Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Transit Yearbook (Troy, NY)

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I 1 CAMPUS V - HENSSELAEH POLYTECHNICINSTITUTE I M. I I 1........ ,,,.. f --.-.-,--.-.-.-f I I I F ! ,....--?w-,- ..! L C fL'H'Z.., I A :A- E I .... .. ..,. , -,-A-, 'N.. .. .... .O ,L-xx I mm.. ,.....,...1. f A lf W L - I mmm .-- -----....--f-.LfWmW,-,fffl- I I INSTITUTE BUILDINGS AND PROPERTY

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TRANSIT, VOL. XLIII I7 up on the hill-the Carnegie I-Iall and the Walker laboratory. Thru the kindness of Andrew Carnegie and large and small donations from friends, these two buildings were given, and their excellent equipment and conveniences were a god- send to the student body, as well as a long step towards the improvement of the Institute proper. A Before these gifts, however, came the purchase of the Warren property, together with the Warren residence. This was turned into a dormitory in the fall of I907, and marks a new epoch in the advancement of the Institute facilities. In IQO7, also, the class of 1886 generously dona-ted an athletic field, and Mrs. Russell Sage gave her donation of one million dollars, which has placed the Institute on an equal footing with other institutes of wealth as far as possessions and ,possibilities are concerned. x. Another great help to the students has been the building of the Students' Association Club House. This idea was conceived by the late M. E. Evans, ,95, and carried out by Director Palmer C. Ricketts, Prof. W. L. Robb and N. P. Lewis, 79, I'I. W. I'Iodge, '85, G. A. Soper, '95, and F. de P. Hone, I97. This year finds it a completed building of colonial architecture, with conveniences of all kinds for student comforts and pleasures. This year also will see the completion of a new central power and heating plant situated behind the present Physical laboratory. But by far the most important improvement at hand is the erection of the new Russell Sage laboratory, which will afford room and equipment for the two new branches of engineering, namely, electrical and mechanical, both of which have been installed in the curriculum for l908. This structure will be built of I-Iarvard brick, with Indiana limestone trimmings, and will cost s277,000.00 Its archi- tecture will be similar to that of Carnegie I-Iall and the Walker I..abora'tory. Its size will be 244 feet long by 80 feet wide. The general characteristics of this building will be the completeness of equipment for the departments which will occupy it. For the mechanical engineering department the west wing will be utilized en-tirely. There will be machinery of every description, large laboratories for experimenting, research work and standardizing instruments. The electrical engineer- ing and physical departments will occupy the east wing, which is also fitted out with permanent laboratories and rooms for various kinds of applied science. Lecture halls and topic rooms on the third floor afford plenty of room to accommodate a larger student body than now -attends the Institute.

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J TRANSIT, VOL. XLIII I9 Since the plans for the building have been drawn up, the Institute has purchased the property adjoining the athletic field, which extends east to Fifteenth street and north to Avenue B, including part of what is now known as College pond. Today the Institute occupies a commanding position. It is situated o-n a hill overlooking the city of Troy. Three of the buildings, namely, Carnegie I-Iall, the Walker Laboratory and the Proudfit Laboratory, are placed on the brow of this hill, and extensive views up and down the Hudson river can be had from them. They can be seen from the center of the city, and as one walks up Broadway, his glance cannot help taking in the new Broadway approach, which is a granite stairway joining the Institute alley with Eighth street, the winding road and walks leading up to the buildings, and finally these th-ree buildings themselves. F rom Eighth street, which street the city has just paved with asphalt macadam, one sees more prominently the stone steps leading up to the buildings. They are in two sets. One following the winding road, which starts near the south property line, and the other coming straighter up the hill, but starting nearer to the north property line. The steps on the south path number three in a set and resemble a series of terraces, until this path joins the other approach at a single set of stone steps going up a long terrace. This terrace extends over almost the entire width of the property, the upper part -terminating at the foot of the buildings. I'Ieav'y bronze railings on both sides of these approaches add greatly to their beauty. Climbing another terrace inthe rear of the Carnegie I-Iall, one finds himself on a plateau of lawns and gardens, in Which is set the Warren house or dormitory, as it is now called. On the east side of this plateau is another terrace leading down about twenty feet to the '86 field. Upon this terrace and overlooking the athletic field now stands the Students' club house. ' The property just acquired by the Institute will be graded. The excavations for the Russell Sage laboratory, the location of which is more definitely seen by referring to the accompanying map, will be used to fill up the swamp north of the '86 athletic fleld. The Institute will also move a large amoun-t of earth from the elevation east of the boiler house in an easterly direction so that all of the land belonging to the Institute south of Avenue B will be raised in grade to a height nearly equal to that of the athletic field. Avenue B is a prolongation of Federal street from Ninth street easterly up thru the ravine and old College pond to Fifteenth street. ' As yet this street has not been cut thru, but the city is plan- ning to do so in the next few years. After this street is opened, the Institute property will be situated south of it, but the school will still own about five and one-half acres north of it, behind the property of the Troy Hospital.