University of Chicago - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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the fence from the new women's dormitories, inspired the poet of 1893 to write, Oh! there were more profs than students, but then . we didn't care; They spent their days in research, their evenings at the Fair. And life upon the campus was one continual swing; We watched the Ferris Wheel go round, and didn't do a thing. The first dormitory for women had been the Beatrice Apartment Hotel. a six-story. building still standing at :the corner of 77th and Dorchester. It was built to house visitors to the .Colurnbian Exposition, hence when the Fair opened in the spring of 1393, the girls moved into Snell Hall on the quadrangles, a handier place for noc turnal serenades. In the fall quarter the men moved. into Snell; the women into the newly completed Kelly, Beecher, and Foster H3113. Mrs. Foster had increased her original gift in order to make the hall five stories high, and late1 she provided funds for Green as an annex to Foster. New buildings went up rapidly. Walker was dedicated at the fourth convocation in 1893; Kent dedlcated January 1,1394 for which occasion Lorado Taft made a baswelief of Mr Sidney A. Kent. Ryerson, given in memory of: the donor's father, was dedicated July 2, 1394. The President's house was finished in 1895'. As the million dollar building fund failed to provide for a library, gymnasium. or press building, it was decided. to erect a temporary structure for all in the center of the northeast quadrangle. now Hutchinson Coutt This structure was made as- cheaply as possible of red brick, with tnhber trusses supporting the roof, but without a permanent foundation The trusses extended above the building and 'resemhle'd huge isaw horsesehard to imagine! It was not in any senne a beautiful building but it served many purposes. The men .5 gymnasium as we11 as the women s 'was in it. Around 'the walls of this' gym was a running 'traek with twelve laps to the mile at the time the best indoor track in 'the west. This'blot on' the la'ndgcapg was removed hit bv hit, 'for in 1901 Mitchell; Tower and Hutchinson Hall replaced the women's-gyrn. In 1903, Ten- n1 2 ! ' ' 3. 'At-m: ' fFu-r -- .19 1 . .11.:.M 0 The Old Gym - an early archite ct ural monstrosity. the remainder was removed to clear an approach to Mandel Hall and the Reynolds Club which were then nearing completion. The second building period of the University opened with the Quinquennial in 1896. In that year Haskell Oriental Museum and the Hull' Biological Laboratories were completed. The latter was the gift of Miss Helen Culver who requested that they be named for H1111. The most important part of the Quiriquennial was the founder's 5151: visit to the campus. He was given :1 won: derful reception by the students who lustily sang: John D. Rockefeller, wonderful man is he: Gives all his spare change to the U. of C. The Convocation that year was held in a large tent in the center 0f the Quadrangles, and Mr. Rockefeller made an address in which he said of the University: 11It 1's the best investment I ever made in my life . . . the good Lord gave me the money and how could I withold it from Chicago? Beginning in 1893 and continuing until 1910 there was a struggle to meet the budget. Mr. Rockefeller nearly always arranged to meet the defzcit, and usually gave a million dollar Christmas present for the endowment. But it was becoming evident to Rockefeller and Dr. Harper that the Universitv was organiZed on a. vaster scale than its resour'ces could justify. So in 1895' Rockefeller gave ' three million dollars, with the understanding that two million must'be raised by other gifts. This necessitated a third strenuous campaign. Miss Helen Culver gave one million and Wlth gifts from Mr. Charles Hitchcock Marshall Field. Elizabeth Keilv.Char1es L Hutchinson, W. F. .E GUrley, Iohn L. Mitchell Martin A. Rverson, Catherine Bruce. Mrs. B. E. Gallup. Mrs. Edmonds Blaine, Nancy S. Faster, and Mrs. Caroline Haskell, there was almost enough to make up the two millions. 'An e1'1tra three months were granted 1'11 which to raise it, but would have proved insufficient had not F. T. Gates obtained enough pledges to make up the shortage. Most of the money, as You note, was put into builtiings bearing .the gi-irers' names. The Press and Power Plant came from

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O Yerkes Observatory; 3 utilities baren in a stellar Hale. Dakota; and Alice Freeman Palmer of Wellesley. With the latter came Marion Talbot, Miss Palmerls successor as Dean of Women. john W. Coulter, President of Lake Forest was soon added. Great predictions were made for the school even be, fore it had opened its doors. The Standard said it would he educationally Epochvmaking ; the Tribune : Never, since schools were hrst thought of, has an institution of learning been established that has started out with the financial backing, the enthusiasm, and the determination tci win for itself a'place in the front rank that has marked the growth of the plans of the University of Chicago. It was the rapidly expanding plan that forced the founders to realize that inbre buildings would be needed than those originally proposed. This realization resulted in the cam! paign of 1891 to raise'a million dollar building fund. One fortunate gift was from the estate of Mr. Ogden, successor to Stephen A. Douglas as chairman of the Board of TruStees of the old school. In all, this added $600,000 to the funds and made possible the Ogden igraduatel School of Science. A fine addition to the Marshall Field gift ofone and a half blocks of land lvalued at $100,000L and the one and one half blocks beught from Field by the Trustees for $132,500 was the purchase of a fo-urth bIock from Field tprice: $130.0001y Mr.- Hutchinson urged this purchase, saying at the time that the mistake of all public institutions in Chicago had beep made in laying plahs on too small a scale, thus ham! Faring future expansion. At this time transportation between the campus and aha 190p thsisted 0M7 daily 1.0. steamtmins, taking lbUt 25Im1nutes'to make the trip; while the south side PFEYRFCI had. been. prejeeted' to run near the campus. theell'fifiynon'gff F11? 5611901. lying.r along the earth side' of Universit alyA a1sance hetween Ellis and Lexington tnow . .Y . VBHUe. as described by the llStanclard, fur' nished an abundance of fresh aif 'and' pleasure in the park for the'stud'e'nts. ' residential SBCUOHI Of the Clty and' Will permit the institua tion to-sur-rouncl itself with it's own peculiar and stimulat' mg- SOClal and intellectual atmosphere. , ' '- ffirthitcct's had been invited to submit sketches for a reeltanon hall'and 'two dormitories. Henry Ives Cobb. . Who Prascnted'the largest and mosttpicturesque sketch, Was the architect chosen: The sketch showed 'the four bIOCkS With all 'qu'cldran'gles completed as follows: fresh. men'and'sophomores in the northwest corner, juniors and'SEmors 'in the' northeast; women in the southwest, and the graduates'in the southeast. In theicenter was to 'be a a great circle'wherein -a fountain would play. Directly to the north of it was to be a science'quadtangle with a lofty Fo'r miles around it 'forms the best' observatory in the center, to the east the Chapel, and to the west University Hall. One of these was to he sur- mounted by a great tower, the other by a spire. The grand entrance to the grounds was to be on the Midway. 'iOther gateways will be in the nature of sally'ports through masonry walls, said a contemporary account. One DEWS' paper carried large headings announcing Immense Walls of Stone Will Shut Off the Busy Outside 'World. At the time the plan was made, everyone predicted that it would take 100 years to complete it. In one'third that time it was practically realized, but with some changes Cobb Lecture Hall was soon started along with the dormitories then called Graduate, Middle, and South Divinity, since named Blake, Gates, and Goodspeed. Meanwhile, Mr. Rockefeller had decided the University needed more for endowment purposes and gave his see! 0nd million in February, 1892. Marshall Field, in April offered $100,000 on condition that the long hoped 5:31: million dollar building fund be raised in 90 days. Sidney Kent followed with $233,000 for a chemical laboratory- Mrs. Elizabeth Kelly followed with $30,000 for a womenis: hall; other women gave $18,000 through the 'Women's Clubs; Silas Cobb $165,000;Mart1'n A. Ryerson $150,000- Mrs. Nancy Foster $50,000; George A. Walker, $130: 000. Wlith only ten days to go, there still remained $140: 000 to be raised. Getting this sum was a problem. Mr; Jerome Beecher appeared with $50,000 and Mrs. A. J. Snell with an equal amount for a men's dormitory iri memory of her husband. Business men had secretly pledged to make up any dehcieney not exceeding $100- 000. In this way Marshall Fieldas $100,000 gift was obtained. The advance made between October 1890 and July 1392 is seen to be very great. The College of 1890, with 17 acres of land 'as a'site, $1,000,000 and provisions for one building, had developed into The University of Chicago with an enlarged site, $4,000,000 and provisions for ten buildings, with a faculty of 120 teachers, with an Academy, a College, two Graduate Schools, and a Divinity School. Buildings and More Buildings Balmy spring days with the fainous Wheel of the Columbian Exposition going round and round, just over 0 Rockefeller with Harper, both looking pleased about one of the many dedications.

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John D. Rockefellefs $3,000,000 gift, but it was disapv pointing to him that all of his gift could not have been added to the endowment. One problem which had arisen was where to locate the long plzlnned'for Observatory. The matter came to :1 head when the University had the opportunity of ob mining il forty-ineh retracting lens if an observatory could be provided to house it. This Would be the worlds largest retracting telescope, just as the eighteen and one half'ineh one of the 01d University had been in its day. Mr. Yerkes came forward with enough money to build an observatory, and, after considering a number of possible sites1 Lake Geneva was chosen as the most desirl able, although Peoria offered $200,000 to induce its Ineation there. John D. Roekefeiler made his second and last appear :mee at the University in 1901, the year of the Deeennial. To commemorate lhe occasion the Press published 28 volumes in the greatest series of scientific publications ever attempted by any institution. It was at this time that the Corner stones of the Tower group were laid. These buildings were made possible by C. L. Hutchiw son, Leon Mandel. H. E McCormick, J J Mitchell. J. Reynolds, :md 11 D. Rockefeller. The Press needed better quarters than those in the old gymnasium, so Mr. Rockefeller, as mentioned prcvil ously, gave the Press building, which for a time also housed the Law SehooL the General Library, and the Bookstore, The Law SChooI was founded when Mr. Rockefeller agreed to the use of $90,000 of his $2,000,, 000 gift for a library. The present Law Building was put up in 1904 on funds advanced by him until u ILlOIIOI' could he found who had the desire to have his name affixed to it. Theodore Roosevelt laid the corner stone and in his speech he said, n'We need to produce not genius, not hrilliancy, but, the homey. com: 1 monlpktce elemental virtues? 1 Hitchcock Hall, the gift of Mrs. K Hitchcock as a memorial for her 1 husband. was completed in 1902. It was then the largest of the res' idence halls. a coeducational system, so the outcome of the infant western universitfs policy of absqute equality of men and Women students was awaited wnth intense misgiving-not only among Americans but also among the foreign visitors who were drawn to Chicago by the Columbian Exposition But women quickly took an important place in the intel' Ieetual life of the campus, and, while in 1901 the sexes were segregated in the Junior College, it wals not so for long. The fuel was established that women were to be accorded opportunity and consideration equal to that granted to men. Many questions arose. How would the women eon! duct themselveg under the temptation of the elective .svstem': How could they resist the demorulization of being domiciled in college halls separated only by a stretch of greensward from the merits halls on the other side of campus? And last, but not least, were they phys' ieztlly strong,r enough to stand the mental strain of 1'nte1- Ieetuzllly competing with the men? Elizabeth Messick, a tall, dark'eyed girl from Memphis, was one of the first Women to arrive. Finding the Univer- sity of Chicago consisted of little more. at that time, than one buildingY and a lot of prairie, she was at a complete loss for hoarding accomodatinns Undaunted, she adjusted her little patent leather visored hat, wrapped her circular cape closer ahout her slim bodv, marched up to President Harper's door and informed him of her arrival! President Harper. with his usual kindness and ingenuity, assisted in her orientation. 11 was women of just such courage that were drawn to the new University: many, no doubt, attracted by the gradute courses as well as the undergrad- uate courses. Most of these young women were from Southern and Eastern homes. Intellectual standards ware not lowered by the admittance of women; in fact, f'l I 11-h 3m .' oi '1 ' .- ,1? . 1. The School of Education was established in 1901 when the Chi; cago Institute, founded by Mrs. Edwonds Blaine, was committed to the University. Three primary and secondary schools were ah- sorhed as laboratories. Mrs. J. Y. Seammon contributed the land on which Elaine and Belhefd Halls were erected and dedicated in 1904. The latter building was named in honor of H. H. Belfield who had been principal of the Chicago Manual Training: School from the time of its establishment to the time it became the Univer' sity High Schoolr Women and Heroes in the Nineties In the early nineties most edu- cational authorities cfisapproved of I Harper at his best. Courtesy of the Chicago Daily News. mPH FUNCTION OF gonna: inntm WE CHIQAGO DAILY NEWS. ,1