Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-04-04
FRIDAY, APRIL q, 1913.
NEW CHEMISTRY BUILDING
Middiebury College Will Have
Modern Structure.

The new chemistry building of Mid
dlebury college is fast nearing com
pletion Located on the Cornwall road, |
at the northern extremity of the old |
athletic field and in close proximity to
the other college buildings, the new
laboratory has assumed a conspicuous
place in the college of Marble Halls"
The exterior of the building has little
in the way of ornamentation other than
the window easements and alcoves at
the entrance, but it is constructed en-
tirely of white marble from the quarries
at Proctor, Vermont. The inner walls
are built of compressed gray brick from
GIens Falls, N. Y, selected as the best
adapted for laboratory work which re-
quires considerable straining of the
eyes.
A greater part of the framework is
of steel, but where wooden beams have
been used two-inch coating of cement
has been applied, rendering the build
ing as fireproof as it could well be.
The flooring of the rooms and halls
will be done in hard maple, the inside
finishing in selected cypress. A par
ticular advantage is to be had in the
use of cypress for this purpose inasmuch
as the wood is grown in swamps and
marshes liable to frequent flooding, and
Wrapping or checking of the lumber is
impossible.
The building is three stories high,
but has four working floors in reality.
The basement, which is cement, water
PROCEED, is divided into several storage
rooms, an organic laboratory, a milk
and water analysis laboratory and a
fan ROOM The fan" room is located
on the southwest corner from which
place a constant circulation of fresh air
may be kept up in the building. A
cloak room for men will also be located
in the basement.
The ground floor will be devoted to
two laboratories, sewing room a reel
tation room with library adjoining, and
a cloak room for women. One of these
laboratories was originally intended for
the use of students of domestic science,
but better accommodations for these
students may be had in the old science
building. In the milk and water analysis
laboratory, better advantages may be
had to enlarge upon this aspect of
chemistry and residents of Middle
bury and vicinity will have an ex-
cellent opportunity to test the quality
of their milk and water supplies.
On the second floor will be the
quantitative and qualitative analysis
laboratories, private laboratory for
the use of the instructor, a hydrogen
sulphide laboratory with special ventil-
alton fixtures, two balance rooms and
library. 1t is upon this floor that the
greater part of the work in chemistry
will be carried on and ample accommod
ations have been made for the large
classes that will meet there.
The third floor contains a lecture
room, fitted with raised seats to assist
in the conduction of table experiments,
a second private laboratory, supply and
balance rooms and another large labora-
tory covering nearly half this floor.
The attic of the building is spacious
and has been fitted to use as a storage
room, having an elevator to lower APP
paratus and material to the lower
floors.
All inner doors to the class rooms and
laboratories are of double width and
swing both ways. The exits are fitted
with doors swinging outward to provide
for hasty vacating of the building in a
time of emergency.
The carpenters are now busy on
the finishing work, sand-papering all
the finishing boards. No acids what
ever are being used for this work as is
ordinarily done in other buildings. No
extra space in the basement need be
provided for boilers and furnaces, as
the heat shall be supplied by the central
heating plant. Pipes for the heating
have already been laid and tested, and
the building is kept warm now to assist
in the drying of the cement and plaster.
Fixtures for water and gas have not as
yet been completely installed, but are
well under way.
The rooms throughout the building
are well lighted, well ventilated and in
every way sanitary. The comfort and
health of students working in the build
ing has been given the utmost consider
alton. Every effort is being made to
construct a modern building for the
study of chemistry and more emphasis