Goodrich Hall of Sciences

Now that I have my architectural history hat on my head…I came across these photos of the construction of Goodrich Hall. There are several small photos taken, I believe, by a student.

Here are some of the best:

This is a great picture of the area before Goodrich. It is also a nice look at the Armory when it was not quite 20 years old. The construction shed has arrived. The tidy little stacks along the walkway are evidence of another project in progress. At this same time, the path from the west to the east side of the mall was being bricked for the first time. Although it is hard to see in this small image, the sidewalk has been excavated in preparation. The installation of brick sidewalks and the brick walls between Goodrich and the Armory were a pet project of Trustee Ike Elston. He was really passionate about decent sidewalks on campus. He gave the money for the project and must have greatly enjoyed putting his rather permanent mark on the campus.

The foundation goes in and the scaffolding goes up.

This appears to be a cornerstone ceremony. Near the cornerstone is President Hopkins and beside him is Dean George Kendall. Among the three men at the left in the picture is the President of the Board of Trustees, James P. Goodrich, who gave the money to build this science building.

The view from the south as the building rises.

As seen from the front.

I should add that this picture includes both buildings on campus by architect Jens Frederick Larson. They have the same New England flavor. Many consider this the prettiest corner of campus. First the Chapel then Goodrich were designed for Wabash. Larson was an architect of note in New England and did a number of buildings for the Dartmouth campus. That Wabash would use the same architect that had done such good work at Dartmouth is not a coincidence.

Earlier I mentioned President Hopkins who was our president from 1926 to 1940. In one of those oddities of history, Dartmouth’s president at this time was also a Hopkins. Ernest Martin Hopkins, brother of our man, was the president of Dartmouth at this time. One can imagine the brothers chatting about their mutual building projects.

Larson did a campus plan for all of Wabash which included new dormitories, a massive renovation of Yandes that would create both a student union building and an expanded Library. Unfortunately, the Depression got in the way. All that was ever realized from these plans are these two lovely buildings.

And, as you might imagine, Goodrich was a marvelous addition to the campus.