Time
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Description
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Source
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1881
|
Morris
Ketchum Jesup
receives and honorary degree from Williams
College.
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Circa
1895
|
Origin of the idea to
construct a building for the "social and religious
welfare" of the College. Students felt the need for
a centralized and coordinated student space while
the Mills Young Men's Christian Association felt
the need for a building devoted to religious uses.
|
C, N
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May 13,
1897
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Committee appointed by the
Board of Trustees to raise $10,000 in funds to
construct such a building.
"It was voted that the
President with Prof. Hewitt and Fernald in regard
to the assignment of College land as a site for the
Building the Association is seeking to erect. The
committee is to report to this Board at the annual
meeting."
|
UU
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June
1897
|
Plans drawn up at
Commencement for a new building "devoted to the
social and religious uses of Williams
men."
|
FF
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June 21,
1897
|
Site
for the building proposed to the Board of
Trustees.
"An informal report was
presented as to a site for a proposed building for
the Y.M.C.A. on east of Laboratory
Campus."
|
TT
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Fall
1897
|
Morris
Jesup offers $35,000
to the College for the erection of a new student
building. Donation is contingent on the College's
raising of a $10,000 endowment fund so that the
building does not become a long term burden upon
the College.
|
A
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October 21,
1897
|
Site for the building will be
provided by the Board of Trustees on the condition
that a $10,000 maintenance fund be
raised.
"It was resolved that a
suitable site be provided for the proposed Y.M.C.A.
building on condition that an amount not less than
$10,000 be raised for a maintenance
fund."
|
VV
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June 15,
1898
|
$7,317 raised for the towards
the $10,000 endowment goal.
|
FF
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|
Within a year $10,000 was
collected through subscriptions from alumni,
students, and friends of the College for the
buildings sustentation fund.
A building committee chaired
by Professor Hewitt and composed of alumni and the
student executives of the Mills Young Mens
Christian Association was formed.
|
C
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October 21,
1898
|
Board of Trustees approve the
erection of the new building and appoint the
existing committee to oversee its
construction.
"The committee on the
proposed new building, having reported that the
required sustenation fund of $10,000 had been
secured, it was voted that the committee already
appointed consisting of the President, Prof.
Hewitt, and Prof. Fernald be empowered to examine
and to approve the plans for the proposed building,
and to determine its exact location &emdash; with
the understanding that the building, when erected,
is to be the absolute property of the College and
subject to its control.
|
WW
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|
1899
|
Construction
begins.
Architect: George
Tilden
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June 19,
1899
|
The Board of Trustees
entrusts the administration of Jesup Hall to a
graduate committee of six. Dr. Charles Cuthbert
Hall is appointed to be its first
chairman.
|
XX
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Winter
1900
|
Jesup
Hall construction
completed at an estimated cost of
$40,000.
Building houses:
- Auditorium that can seat
five hundred persons
- Billiard and pool
room
- Classrooms (3) for the
use of the YMCA
- Dormitory rooms for 12
students
- Gargoyle Society
office
- Reading
room for the
YMCA
- Senior Class
room
- Trophy
room for athletic
winnings
- Upper deck (2 x
40) on the east side of the building,
accessible from the fourth floor
Vision for the building is a
"college club house where all the worthwhile
elements of college activity may meet on terms of
good fellowship."
|
A, B, OO
|
|
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January
1900
|
Jesup
Hall opens to the
student body. The daily maintenance of the building
is entrusted to two recent graduates: Franklin Boyd
Edwards 00 and Boudinst Seeley
00.
|
HH
|
|
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|
February
1900
|
Students enthusiastically
receive the new building as evidenced by a public
thank you letter sent to M.K.
Jesup from the whole
undergraduate body. The greatly improved auditorium
alone, is viewed as a significant advance in campus
life as the preexisting auditorium in Goodrich Hall
was deemed inadequate.
|
NN, QQ
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June
1900
|
More praise for the new
building.
"I do not see how we did
without Jesup Hall for so long." Member of the
Class of 1900.
"Jesup Hall will unify the
life of Williams, and so long as that life is
wholesome, manly and Christian, it will bring honor
upon its donor and upon the venerable college with
whose labors he has so happily identified
himself."
|
PP
|
|
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Summer,
1901
|
Kellogg
Hall dormitory razed
to improve the appearance of the grounds of the
quad.
|
B
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November
1903
|
Students express
dissatisfaction with the operation of the building.
Many are frustrated with the lack of attention to
detail of the management.
|
SS
|
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October 6,
1904
|
Trustees authorize $875 to
prevent further sinking of the auditoriums
floor.
|
AAA
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November 1904 -
August 1905
|
Building renovated to correct
structural flaws. Morris
Jesup covers the
costs of the improvements.
- Balcony over the stage in
the auditorium is removed.
- Electric lighting is
installed in the auditorium and reading
room.
- Floor of auditorium
reinforced with an iron frame.
- Organ which occupied the
auditorium removed.
|
A, S, U,
V
|
|
|
|
1905
|
Extent of repairs needed were
badly underestimated. Repair costs run to nearly
$6,000. Morris
Jesup provides nearly
$5,000 of the cost of the repairs.
|
T, BBB
|
|
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|
1908
|
Williams Young Mens
Christian Association (YMCA) changes its name to
Williams Christian Association (WCA)
|
LL
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June 22,
1908
|
Trustees authorize
expenditure of $5000 for improvements to Jesup
Hall.
|
DDD
|
|
|
|
Summer
1908
|
Exterior
of building modified,
converting the architecture to the colonial
style.
- Original orange brick
painted yellow
- External features
changed: cupolas removed, colonial dormers added
to the roof, entryway completely reconfigured as
well as windows directly above it, front porch
completely replaced.
- Internal changes included
the addition of a fire escape to provide an
alternate exit for the auditorium.
Architect: John
Oakman 99
|
A, W
|
|
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1910
|
Inside of building
remodeled
- Addition of bathroom to
the 3rd floor reduced the dormitory
capacity by two men.
- Dormer added to the
northwest corner of the 4th
floor.
- Electric lights replaced
the remaining gas fixtures.
- Interior walls
reinforced.
- Steps on the north side
of the building reconstructed.
Gift of Mrs. Jesup who
provided $10,000 for the renovation
|
F, X,
EEE
|
|
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1918
|
Blaze breaks out on the
4th floor. Though fire is confined to
this level, water damage requires the redecoration
of the whole building.
|
Z
|
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|
1918 - March
1919
|
Repairs to the building to
mend fire damage.
- 4th Floor
partitioned into rooms for Gargoyle Society and
musical clubs.
- Record and student
athletic managers offices on the first
floor and WCA offices moved into the Thompson
Laboratory buildings for the duration of the
repairs.
|
Z, DD
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|
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1928
|
Questions posed among the
administration as to whether Jesup must remain
dedicated solely to its original purpose as a
student center. It was resolved that the
donors intent was to improve student life on
campus and that Jesup Hall need not strictly adhere
to its donors purpose so long as equivalent
space was provided for students elsewhere on
campus.
|
KK
|
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1930
|
Steam tunnel constructed to
connect Morgan
Hall and Jesup Hall.
|
GGG
|
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1933
|
Fireproof
vaults installed on
the ground and basement levels to store the records
of the Society of Alumni. This is the first
indication of the presence of a (non-student)
administrative office in Jesup Hall.
|
AA
|
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May
1937
|
Student Activities Council
Ratifies a plan to move student group offices in
the building. Under the plan the WCA lost several
rooms, though its "Vatican" (the dormitory space
for its president) remained untouched. The
Record took over office space on the first
floor, moving out of the basement. Several other
student groups moved or were given space in the
building, including: Undergraduate Council, Student
Activities Council, Purple Cow,
Gulielmensian, Sketch, Purple
Knights, and Cap and Bells.
|
R
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June 26,
1937
|
Fire sweeps the building.
Though the fire was confined to the center of the
building, it made its way up from the basement to
consume portions of the first and second floors.
While the exact cause was undetermined, it is
believed that a carelessly discarded cigarette was
responsible for the $10,000 in damage to the
building caused by the fire.
|
Q, JJ
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Circa
1940
|
By the early 1940s the
Williams Christian Association still maintains an
active presence in the building.
Students still spoke of
living in the dormitory rooms in Jesup Hall.
|
O, MM
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Circa 1948 -
1959
|
Science secretary and
chemistry department offices housed on the second
floor.
|
HHH
|
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1949
|
Student groups propose a plan
to renovate the basement of Jesup to create a food
counter, a dance floor, ping pong tables, and
seating for 90 people. This was a response to a
long standing student concern that the campus
lacked a central meeting place. Professor of Art,
Whitney Stoddard was designing the architectural
plans for these changes. Unfortunately, all
indications are that the plan never came to
fruition.
|
Y, HHH, III,
JJJ
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|
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Circa
1952
|
Building used primarily for
public
lectures, the
Freshman Revue, classes, some student groups
(Gargoyle Society, the Williams Christian
Association, the Gulielmensian, Cap and
Bells, student radio station, the Record,
etc.), athletics coaches offices, and a large
presence by the alumni and development offices and
Alumni Review.
|
O, HHH,
III
|
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February
1954
|
Baxter Hall opens. Jesup Hall
no longer is the center of student life.
|
A
|
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Circa 1950s -
1960s
|
The College sees tremendous
growth in the size of the College administration,
leading to many reconfigurations in office spaces
all over campus.
|
JJJ
|
|
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|
Circa 1950 -
1983
|
Alumni,
development and Alumni Review
offices occupy Jesup
Hall. Over the years their space needs grow to the
point that a move becomes necessary.
|
O
|
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|
1959
|
Building restored at a cost
of $20,000.
Designer: Peter
Welanetz
|
A, BB,
CC
|
|
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1968
|
Bronfman Science Center
opens. Houses the Colleges first computer
center. The center will remain in this building
until the Jesup Hall Computer Center opens in
1984.
|
QQQ
|
|
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Circa
1975
|
1914 Library moves to the
basement area of Jesup Hall.
|
O
|
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1979
|
Vestibules installed on the
West Entrance at a cost of $3,500.
|
BB
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Circa
1980
|
Auditorium used primarily for
public
lectures and Cap
& Bells performances. At this point, the
auditorium and the building as a whole was
beginning to show significant signs of wear and
age. At his point the college needed to "completely
renovate the existing structure or gut the building
and retarget it for a new use
"
|
I
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1982
|
1914 Library space in the
basement renovated at a cost of $5,690.
|
BB
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1983 -
1984
|
Plans for the Adams Memorial
Theater Downstage progressing towards their
fruition, eliminating the need for the Jesup
auditorium.
|
P
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Circa
1983
|
Several campus departments
were convinced to vacate their existing locations
and to move to new ones. This combined with several
spaces being constructed or renovated (the alumni
center, Mears house), allowed the alumni and
development offices to leave Jesup permanently
prior to the 1983- 1984 renovation.
|
P, HHH
|
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1984
|
Extensive interior renovation
of the building to convert it into a computer
center.
- Auditorium balcony and
projection booth were removed. The
proscenium
arch over the
stage was concealed. The existing third floor
was extended through to the newly-opened
space.
- Grand central staircase
was removed in favor of the fire
stairwells.
- Many of the original
windows on the east side of the building were
either removed or reconfigured, significantly
changing the architectural elements of this side
of the building.
- North-south hallways were
carved out of the building, each terminating at
the fire stair on either end of the
building.
Significant exterior
changes consisted of
the addition of fire
stairwells to the
north and south ends of the building and the
addition of an elevator next to the stairwell on
the north end.
Renovation and additions cost
$1,960,500.
Architect: John
Jordan
|
H, BB
|
|
|
|
1987 -
1999
|
Continual minor renovations
are made as well as the installation and upgrading
of computer and network equipment. Over these
years, this work totals over $4 million
dollars.
|
BB
|