Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-06-29

faculty appointed and college work re-
sumed. On the 9th of May, 1924 the
"noble college edifce," us Thompson
calls it, was reduced to ashes by ali acci-
dental fire. along with portions of the Ii.
brary and apparatus. The different
college buildings" were stated, by the
Vermont SeatiHet in July, 1905, to have
cost thus far S2i, ,39l but this must be
too low a figure, as Thompson gives the
cost of the original main building alone
at about S35, 900, "the greater part oi
which was contributed in Burlington and
vicinity" 1t appears, too, that the funds
for building the original Presidents houst
came mainly from Burlington.
Before Commencement, in August,
1924, the town had rallied again to the
help of the college, more than $500 hay
( ing been subcribed for new buildings.
The work of erecting these was begun IN
1925, General Lafayette laying the cor.
ner stone Of the south building on the
20th OF June of that year. This fouuda.
ton, was placed at the northwest uurncr
of the "South College" The new plan
embraced three buildings, the two end
ones being eacl three stories high, and
10 feet long by 3G wide, while the middle
one was Sc feet long, with n projection in
front and rear, and was designed for adj
ministrative purposes. 1t contained the
chapel, museum, library and lecture
rooms, besides two rooms which were as-
signed to the two rival debating societies,
the "phi Sigma Nh and " University In
stitutc, each with ats separate room for n
| library. The North and South College
buildings were finished in the course of
1926, and cost about 100000, "nearly
all subscribed by inhabitants OF Burliug-
ton and vicinity The middle college
was erected and nearly completed in 1929
and cost about $4,000. The dome by
which it WAS surmounted and which for
more than fifty years served as beacon
, ior the wide region of country between
the Green Mountains and the Adiron-
dacks, was designed and the working
plans therefor executed by the late Prof
George w. benedict
The north and south college buildings
were fitted for dormitories. Each was
built in two divisions" separated by
partition walls. There We're no halls
lengthwise of any Of the buildings, and it
was impossible to pass from one division
to another or to the centre building, with
ont going out of doors. All the buildings.
were Of brick and covered originally with
| tin, which was subsequently, about thir
ty-tive years ago, replaced with Welsh
slate. At this time the buildings, which
We're originally separated by spaces of
some seven feet, were connected SO as 70
form continuous wall, and the. small
rooms thus gained were used in various
ways. The total length of the old build
ing amounted, according to these figures,
to 80 feet.
In the olden time there were recitation
rooms on the lower floor of South College.
Soon after Mr.. Angel assumed the Pres
dency in 1866, the lower story of the
north college was taken for the general
laboratory, lecture, assaying rooms and
other uses of the chemical department.
The college chapel was retitted aud re-
furnished somewhere about 1860. IN
1861, or the earlier part of 1862, the
South College was thoroughly repaired,
and the interior changed so as to furnish
convenient suites of rooms for the use OF
students The students rooms i'll the
North College were remodclled after II
similar plan two or three years later III
1862 also the present library building,
i0xG0 feet, was erected. This was origi
nallv but two stories high, and owed lts
existence mainly to the efforts OF Prcsi-
dent Pease and Professor Clark The
third story was added in 1864 at tie ex
pense of r. w. Park of Bennington, for
the accommodation of the Park Gallery Of
Art.
What has been known to later genera
tions of students as "the old Presidents 5
house"-that now occupied by Professor
Petty-is believed, on good authority, to
have been standing i'll 1903. BY whom
or when it was built, we have not been
able to ascertain. 1t did not belong or
einally to the University. c. p. Van
Ness is said to have lived in 1t i'll 1909.
and ior many years after that date to have
owned and occupied it but President
Haskell is affirmed to have made it his
residence after his resignation of the pas
torate of the First church in 1922 !, and
President Marsh lived and died in 1t
ls26-i2l 1t WAS familinrly known, in
distinction from the first President =
mansion-"the Old Yellow House as
the "White House. Not long after the
death of DIR. Marsh it became college
boarding house, and for some years
gathered more students about its long
tables than any other three or four houses
in the village.
President Marsh's Office, one-story
wooden building, used to stand near the
street line, to the southwest OF the house,
and we believe is still preserved rs part
of the cottage now occupied by the col
lie &c ianitor.
The Presidents mansion, now occupied
by President Buckham, was built for
President Augell III 1869 1t was erected
during the days of inflated currency,
when it took a great deal OF money TO buy
II very little of any other commodity, and
cost some Sll, 900, raised by subscription
III Burlington.
The Medical College building was cree
ted in 1899, and was originally plain
brick structure of two stories. During
the suspension of the medical department
from 1880 to 1853, the laboratory and lee
ture-room i'll this building was used by
the professor of chemistry and natural
philosophy for the lectures on chemistry
and physiology III the academical course,
In 1859 ut au expense of some $4,000, the
medical building was thoroughly over
hauled, aud greatly enlarged by an extcn-
sion to the rear, and by the addition of
another story, to afford room for an en-
larged amphitheatre. etc. In 1880 the
lecture rooms were again enlarged, this
| time to the utmost extent the building
would admit of, and new chemical lab
oratory and dissecting rooms were provi-
ded in n two-story addition in the rear of
the main structure.