Montclair State College - La Campana Yearbook (Upper Montclair, NJ)

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and long spans of rectangular classroom space find home in the Mallory-Finley complex. The emphasis was the scientific, the practical, if the professionals of fine arts, housed in the center for industrial arts, mentioned aesthetics , it resulted in the bridge connecting the two buildings. Almost as an afterthought, colorful panels brighten the walls of the science wings but even the panels are uniformly rectangular. Across the mall, plans provided a center for student activities in the Life Hall complex. Understanding the integral part student recreation and activity plays in the educational process, one travels to this center distinctly separated from the academic

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roof to suggest the romantic. As a creative artist, the architect had romantic tendencies but was predominantly influenced by an apparent lack of state funds. The result-a building which suggests a style, but it is shackled by the irrational demand of over-capacity enrollment. As the perspectives from the early 1900 ' s to 1970 have changed, so has Montclair. The influence of World War 11 on higher education through the GI Bill found Montclair bursting with new ex-soldier students. As the U.S. headed into the cold war, the emphasis on science and education exploded. Gone is the need for the romantic, however hampered by state funds. Buildings become totally functional

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structures. The design retains a parallel relationship to Finley-Mallory, providing the framework for a peaceful mall ringed by traffic routes. Perhaps with new vision or increased funds, Sprague Library was introduced, indicating a more deliberate attempt to express a sense of place. The fascination created by the fountain and the building ' s evening light demands the attention of the observer. However, the statement created by the exterior is shattered by the lack of planning found in the interior box-like arrangement of flat tile floors, drab furniture, and empty bookshelves. The need to make a building more than a shekering roof, hit suddenly with the prison walls and doors of the Fine Arts