Boston College - Sub Turri Yearbook (Boston, MA)

Page 12 text:

WE ARE HEIRS TO A The thrilling sight of lofty towers, majestic lines and imposing grandeur is readily had from every conceivable angle at Boston College. Among the more breathtaking views of the college is the one which may be obtained from the Lawrence Reservoir which rests at the foot of Boston College and is so often the mirror of Gothic beauty. Boston College and its environs are familiarly, almost intuitively, known as Universit ' Heights by all who have been privileged to bear witness to the architectural gems, the immense vistas, and dramatic elevations with which our Alma Mater has been endowed by men and nature. Sites of the beauty and majesty of Boston College present a problem of grave importance to those whose task it was, and ever is, to build wisely, inspiringly, triumphantly upon the superb property which God and the community had committed to their care in December of 1907. As the potentialities of the locale became increasingly clear to them, the designers of the new Boston College were faced with a difficulty which they gloriously solved by gracing and blessing Chestnut Hill with the enduring heritage of a Gothic crown. By the spring of 1913, the initial stroke of genius was finally translated into the noble Tower Building which focuses the attention of all who approach upon the Christian philosophy and educational purposes of Boston College.

Page 11 text:

IDEALS OF BOSTON COLLEGE MRS. VINCENT P. ROBERTS

Page 13 text:

RICH HISTORY Upon the completion of the Tower Building, the determination of the Administra- tion to persevere in the literature of stone according to the Gothic tradition, was irrevocably established. Something essential to the life of the college was still lacking, however, and the Board of Trustees, fully cognizant of the need of a faculty residence, immediately launched the construction of the stately Saint Mary ' s Hall whose dedica- tion in January of 1917 consummated the final separation from the old college build- ings in the South End of Boston. The First World War, with its concomitant restrictions on buildings, forced a halt to the remarkable progress that had taken place on University Heights in a decade. In many respects this pause was an opportune one for the Board of Trustees because i t provided them with an opportunity to count their blessings, assay their needs and anticipate the problems of the future. The return of peace in 1919 became the occa- sion for renewed efforts on the part of the Administration to continue the expansion of the college. The successful campaign of 1921 for two million dollars made possible the construction of Science Hall in which the motives of Gothic architecture are scrupulously preserved and the inauguration of work upon the Library whose com- pletion in the summer of 1928 added new beauty and meaning to the unfolding scene of architectural triumph.