PROGRESS OF BUILDING OPERATIONS

In accordance with the plan for the Dartmouth of the future, outlined by Mr. Homer Eaton Keyes in the July, August number of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE, building construction in Hanover is proceeding as fast as accommodations for workmen, arrival of material, and funds available will permit.

Topliff Hall, the new dormitory at the corner of E. Wheelock and Crosby Streets, just beyond New Hampshire Hall, was finished during the summer and occupied this fall for the first time by about one hundred and fifty students, thus doing its little bit towards easing the housing situation. Severely plain in appearance, this brick building relies rather on its lines and proportions for effect than on an excess of ornamentation. The architects, Messrs. Larson and Wells, have drawn their inspiration from the older buildings of the Dartmouth Row instead of following the ideas of the Massachusetts group and Hitchcock and Webster Halls which, although pleasing, are not wholly unique as they have their prototypes in other New England colleges.

That they are attempting to create a group of buildings typical of the College is shown by the successful manner in which they have remodelled the Tuck School Building. Not only have added dignity and distinction been given that building which will now dominate the western side of the Campus, but a sense of unity formerly lacking between the old and new has been achieved by a pediment, suggestive of Dartmouth Hall, which Tuck Hall has always faced but now balances.

A great deal of interest centers in the new wing of the Alumni Gymnasium where the Spaulding Swimming Pool is rapidly approaching completion. Much artistic effort and excellent workmanship has been expended in the creation of a pool which will add much to what is already a matter of pride alike to alumni and undergraduates. Connected with the swimming pool, which will be dedicated some time during the fall, is an attractive shower room, nearly finished, erected as a memorial to Stanley B. Hill '18 who was killed in action overseas. With its bronze tablet, yellow tiles, and decorative slabs of verd antique marble, it makes a pleasing foil to the warm grey walls, russet tiles, and green, porcelain panelling of the pool.

Work is progressing slowly on Alumni Oval which looks strange now that the old wooden fence has been torn down and carted away. The football field has been moved to the west and is! approximately '-where,1' former track events took place. Temporary wooden stands have been erected on all four sides of the gridiron; it is expected that these will be more or less undisturbed during a series of experiments to determine what will be the best plan for permanent stands, which can not in any case be erected before the collection of the total fund necessary to make the field a fitting memorial to Dartmouth men who died during the war. Meanwhile the rest of the ground is being levelled preparatory to the installing of a drainage system and the laying out of a new baseball diamond.

The College is still engaged in various projects to meet immediate needs in housing its faculty. Although not entirely finished, Ledyard Apartments, the new building east of Parkside, which it will be remembered was erected only a few years ago, has already been occupied. This is the first of a series of faculty dwellings to be put up on that strip of College Park which borders Park St. In connection with this pressing situation the authorities have shown much ingenuity in putting to use several buildings which have been standing idle. It will come as a surprise to alumni to know that the old Administration Building has been moved from its site adjoining Webster Hall. The ell has been detached and now provides additional living quarters at the Graduate Club. The main part, however, has been moved further to a site on College-Street next to the President's home just below the Medical School, where it is rapidly being converted into an attractive residence. This ability to make two dwellings appear where, as it were, there was none before is well illustrated by what happened to Prof. John K. Lords house, the removal of which was necessitated by the erection of the new Chemistry Building. The house has been split apart, one section swinging around next to the old Administration Building, the other moving over to the opposite side of the street across from Wheeler Hall.

It may be of interest before leaving the housing situation to note that a new home for nurses is being built on Rope Ferry Road behind the Mary Hitchcock Hospital and that the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity is erecting an imposing new chapter house on the site of their old one. The latter structure, which will be of brick with a slate roof will make a pleasing addition to the various examples of Colonial architecture already in Hanover.

The most important building now under construction for the College is the new Chemistry Building which marks the northern limit of the College. The plans, drawn by Messrs. Larson and Wells, call for a large brick building with a central portion of four stories, flanked by wings of three. The structure will be adequately trimmed with limestone across the front and ends, space being left for the future insertion of the name of the hall, which has not yet been decided on. One large lecture hall, several small ones, recitation rooms, offices, a library, a museum, and laboratories with all the equipment necessary for general courses and private experiments will be provided within the building.