West Hall (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)

Last updated
Old Troy Hospital
WestHallRPIPano.jpg
After the 2004-2008 exterior renovation
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location8th Street, Troy, New York, USA
Coordinates 42°43′54″N73°41′0″W / 42.73167°N 73.68333°W / 42.73167; -73.68333
Built1869
Architect Marcus F. Cummings [1]
Architectural styleFrench Second Empire
NRHP reference No. 73001257 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 25, 1973

West Hall is a building on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus in Troy, New York, United States. It is currently home to the Arts Department at RPI. It was previously a hospital, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Old Troy Hospital.

Contents

Description

A plaque on the southwest corner of West Hall reads as follows: "The Corner Stone of the Troy Hospital was laid on the 28th of June 1868 by the right Rev. Bishop Conroy". The hospital was opened in 1869 and was operated by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. [2] The design of the building is due to Marcus F. Cummings of Troy and noted as a major example of French Second Empire architecture. The Sisters of Charity sold the building to the Albany Diocese in 1922 and it was converted to be used as a Catholic High School in 1923. [2] Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute acquired the building in 1952 and named it West Hall, as it was one of the westernmost buildings on campus. Following a complete renovation, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Geology occupied the building. A geology museum was housed there at one time, the remnants of which can still be seen in parts of the basement.

West Hall currently houses several offices, art studios, and rehearsal space for the Rensselaer Symphony Orchestra. There is a large auditorium for performances and a few music practice rooms. Between 2004 and 2008 there was a major renovation of the exterior, which was made in part by a $150,000 Campus Heritage Initiative Grant. [3] The building was completely repainted and detailed, and the front steps were re-landscaped. During 2008–09 new stairs were constructed traversing the hill on the north side, as well as more robust concrete retaining walls.

A folklore surrounds the construction of "cables" to stabilize the building on the shifting hill. [4] The cables supposedly were put in place to anchor the building's foundations to an outcropping of bedrock near Walker Labs. According to Thomas Zimmie PhD, PE, D.GE, a professor in the Civil Engineering Department of RPI, this kind of myth comes about worldwide. According to him, "There are no cables holding West Hall... There are slope problems on campus, but nothing that can't be fixed." While Professor Zimmie acknowledges that a problem will eventually occur, he says "It will probably take at least a few thousand years."

History

Troy Hospital (1891–1913/23)

Originally built as Troy Hospital, the building opened in Fall 1871 and remained in operation until 1913. [5] At the end of the Civil War, the growth of Troy and two fires at the old hospital site resulted in plans for a new and larger hospital, which was located at Fulton and 8th Streets. The new Old Troy Hospital was completed in the fall of 1871 in the “Grant style” of building and attracted young, newly minted physicians to the upgraded facility that was thought to be on the leading edge of health care in the U.S. As a hospital the building was the second site of Troy Hospital founded by Sisters of Charity in 1850, and the new building was at a higher elevation to increase "natural ventilation". [5] The hospital was the first full-service hospital outside of New York City and intended to treat "the poor and indigent of the city", the industrial workers, and Irish Catholic immigrants whom the Catholic priests would not visit because of their residence in almshouses and orphanages. But over the years it developed private rooms for the more affluent members of the Troy community to have respite. In 1895 the hospital added a “special operating room suite” and began a nursing school. The hospital attracted several physicians of note. Dr. John Thorn was the first appointed physician. Thorn trained in England, was one of early Troy’s most famous residents, and was twice elected mayor. [6] A service offered in 1905 was the availability of horse-drawn ambulances. Between 1913 and 1923 the building languished and was not in use. [7]

Catholic Central High School (1923–1952)

In the spring of 1923, Bishop Gibbons of the Albany Catholic Diocese began a movement to raise capital to transform the old Troy Hospital into a Catholic Central High School. A total of $250,000 was raised and a reconstruction plan of the building was implemented. The Diocese added an auditorium, gymnasium, and cafeteria. [7]

Classes began in 1923, but not in the intended building. Delays caused classes to be held at St. Peter's Lyceum until early 1924. [7] During West Hall's tenure as Catholic Central High School it acquired many of the classroom structures we see today, including separate entrances for the sexes. Visible still to this day are the southernmost entrance labeled "Boys" and the northernmost entrance labeled "Girls". The building transferred to RPI in 1952. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</span> Private research university in Troy, New York, US

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer and Amos Eaton for the "application of science to the common purposes of life" and is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel + Cultural Center at Rensselaer</span> Church in New York, United States

The Chapel + Cultural Center at Rensselaer is an architecturally unique, multipurpose performing arts and spiritual space in Troy, New York. The Center is owned and operated by the Rensselaer Newman Foundation (RNF). It is conventionally referred to as "The C+CC"; the "+" sign has come to be formally used instead of "and" or an ampersand as a representative symbol of the Christian cross. While located on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), the C+CC is managed and operated as an independent organizational entity. The C+CC provides a home to the Roman Catholic University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice. Its staff members offer administrative support for chaplaincy services at RPI for the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folsom Library</span>

The Richard G. Folsom Library is a research library in the Rensselaer Libraries system constructed in the Brutalist style located on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. It is named after Richard Gilman Folsom, the President of the Institute from 1958–1971. The Folsom Library offers a variety of services to students and patrons of the library. In addition to loans, these services include class reserves, general writing and presentation assistance through the Center for Communication Practices, cultural and educational events, inter-library loans through ConnectNY, individual and group room reservations, computer labs, and wireless internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnegie Building (Troy, New York)</span> Building in Troy, New York, United States

The Carnegie Building is the current home of the Cognitive Science Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. It is one of the westernmost buildings on the campus and as such provides scenic views overlooking the city of Troy and the Hudson River. The four-story building is named for Andrew Carnegie who donated $125,000 for its construction, which was completed in 1906.

Amos Eaton Hall is the current home of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. It is named for Amos Eaton, the co-founder and first senior professor of Rensselaer. Amos Eaton Hall is the only building on the campus referred to by both first and last name. The building opened in 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaer at Work</span> Online division of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer at Work is the online division of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, operating administratively from facilities in Hartford, Connecticut, since 1955. Until 1997, it was known as the Hartford Graduate Center. The primary focus of the division is to offer graduate-level professional education to learners across the country via its digital delivery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonsson Engineering Center</span>

The Jonsson Engineering Center, is home to the School of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. It is named for J. Erik Jonsson and was dedicated on 7 October 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaer Society of Engineers</span> Fraternity at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The Rensselaer Society of Engineers (RSE) is a social fraternity founded in 1866 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Originally named The Pi Eta Scientific Society, the organization was incorporated in 1873 in the state of New York. Arriving on campus at about the same time as some of the first fraternities, it has remained one of the oldest "local" organizations in the U.S. RSE is the only independent fraternity at Rensselaer. They have chosen to remain independent to maintain the freedom to set their own policies and make their own managerial decisions. Contrary to what their name may imply, members major not only in engineering, but also in such disciplines as science, management, architecture, and the arts. Society members are active in not only campus and local activities, but are also in many national organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation</span>

The George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation, otherwise known as the Low Center or CII, is an industry-funded research center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center</span> Multi-venue arts center in Troy, NY

The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) is a multi-venue arts center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, which opened on October 3, 2008. The building is named after Curtis Priem, co-founder of NVIDIA and graduate of the RPI Class of 1982, who donated $40 million to the Institute in 2004.

The Rensselaer Polytechnic is the student-run news organization of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to 2018, it was published in print every Wednesday during the Institute's fall and spring academic calendars, but now publishes online at poly.rpi.edu, following the same schedule.

Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts was the ninth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He served as president for 33 years and oversaw a period of major expansion and development of the university.

Livingston Waddell Houston was the eleventh president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proctor's Theater (Troy, New York)</span> United States historic place

Proctor's Theater is located on Fourth Street in Troy, New York, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District, added to the Register in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winslow Chemical Laboratory</span> United States historic place

The Winslow Chemical Laboratory was a laboratory of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus in Troy, New York, United States, which finished construction in 1866. It is named in honor of the 5th President of RPI, John F. Winslow, who donated half of the construction cost. The building is brick with stone trimmings and was originally constructed with butternut, chestnut and black walnut. The whole building was fitted for complete courses in general and analytical chemistry. The design and construction was overseen by Professor Henry B. Nason, head of the department of chemistry at the Institute. The lower story contained the metallurgical laboratory and second story contained the chemical laboratory, store rooms and work rooms. The laboratory could accommodate about 40 students. The third story contained a lecture room, a private study, the library and a recitation room. The library of chemical books was established by a donation of several sets of journals and a gift of three hundred dollars from John F. Winslow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RPI Engineers</span> Sports teams of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The RPI Engineers are composed of 21 teams representing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball, football, and golf. Women's sports include field hockey, and softball. The Engineers compete in the NCAA Division III and are members of the Liberty League for all sports except ice hockey, which competes in NCAA Division I, as a member of ECAC Hockey.

The history of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) spans nearly two hundred years beginning with its founding in 1824. RPI is the oldest continuously operating technological university in both the English-speaking world and the Americas. The Institute was the first to grant a civil engineering degree in the United States, in 1835. More recently, RPI also offered the first environmental engineering degree in the United States in 1961, and possibly the first ever undergraduate degree in video game design, in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricketts Building</span>

Ricketts Building is a building that is home to the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. It is named for Palmer C. Ricketts, the ninth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The building opened in 1935. It is currently used for labs, lectures, and some clubs.

References

  1. 1 2 "NEW YORK - Rensselaer County". nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  2. 1 2 "West Hall". RPI Archives. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  3. ↑ Patrick, William. "West Hall Revival". Rennselaer Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  4. ↑ "Crash and the Cables A Folktale of the Tute" . Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  5. 1 2 Waite, Diana S. (2019-09-01). The Architecture of Downtown Troy: An Illustrated History. Rensselaer County Historical Society. ISBN   978-1-4384-7475-5.
  6. ↑ Moran, Michael. (2012). Sir William Osler's Speech at Troy: A Trojan Horse?. Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center). 25. 62-5. 10.1080/08998280.2012.11928785.
  7. 1 2 3 Teachers of the Troy Public Schools (1943). Our Community: Troy and Rensselaer County. Troy, New York: Whitehurst Printing & Binding Co. p. 167.
  8. ↑ Descriptive plaque on front steps
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.