What Should We Do With Webster Hall?

For a quarter-century the campus has debated its use; now it's your turn.

Some notables who have appeared in Webster Hall

Webster wasn't always a white elephant. When its ornate brass doors first opened in 1907, the hall was the campus auditorium of choice. William Jennings Bryan spoke there. George Gershwin played there, and Duke Ellington made the place swing.

Even after a young Yale graduate, Warner Bentley, came to town to build a new theater complex in 1928, Webster Hall remained dominant, mostly because the complex wasn't built for another 36 years.

Last fall the Hopkins Center marked its twenty-fifth anniversary, celebrating a quarter-century during which Webster Hall remained virtually empty. While the Hop was hosting Wynton Marsalis and the Paul Taylor Dance Company last winter, Webster sheltered a campaign stop by Gary Hart and a student lip-synching contest.

been forgotten. On the contrary, the place is one of the most coveted sites on a campus increasingly pressed for space. The problem is how to make the space work. Designed as an auditorium, the structure is not made for supporting extra floors—not to mention the problems of heating and egress.

As campus leaders ponder the problem, Webster serves as home to the homeless. Over the years the hall has done everything from providing art storage to serving as a stand-in for a dance studio. "The studio didn't work all that well," recalls a dance student. "We spent more time taking out splinters than practicing plies." The hall's 1988 incarnation is as a temporary student center.

After waiting 25 years for a new purpose in life, Webster will have to wait a little longer. The Facilities Planning Board, chaired by Acting Provost John Strohbehn, has not included Webster in its short-term agenda. There is no sense in rushing to a decision, argues Marjorie Boley, assistant director of the Facilities Planning Office. "It's certainly a valuable piece of real estate," she says. "I think something permanent ought to be done about it."

Then there are the other plans. "Tear the ugly thing down," says a pea greener. A business-minded senior proposes naming the building Webster Mall and renting space to tony shops. The income could offset tuition increases. One alumnus with a pointed distaste for sixties-style architecture suggests "killing two albatrosses with one stone": dismantle Webster brickby-brick and reassemble it around the parti-colored Gerry-Bradley complex.

What would you do with Webster Hall? A prize awaits the most imaginative answer: a $100 gift certificate from the Dartmouth Bookstore. Write the Alumni Magazine by May 15 (in the traditional 25 words or less) with your plan. The winner—to be selected by June I—can call the bookstore's order number, (1-800-654-6070, in New Hampshire 1-800-462-9009), to claim the reward.

To: Dartmouth Alumni Magazine 4 West Wheelock Street Hanover, NH 03755 Webster Hall should be Name —— Class Address City/State Zip

President Tucker dedicated Webster Hall in 1907

Soprano Lily Pons appeared in concert in 1932

Robert Frost held poetry readings in the 30s and 40s

Pianist Artur Rubinstein opened 1949 concert series

Marian Anderson sang to a full house in 1951

JFK appeared in Webster before his presidency

Helen Parrish is in "Winter Carnival" every year

Gov. Dukakis rallied his supporters early in '88