designs English and French workmen made their carvings under his supervision. The great eastern and western windows in the library (now Lyon-Remington Hall), flooded with sunlight, are a monument to his artistry. In the spirit of the old craftsmen, the gargoyles were carved in situ on the exterior stone walls and, as in old times, the monarch of the period was honored by his portrait; so the faces of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft smile from opposite corners of the gym (Chapel). The gargoyles on Slocum Hall portray the adventures of the mind: scholars and philosophers, Galileo and his telescope, students with their parchments ornament the school hall (Kiggins Auditorium). On the residence hall the figures show a lighter mood: two jolly monks gossip over their teacups above the living room and, at the corner of the driveway next to Sage Hall, an automobile, 1910 model, speeds, complete with driver in goggles and duster.

The exterior doorways of the buildings were all hand-carved of fine hardwoods, completed by leaded glass windows. The mantles in both Sage living room and in the library (Lyon-Remington Hall) are also hand-carved from solid walnut and mahogany. The paneling in each of the buildings is also solid walnut or mahogany. The staircases in Slocum Hall are formed from marble, slate, and have hardwood banisters. The main staircase in Sage Hall is solid mahogany. Both the library and gymnasium (Chapel) windows are cathedral-styled leaded glass and stand two full stories in height. Many original furnishings still adorn the living room in Sage Hall. Other wall coverings include sculptured plaster in Slocum Hall and a hand-painted mural of the original site of the Troy Female Seminary in Sage drawing room.

It is interesting to note that since the Chapel was once a gymnasium, there are still bowling alleys and a swimming pool in the basement. In 2000, the pool was converted to a small theater.

The flooring in the main corridors of Slocum Hall is terrazzo; other floorings are concrete-based with solid hardwood surfacing. Most flooring in Sage Hall and the Chapel is hardwood over concrete base; the foyer of Sage Hall is terrazzo.

The facade of the Chapel is adorned by a large clock with Roman numerals of wrought iron; when renovated from gymnasium to Chapel, the tradition of fine carving and hardwood paneling were followed; the Chapel is also equipped with a hand-made pipe organ, the pipes of which line the back wall of the choir loft.

Notable Features of Later Campus Structures

In accordance with the Tudor Gothic architectural style of the three original structures built on the Pawling Avenue campus, all later structures were designed to blend with this architectural style.

Most notable in similarity to these structures is Kellas Hall, built as a student residence in 1927. Connected to Sage Hall by Hyphen, (a span allowing interior passage between the second and third floors of each building), Kellas reflects much of the same exterior and interior styling of its predecessor, Sage Hall. The same fine detailing was given to the windows and exterior entrances of Kellas; only the gargoyles are missing from the facade of Kellas Hall. Interior design of Kellas Hall is also similar to Sage, being paneled in solid dark woods such as mahogany and walnut, with terrazzo flooring in the main foyer. Casement windows line the living and dining rooms. Much of the first floor wall and ceiling are sculptured plaster; the main staircase is hand-carved from mahogany.

Overbridge, constructed in 1926, was built as the campus infirmary. The flooring is mostly terrazzo, with hardwood over concrete in certain rooms. The walls are plaster, with some ceramic tiling in examination rooms. The exterior of the structure is Tudor Gothic, and the stone bridge connecting the Sage roadway to the building stands approximately fifteen feet above the ground level of the structure.

Weaver Hall, built in 1936–37, was a totally modern facility for the study of science, much more advanced than most schools in that era. Equipped with full laboratory facilities, it also houses glass-enclosed hardwood cases for display of scientific matter. The flooring and staircase are terrazzo. Again constructed in the Tudor Gothic mode, the main doorway is carved from solid hardwoods. The conference room on the first floor is richly paneled in solid hardwood.

Maguire Art Building, Dietel Library, and the Snell Music Wing, all together known as the art/music/library complex, were built during a period in the middle to late 1960s. These were the first buildings to be constructed since the 1930s. Though contemporary in style, they utilize prime forms such as true squares and half circles, which in combination with their stone construction, echo the collegiate Gothic forms found on earlier buildings. Upon their completion, the academic campus became truly unified. Each wing of the complex is linked to its neighbor by a landscaped courtyard.

1. Above information adapted from Faithfully Yours. Eliza Kellas. Elizabeth B. Potwine, 1960, pages 71-72.