Plans
were put into place when additional library
space was desperately needed to house
the volumes of books that had increased from
30,000 in 1905 to 104,000 in 1929. In addition,
more room was needed to accommodate the increased
student enrollment, from 674 to 1,030 enrolled
college women. (16). A memo was sent
to the Trustees of Mount Holyoke from President
Woolley in which she listed “what an
addition should contain.” For instance,
the same kind of stone and complimentary architecture
should be retained. The addition should be
large enough to make room for books, for readers
and for the administration. Importantly, the
plans should contain a general reading room,
stacks, and twelve study rooms.”.
A vote was passed by executive committee
of the Board of Trustees on May 25, 1927 authorizing
Miss Bertha Blakely, the librarian, to confer
with George Newton, the architect who worked
on preliminary expansion plans for four years,
beginning in 1928. It was with the understanding
that the sketches would not involve any considerable
expense and that probably no changes would
be made to the library before 1931 or 1932.
Records show that there was significant correspondence
between Miss Blakely, the Board of Trustees
and the architect during the planning stages
of the library expansion.
The proposed library expansion project led
by architect George Newton was never brought
to fruition. The committee felt that “although
the suggested standards were nominally met
in the drawings, a better arrangement of
interior parts and architectural settings
would be possible.
Because of the depression years, the College was unable to raise funds for
the library project and it was postponed.
A
new architect was hired after the depression.
His name was Charles Collens.
For
More Information on Charles Collens, Click
Here
Home
Page
The
History of Gothic Architecture:
Cambridge
and Princeton
About Ralph Cram
A Time of Transition:
Bryn
Mawr
Mary E.
Woolley
Frederick
Olmsted Jr.
The Envisioned Plan:
Program for
Campus Development
Designs
for the Library and Chapel
Shurtleff
and Cram Present Their Ideas
The Implemented Plan:
Meetings
and Discussions
Collens'
Library Designs(Exterior)
Collens'
Library Designs (Interior)
Bertha
Blakely's Influence
Abbey Memorial
Chapel
Charles Collens
Dedication Speech and closing comments
Trivial Pursuit
Question
References
