The Washington times., 1901-07-15
RAzING YALE LANDMARKS.

NEW HAVEN. Conn. July 1s.-Old
North College and Lyceum Hall are being
torn down to make way for the new Yale
campus. That fact means a thousandfold
more to Yale men throughout the country
than the mere words tell. 1t means that
all the buildings but one OF Yales famous
Old Brick Row have now passed away,
and that he who returns to New Haven
henceforth comes as to a strange country.
The demolition of the old buildings has
already begun. In a fortnight or more
nothing will be left of the historic struc-
lures but heaps of brick and ruin. The
old is passing away at Yale rapidly. Tho
new Yale is even shouldering the old to
the wall.
One OF Yaie's most famous old land
marks goes with the tearing down of
North College and Lyceum-thc Old Brick
Row. Until a few years ago the Old
Brick Row was about all that Yale could
boast of In college architecture 1t had
grown up there slowly and steadily, one
stern. square brick building at a time,
until there was q line of seven OF them
extending from Old South to Old North
There was South and South Middle. North
Middle, and North, and between them
Atheneum, Lyceum, and Old Chapel.
Each of the dormitories looked like every
other one, and the three-steepled struc-
lures between were nearly of the same
model. Facing them was long stretch
of yard-it was not called campus then
eim-set, with a two-railed fence at the
Chapel Street end. rounding into College
Street. whereon the under class men
perched at eventide and let the world
know of their existence Then Durfee
sprang up in Elm Street. and Farnam in
College Street. and Battell Chapel filed
in the corner. Lawrence was built oppo-
site North and next to Farnam, and then
Welch Hall and Vanderbilt With the
erection of Osborn Hall and Phelps Gate
way the Old Brick Row was shut In from
the world and its day scaled. Since then
the old buildings have been coming down
enc by one, in accordance with a new
plan for the campus interior. and now
none remains but Old South Middle. the
Oldest and most historic of them all.
Lyceum Hall was built within two years
of century ago. In 1896, and 1t is still
sound in every timber. as the workmen
find as they tear down the old walls.
North College. the last of the Old Brick
Row to be erected, was built In 1871 For
several decades after it was built North
was the rendezvous for the richest and
IiiOSt tACiuSiNc among tne uf-ler class
men. Its rooms were regarded as being
fine TO live in. Some of the
old time society rows took place in the
halls of North, when the society men
tramped through the corridors at dead
of night singing their war songs, and
were suinmarily kicked into the college
yard by the furious occupants OF stood
their ground in the pitched battle that
Nfrf h fle Of
ber of college pranks. and even worse
offences. 1t sheltered a band of students
during the fireman riots of the forties.
and in 1913 the murdered tutor Dwight
was taken into the north corridor while
his student assailant escaped. OF late
North had been a great senior packing
house., as the building had come to be
a favorite dormitory for the upper class
men.
Lyceum has had rather the more in
teresting history. When IL was built the
college had just come under the manage
ment OF the first President Dwight. and
new buildings were going up in unac-
rustomed numbers. The campus then
South College, Athenaeum.
South Middle, and the old chemical labor
atory standing in the rear. A high
board fence shut OFF the yard close to
South Middle from an odd assortment
Of buildings, composing the town poor
house, jail, and insane ward Walls and
rent the air at various times OF
the day and night and disturbed the
students at their books and devotions,
which Were in those days numerous and
weighty. President Dwight's manage
ment brought in largely increased num-
bers of students-there were 2l7 in 1900.
against lis four years beforehand new
quarters were needed In 1903 tive new
buildings were constructed. thanks to an
increase to $4,000 in the States appro-k
prfation. and Lyceum and North Middle
were built. The latter was taken down
three years ago
Lyceum was first called the Connecticut
-yceuul, and the college bell and clock
we're placed in the belfry. The room of
he bellringer was for years the only
bedroom in the building. but of late years
he whole second floor has been given up
o college rooms. among them being a
uite known as the best on the campus.
Up to 1851 the third floor of the building
vas used as library. and then as
rhetorical chamber" but in that year
,as and heat were introduced and the
Interior rearranged. The building was
hen made over into the main recitation
was continued until COM
nencement this spring. The president
or years occupied room on the ground
oor. where he lectured the freshmen
egularly.
Iyceum Hall has been the target of un-
er-graduate fun for the century of its
xistence. The belfry opened unusual op-
'ortunities for pranks. As Old Chapel
3
lace of a peaceful bovine. so Lyceum
iall belfry was once occupied by an
quaily peaceable horse. The students
ound an aged horse tethered On the green
ne night in the fifties. took it to the
ampus. painted 1t green, and carted it
o the belfry of the tower. The animal
Fas lowered to the ground by ropes the
ext morning, but the guilty students es-
aped. Until the new clock was placed in
;attell Cha pei. the old timepiece in Ly-
cum told the hours of undergraduate
FORK and pleasure. 1t used to be annual
ccurrence for some youthful undergrad
ate to climb to the dangerous height of
he clocks face. and in the dim moon
ght relieve the ancient timepiece of one
( its pointers. More than a score of
hese hour hands have graced the walls
1 private dormitory rooms as relics of
'lch adventures. Latterly. the side Of
he e.ct--.-..--.1e to Lyceum has been the
ommon signboard of the campus. and
fticial notices. undergraduate appeals and
,kes. and athletic billboards have graced
lie structure For this. if not for its his
1ric significance, the undergraduates
ill miss the old building.