THE ARCHITECTURE OF DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth has in the old Dartmouth Group a rare example of classic architecture dating from Colonial times. Steeped in the tradition of an old New England college, the group stands as a memorial to the past and an inspiration to the future. The spirit which resulted in the construction of Dartmouth Hall on the lines of the old building destroyed by the fire of 1904 should persist, and the Dartmouth of the future should develop with the same appreciation for the earlier traditional architecture of the College. As the Dartmouth group differs from other architectural groups of its time, so can the newer architecture differ and yet retain the spirit of its inspiration, making of the college plan an interesting yet harmonious whole.
Dartmouth Hall, rebuilt under the supervision of Mr. Charles A. Rich, the architect, is a splendid reproduction of the old building. Its entrances and beautiful proportions surmounted by a cupola of rare distinction, live to give pleasure now and in the years to come. Flanked by the gable ends and simplicity of Wentworth and Thornton, Dartmouth Hall is a picture well framed. entworth needs its west entrance restored to further enhance the appeal of this group.
Reed has remarkable proportions, kese are enlivened by the gradation of its windows and blinds, crowned by a simple cornice and roof which is made interesting by many chimneys: Thus the whole is a rare example of architectural excellence. Reed holds down the south end of the Dartmouth yard very nicely, but it needs a balancing building on the site of the present college chapel to complete this grouping. This new building and Reed should be made fireproof. The five buildings would become the classroom center of the College. With these changes the old Dartmouth Group, in my judgment, would be unsurpassed in tradition and architectural charm by any college in this country.
Butterfield, at the north end of the campus, has very good proportions. It can be made architecturally attractive by removing the yellow brick facing and substituting red; by adding a pediment over the central motif, and by cutting windows in the third story. If the area in front of Butterfield were then landscaped, the area north of the campus might then become as attractive as the Dartmouth yard now is.
The west side of the campus is pleasing. The Tuck School with Parkhurst to the north, and Robinson Hall to the south, form a well balanced group. At present College Hall and Chandler do not add to the beauty of this side of the campus. It is to be hoped that at some time in the future Chandler Hall may be removed and this space kept open to give an improved setting to the other buildings. This would of course include the removal of Hubbard which crowds North Massachusetts and Hitchcock. At the southern end a new College Hall, set somewhat back of the present line, would break the present wall-like monotony of the west side of the campus, and allow a vista from the Inn corner through to the Massachusetts dormitories. The terrace in front of the New Commons could be used for the traditional gatherings at that corner and thus be made a real factor in the college activities. I hope the Casque and Gauntlet House remains for a long time on its site for it is indeed a beautiful contrast to the commercial section of this college town.
At the south end of the campus the new addition to the Inn is intended as one unit of what quite possibly may become a much larger structure as the future requirements of the College may demand. The next unit would logically be an extension toward the Thayer School building, made up of a new central motif and a duplication of the present unit. When the future requires it, Bissell Hall and the old portion of the present Inn might well be replaced by more modern construction in the form of two projecting wings connected by a colonnade and terrace. With trees and gardens behind the colonnade, and the planting about the Inn, the south end of the campus would become an added attraction without predominating the architecture of the whole.
Behind the Inn, and accessible thru it and from Main Street, there might well be an old world square, or court, surrounded perhaps by stores and offices of intimate architectural appeal.
The old library should at some time in the future be replaced by a building in character with Topi iff Hall. This building, with New Hampshire and Toplifif, would better screen the heating plant and back area and make a more interesting development in this direction.
Culver Hall, though now housing the Modern Art department, is a blot on a fascinating site. Here I should like to see, set well back from the street and on the axis of Crosby Street, a Gothic Chapel of imposing dimensions to buttress this end of the college. The Park should then be opened to Wheelock Street by a road between such a chapel and the Alpha Delta Phi House.
Aside from a few minor alterations to Richardsoji and Wilder, and a possible court of dormitories formed behind Massachusetts Row, we, may now give attention to any new development, and especially to that on the Hitchcock estate.
The new development which is now under way will have the new Library as the head of its axis. This building, with its possible incorporation of Butterfield, should have its main facade facing west, with a tower centering on the north and south axis , of the present campus and 011 the east and west axis of the new development. A court on the west in front of the Library, flanked by wings to north and south and screened from North Main Street by an arcade would, I am sure, make the Library in keeping with the traditional architecture of Dartmouth Hall;, an inviting and friendly building, a place to study in peace and comfort.
To the west of the new Library, across the former Hitchcock property, the Mall, the start of which is indicated by Tuck Drive and the roadway to Russell Sage, should be continued westward to the end of the property, thus keeping the vista to the Vermont hills open, and giving a reasonable amount of open ground to set off new buildings. To the south of this Mall there should be a classroom building on the site of Crosby Hall, and to the north another classroom building near the site of the old Kappa Kappa Kappa House. Hitchcock and Sage are now units in this general scheme of development. West of Sage there should be a new dormitory balancing it in plan but not in mass. Beyond Hitchcock, set in the pines, should be a dormitory group of a more domestic character and freedom of architecture than has heretofore been used.
Any further development out on the land west of the cemetery might very properly be started along a broad avenue running south from an intersection with the Mall, thus opening up the site for a new development extending to the Connecticut River. This would seem to call for avenues and open areas headed by interesting motifs and flanked by charming intimate views through arches into courts on various levels as the site dictates. With some of the buildings of this group located on the bank of Tuck Drive, the park land along the bank of the river would serve as an attractive playfield for the new development. This group should be built with more of the spirit that is found in the Old University of Virginia, with part of the plans -which are found at Oxford and Cambridge. It is my desire to catch the ideas and spirit behind the planning of these other institutions and to infuse these ideas and spirit into the design and architecture of , the new buildings at Dartmouth rather than by repeating their architecture. " As truly as Oxford is Oxford, let us keep Dartmouth, Dartmouth.
Looking west from Great Bear Cabin
Northern Hanover Mountains from the Golf Links
