Goddard Hall (Tufts University)

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Goddard Hall
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy - Tufts University - IMG 0918.JPG
Goddard Hall
Former namesGoddard Gymnasium
General information
TypeLibrary, gymnasium
Architectural style Romanesque Revival
Town or city Medford, Massachusetts
CountryUS
Coordinates 42°24′27″N71°07′18″W / 42.407631°N 71.121587°W / 42.407631; -71.121587 Coordinates: 42°24′27″N71°07′18″W / 42.407631°N 71.121587°W / 42.407631; -71.121587
Named forThomas Goddard
Opened1883
Renovated1892, 1930
OwnerTufts University
Technical details
MaterialBrick
Floor countThree
Design and construction
Architect George Albert Clough
Renovating team
ArchitectGeorge Albert Clough

Goddard Hall, originally known as Goddard Gymnasium, is a historic academic building on the campus of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Built in 1883 and designed by George Albert Clough, it was originally built to serve Tufts students as a gymnasium. In 1892, the building was remodeled and in 1930, the building was handed over to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy for use as a library.

Tufts University private research university in Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts

Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. A charter member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Tufts College was founded in 1852 by Christian universalists who worked for years to open a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. It was a small New England liberal arts college until its transformation into a larger research university in the 1970s. The university emphasizes active citizenship and public service in all its disciplines, and is known for its internationalism and study abroad programs.

Medford, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Medford is a city 3.2 miles northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus along the Medford and Somerville border.

George Albert Clough architect

George Asa Clough was an architect in Boston, Massachusetts in the later 19th-century. He designed the Suffolk County Courthouse in Pemberton Square, and numerous other buildings in the city and around New England. Born in Blue Hill, Maine, Clough trained as an architect at the firm of Snell & Gregerson, Boston, 1863-1869. He worked as Boston's first city architect. Historian Walter Muir Whitehill described him as "a competent but not very inspired practitioner."

Contents

Description

Goddard Hall was originally built as a three story rectangular brick building with arched windows. The south and east facade were highly altered from the original design but still contain the same motif of arched windows and egg-and-dart molding of the original section. The 1892 facade also makes extensive use of Meander motifs in the corner quoins. [1]

Egg-and-dart Ornamental device alternating ovals with points

Egg-and-dart or egg-and-tongue is an ornamental device often carved in wood, stone, or plaster quarter-round ovolo mouldings, consisting of an egg-shaped object alternating with an element shaped like an arrow, anchor or dart. Egg-and-dart enrichment of the ovolo molding of the Ionic capital is found in ancient Greek architecture at the Erechtheion and was used by the Romans. The motif has also been common in neoclassical architecture.

Meander (art) motif

A meander or meandros is a decorative border constructed from a continuous line, shaped into a repeated motif. Such a design is also called the Greek fret or Greek key design, although these are modern designations.

Interior of Goddard Hall now Ginn Library Biblioteca Ginn.jpg
Interior of Goddard Hall now Ginn Library

History

Prior to construction, students would exercise by using an open-air gym behind West Hall. Announcement of construction of Goddard Hall came at the same time as that of the Barnum Museum of Natural History. The building was built with funds from Mary T. Goddard who also assisted in the construction of Goddard Chapel. The university commissioned George Clough who was well known in Boston for his restoration of the Old State House, and the design of the Suffolk County Courthouse. The original building provided basic facilities, including an open main floor and locker and shower facilities located in the basement. In 1897, freshmen and sophomores were required two hours of week at the gymnasium from Thanksgiving until Spring recess. At the time, the building was the only large space used for dances and large gatherings. The building was also used for commencement dinner each year. In 1898, the demands to expand the building were approved by the Board of Trustees. Additions to the front and sides provided the building with a basketball cage and dance floor above. An indoor track was also built at the level of the dance floor, in addition to a gallery around the main gym area. The Department of Music was given rooms on the third floor. [2]

Barnum Museum of Natural History

The Barnum Museum of Natural History was a natural history museum on the grounds of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. The museum was established by P.T. Barnum and displayed valuable exotic dead animals from his circus. His greatest prize was Jumbo the Elephant whose skin and bones were displayed. The building now known as Barnum Hall was gutted when a fire destroyed the entire collection inside on April 14, 1975. The building has since been partially reconstructed.

Goddard Chapel

Goddard Chapel is a historic chapel located in Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion, Illinois. The chapel was constructed in 1918 through a donation from Leroy A. Goddard, who served two terms as Marion's mayor and founded the city's first bank. Chicago architect John N. Nyden designed the chapel in the Gothic Revival style. The church is built out of Bedford limestone and is topped by a red clay tile roof. The doors and windows to the church are set in a variety of Gothic arches; the doors are set within shoulder arches, the front window is in a depressed arch, and the side and back windows are set in lancet arches. The church's windows all feature stained glass designs with a lily pattern.

Suffolk County Courthouse

The Suffolk County Courthouse, now formally the John Adams Courthouse, is a historic courthouse building at 3 Pemberton Square in Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Built in 1893, it was the major work of Boston's first city architect, George Clough, and is one of the city's few surviving late 19th-century monumental civic buildings. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

In 1930, Goddard Gymnasium became Goddard Hall, when the gymnasium moved to Cousens Gym on College Avenue. The building was handed over to the new Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The interior space was converted into what is now known as Ginn Library. The main part houses a large reading room while the top floors are reserved for stacks, office space, and seminar rooms. The structure was connected to Mugar Hall in the west in 1960, and the Cabot Intercultural Center in 1980. [2] [3]

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University is the first and oldest graduate school in the United States dedicated solely to international affairs. It is named after Dr. Austin Barclay Fletcher, a Tufts University alumnus whose bequest helped establish the school in 1933.

The library system of Tufts University covers all academic departments comprising the university. The main library is Tisch Library which holds about 2.5 million volumes, with other holdings dispersed at subject libraries.

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References

  1. Sauer, Anne (2000). Tufts University: The College History Series. Arcadia Publishing. p. 13.
  2. 1 2 Russell, Miller E. (1966) Light on the Hill: A History of Tufts College (1852-1952).
  3. Bennett, John; Branco, Jessica; Crowley, Zachary; Sauer, Anne (2000). Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History.