The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-02-26
ST. ELIZABETH'S
NEW BUILDING
A Thoroughly Equipped and
Up-to-date Structure Ad-
ded to the Equipment.
FORMAL OPENING ON THE I'D

washington Birthday was cele-
brated at st. Elizabeth's Academy,
Convent, by noying into the new DOR
mitory building, known as Santa Rita
Hall. The old building has been
greatly crowded of late, parts of the
corridors having been used for Sleep
ing quarters, so that the new dormi-
tory was necessity.
The new building is said to be the
costliest and finest dormitory build
ing connected with any women's col
lege in the United States. 1t is of
the Spanish style of architecture,
built with granite foundation and
yellow brick superstructure with slate
roof and is located in the rear of the
main school buildings.
On the main floor, massive oak
door gives entrance to the foyer hall.
At one side is large dancing or re-
ception room and at the rear is the
main staircase. All these rooms are
done in oak finished in green, the cell
ings beamed and both the larger rooms
have handsome fire places The walls of
the hall are hung in burlap, red, shad
ing off to ecru in the side hangings.
At the rear is a smaller room, also
done in green, for an office. The rest
of the first floor and the three above
are devoted to rooms for the students,
there being eighty-nine in all. Halls
and rooms all have yellow pine floors
and ash trim of exceedingly plain de-
sign. The doors are also of ash with
panel of Florentine glass at the top
and a transom above. At the end of
each of the corridors, which are one
hundred and sixty feet long, is fire
escape door opening on large fire
escape with concrete floors and iron
stairways leading to the ground.
These so-called fire escapes also serve
as piazzas. The doors are SO arranged
that no matter how excited a person
may be she can easily get out, there
being no keys or knobs to turn.
Each of the rooms has hard wood
floor and sand finished walls, inside
blinds, is heated by hot water and lit
by incandeScent lamps. Switches for
the lamps are conveniently near the
door, The closets are of exceptional
size and provided with an incandes-
cent lamp, bar on which to hang
waists, and brass bar for curtains and
shoe shelf. The wash stand pro-
vided for each room is placed in the
closet.
The finishing of the top floor was an
after thought and a number of dor
mer windows cut in. Here the ar
rangement is ssomewhat different,
there being several rooms of especially
large size, smaller closets and few
other variations.
Bath and toilet rooms are located in
a wing at the back, reached by short
hall from which run the service stairs
and from which access is had by fire
proof doors to the freight elevator
dust chuteS and clothes shutes. The
bath rooms are of the most modern
construction with tile floors and wains
cot hardwood partitions raised on
nickel posts above the floor and the
fixtures of the most sanitary variety.
In the main building are located three
suites adjoining the service halls, each
provided with private bath. In the
bath rooms the hardware is of nickel
metal, which will stand any amount
of polishing, while through the main
building it is of bronze. On each
floor also is broom closet and closet
for the control of the lighting, and
lines of fire hose connected with a
stand pipe conveniently located in
closets with glass fronts.
On the second floor there is also an
intrmary Of considerable larger size
than the general run of the rooms
There are also few suites of two
rooms without bath.
On the upper floor is an oratory of
good size with gas as well as electric
light fixtures.
The basement is exceptionally dry, |
the entire cellar being waterproofed
so thoroughly that it is impossible for
water to get in. Here are located
gymnasium, two club rooms for girls
clubs, the bazaar which is fitted with
counters and shelves for the display of /
stationery and other articles for sale, /
a large trunk room, dining room for
the sisters in charge of the building
and a furnace roorl, where lwo hot I
water boilers heat the building and a
smaller auxiliary boiler will heat
water for the bath rooms when the
other furnaces are unnecessary.
The feature Of the building from
basement to top floor is the substan-
tial and plain. yet handsome finish
and furnishings. All the woodwood
is made so that it can easily be cleaned
and the fixtures and hardware are in
keeping The furniture is of oak,
finished dull in the natural color of
the wood Each room contains
bureau, waShstand, table, bookcase.
rocker and plain chair with single
iron bedStead.
The building was designed by Eu-
gene A, McMurray, Of Newark, who
before he began work paid a visit to
all the best college buildings in the
country, seeking for their best points.
Robert DalgliSh had the entire car