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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1897)
“i. ieee oe es > ee eae ee ~ ae Pik he Ace, VI irs ATI ATU Mae OSBORN HALL, The Memorial Recitation Building. Beautiful Effect in Stone Work. Like the old Fence, whose place it took, Osborn Hall is the most conspicu- ous sight amid all the buildings of new Yale. it occupies it is-remarkable not only for Like that institution whose site its location but for its construction, The latter was famed for its primitive simplicity of form, and for many a The beautiful Osborn Hall is notable for At There is a richness and variety in form and peculiarity of tradition and use. the uniqueness of its construction. that point, the similarity ends. material in nearly as striking a contrast as anything could be, with the. time- worn, student-worn round rails of the old Fence. In place of the bare ground of that historic corner, are seen by every visitor to New Haven as he comes first within sight of the Campus, the broad sweep- ing steps and splendid portico of this memorial recitation hall. On _ these broad steps, as on the old Fence, gather the graduates of earlier years as they are rounded up for the Commencement season, and on these steps and the broad expanse of pavement before, are formed the weird and altogether oviginal trium- phal processions of re-union classes as they start for the homes of their favor- ite professors and. for their dining’ hali. Here-again in the unquiet hours of the lively dead of night they complete the procession of gaiety, and discharge their last supply of enthusiasm and fire-works. Osborn Hall will ever be by its con- struction one of the most remarkable sights of Yale. It is unnecessary to go into any detail of description of this building, an illustration of which is here given. In this history it ‘is only neces- sary to say that it was donated by Mrs. Miriam A. Osborn of New York City in memory of her husband, the late Charles J. Osborn. The ,name of the donor of the build- ing, it will be remembered, was a secret fora long time. When it was announced at Commencement Dr, Depew spoke very feelingly of the interest of Mr. Osborn in young men, and showed how it was in accordance with such an interest as this that his widow had made such use of this money. In order to make a memorial for him, the building, in accordance with the wish of Mrs. Osborn, was named Osborn Hall. Aside from the quite unique design of the building and the richness of its handsome carvings and general finish, the structure is remarkable from a builder’s standpoint for the quality of the material used and the effects ob- tained from it. Its material, that is WM Bae ee es OSBORN MEMORIAL RECITATION HALL. Donor—Mrs. Miriam A. Osborn. Architect—Bruce Price. Builders—Norcross Brothers. nS for the exterior, is Branford red eranite, Its trimmings are of Long Meadow brown which is quarried at Stony Creek. stone. In this hall is found place for no less than twenty-four rooms. Twenty of these are. regular recitation rooms and two are committee rooms. The other two are large lecture rooms, having a capacity of 250 each. The seating capac- ity of the entire building is, approxi- mately, 1900. It was feared that recita- tions would be difficult in a building on such a noisy corner, but the builders have succeeded in obviating any serious difficulty on this score. The fourteen columns supporting the portico are especially conspicuous and noticeable, and distinguished for their beautiful markings in granite. They are only excelled in this case by the most precious marbles. This building is one of the many un- usual pieces of work which have been carried out by Messrs. Norcross Brothers. It is interesting in this connection to reproduce a partial list of the buildings which this firm has erected in all parts of the country. Such a partial list here follows with the approximate cost of each building given in order to indicate more clearly its extent and intrinsic value: a Watt Hampden Oo. C. H., Springfield, Mass.. $175,000 Wobum@ Library: S.22 eee 80,000 Albany City Hall, Albany, N. Y....2..2 295,000 Allegheny Co. C.H. & Jail, Pittsbe., Pa. 2,500,000 Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce..--- 570,000 Howard Memorial Library, N. Orleans 98,000 Malden: Isibrary.2 os ee 90,000 Union R. R. Station, Hartford, Conn... 220,000 © B. & A. R.R. Station, Springfield, Mass. 420,000 Stone R. R. Bridge, Springfield, Mass.. 120,000 Stations for N. Y.C.& H.R. R.R. Co. at Irvington, Riverdale & Dobbs Ferry, se goles s Canc ee OL eee ae 40,000 Exchange Building, Boston. _-_....___..- 1,600,000 Ames Washington St. Building, Boston 625,000 Ames Lincoln St. Building, Boston_... 280,000 Public Library, New London, Conn.... 60,000 Springfield, O., Warder Public Library 60,000 Union League Club House, N. Y. City. 255,000 Boston Art Club House... 2c..2 0c ck: 54,000 Algonquin Club House, Boston.......- 220,000 Boston, Residence of Oliver Ames..___. 68,000 Boston, Residence of C. A. Whittier... 107,000 Block for Union Theologi’l Sem., N. Y. 60,000 Brownlow Hall, Wellesley, Mass.......- 60,000 Agassiz Laboratory, Harvard College. 95,000 Residence of B.H. Warder, Wash., D.C. 112,000 Great Barrington, “Kellogg Terrace,”. 600,000 Boston, John F. Andrew’s Residence... 140,000 C. C. Converse, Boston, Residence ____. 55,000 - Residence of John Thayer,S. Lancaster 85,000 Residence of J. J. Glessner, Chicago... 85,000 Dedham, Mass., Res. of A.W. Nickerson 175,000 Springfield, O., Res. of A.S. Bushnell. 90,000 Cambridge, Mass., Res. of E.H. Abbott 100,000 worcester Hish School 2...) ce 120,000 Latin High School, Boston ___..._...... 170,000 Harvard University Gymnasium. _..... 91,000 Harvard University Law School __..... 136,000 Harvard University, Sever Hall__.___.. 104,000 Harvard University, Perkins Hall ___.. 180,000 Harvard University, Conant Hall_-_...- 120,000 Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum 150,000 Union Theological Seminary, N.Y. City 286,000 Vermont University, Burlington, Vt.. 92,000 Lawrenceville School, New Jersey ---_-- 320.000 Durfee High School, Fall River, Mass__ $200,000 Crouse Memorial Coll., Syracuse, N.Y._ 220,000 Osborn Memorial Hall, Yale University 150,000 Crompton’s Block, Worcester _-_....___- 75,000 Cheney Block, Hartford, Conn. __.-___- 337,000 .Ames Warehouse, Boston_-__..__.-..___- 133,000 Turner Building, St. Louis, Mo.__--____ 208,000 Marshall Field Building, Chicago-.--___- 900,000 N. Y. Life Insurance Building, Omaha_ 750,000 N. Y. Life Ins. Building, Kansas City_. 850,000 Burnside Building, Worcester _-__._____- 92,000 Lionberger Building, St. Louis, Mo.___- 275,000 Youth’s Companion Building, Boston__ 450,000 Bloomingdale In. Asy. W. Plains, N. Y. 1,400,000 Holy Trinity Church, New York City._ 188,000 St. John’s Episcopal Church, N. Y. City 412,000 South Cong. Church, Springfield, Mass. 150,000 Drinity Vnveen, Boston. --2s. 32s. 390,000 Norwich Congregational Church._.___- 90,000 All Saints’ Church, Worcester_-_.._.___- 95,000 Presbyterian Church, Albany, N. Y...- 80,000 First Spiritual Temple, Boston____.____ 120,000 St. James’ Episcopal Church, N. Y. City 130,000 Ames Mem’! Monum’t,Sherman, Wyo. 62,000 College for Teachers, New York City__ 409,000 Bank Building. for Norwich Sav. Soc., NOP ICU. COND a aco eee oc eo 80,000 Hartford Society for Savings Building, TAMA. NOE ee 120,000 Industrial Building, Providence, R.I.. 350,00 Telephone Building, Providence, R.1._ 100,00 Dormitory Bldg, Princeton University 88,000 Stack Building, Princeton University__ 500,00 Commencement Hallat Princeton Univ 227,000 Massachusetts State House Extension_ 2,000,000 Rhode Island State House_.-........____ 1,700,000 Tremont .Bhilding, Boston .ic.:.-..... 1,200,000 Library Bldg, Columbia Univ’sty, N.Y. 1,000,000 Schermerhorn Hall, Columbia Univ’sty 450,00 Physics Building, Columbia University 275,00 University Hall, Columbia University. 300,00 Equitable Building, Baltimore......__- 1,200,000 State Mutual Building, Worcester_____ 900,000 Banigan Building, Providence, R. I. __. 900,000 New England Building, Cleveland -___- 700,000 City Hall, Worcester, Mass. -......-.._- 600,000 Corcoran Gallery of Art, Wash., D.C.- 400,000
