Whittier throughout time

Alyssa Fluss, Hadley Field, Issue 9, Whittier College, Features - By Alyssa Fluss on Thursday, November 3, 2011 - 03:24

Many of the buildings on campus, including Hoover, Deihl, Wardman and Mendenhall, have evolved since the founding in 1887. However, most students do not know the history and the stories that lie behind those transformations.

Such relocations of buildings include the Hadley Athletic Field which was displaced by the Stauffer Science Center in the 1960s. The Wardman Library was also at one point on the second floor of Mendenhall but was relocated when the Bonnie Bell Wardman Library was constructed.

In addition, Wardman Gymnasium, which has been transformed into the art building, was originally a gymnasium. The relocation and transformation of these buildings was brought about by construction, while the transformation of Founder’s Hall was due to construction by fire.

The area around Deihl Hall was the site of the first building on campus, Founder’s Hall. Founder’s Hall was constructed in 1893 and was one of the original buildings on campus. The five story building was located in the center of the campus and collectively served the function of classrooms, offices and dormitories. On Dec. 13, 1968 at 2:50 a.m. the building was set ablaze for an hour. The probable cause of the fire was old wiring which had been added in 1903.

Eventually the demolished building was cleaned up, and the Hartford Insurance Company paid $170,221 to cover the damages. This allowed funding for the replacement of one of the oldest buildings on campus to be replaced with Naylor Hall, which was later renamed to Deihl.

In 1930, the college acquired Mendenhall, which was previously known as Elks Lodge. The building was named in honor of the President Mendenhall and it housed the administrative offices and the library. Mendenhall is one of the few buildings on campus that still stands in its original location with most of its original architecture intact.

The number of building projects on campus started to increase during the post period of the Second World War, as a result of the increase in student enrollment. To accommodate the increase in students, the College explored opportunities of expansion, the most notable addition was Hoover Hall.

In May 1945, Herbert Hoover’s family made a memorial gift of $25,000 towards the $150,000 project. Unfortunately, construction of the building was stalled in May 1946 when the government denied the College’s application to begin construction and as a result the College abandoned its original plan for the south wing of Hoover. However, construction did ultimately resume, and the project was completed in the summer of 1948.

Over the years Hoover Hall has been updated, but there have been very few changes since the original construction in 1948. In addition Hoover Hall has remained in its original locations parallel to Painter Avenue. Following the construction of Hoover Hall was the addition of Broadoaks and Wanberg Hall, both of which are still in their original location.

In July 1887, the Town Company donated the original 20-acre site on which Whittier is situated called “College Hill.” From the period that “College Hill,” was donated to the first graduating class of June 1904, the auditorium and Founder’s Hall were constructed. In 1903, the first campaign secured $50,000 for college endowment, which allowed then President Charles E. Tebbets to fund the completion of the south half of the College, also known as Founder’s Hall. One year later the Tebbets Gymnasium was constructed for $1,000, which was mostly a student-built project.

Since 1887, Whittier has expanded from the original 20 acres and is currently built on 74 acres of land. Within the 74 acres are 29 academic and administrative facilities, seven residence halls, a chapel, two auditoriums, an outdoor amphitheatre, a library, an art gallery, a cultural center, athletic facilities and three Faculty Masters Houses.

The College is currently in the process of maintenance with regards to building projects. The most recent addition of completed buildings on campus is the Campus Center. This addition occurred when President Sharon Herzberger arrived. In addition to the Campus Center, some of the other renovations that have taken place since Herzberger has been here is the renovation of Stauffer Hall, Hoover Hall restoration and the transformation of the athletic facilities. This includes painting of the tennis courts purple, installation of artificial turf and the renovation of the Graham Athletic Center.

“Certaintly most of the work done on the buildings is not as grand as replacing buildings; however it is important to patch the roofs, redo the electrical system, install central air conditioning, replace boilers and transform classrooms to be media ready,” Herzberger said. “These are not sexy projects, but they ensure education continues in the best possible way.”

“In terms of future construction, Stauffer Science building is our top priority,” Herzberger said. “Within the next year we hope to plan how much space we will need to renovate. However, we are currently in the idea stage to explore other alternatives. The most difficult part of the renovation would be creating a temporary learning space while the Science building undergoes renovation.”

As far as the asethic appeal of the buildings on campus students have expressed their appreciation of the buildings. “My favorite building on campus is Hoover, because my major is economics, so I spend most of my time there,” junior Paige Richmond said. “The architecture however is the most beautiful aspect.”

Other students also have favorite buildings. “Deihl Hall is my favorite building on campus because the archways remind me of an old Spanish building,” first-year Monique Martinez said.
Along with the preservation of the buildings on the campus comes the preservation of the stories that will be shared and appreciated by students, faculty and the community.