Villanova University - Belle Air Yearbook (Villanova, PA)

Page 20 text:

SUMMARY OF CHIEF EVENTS IN VILLANOVA’S HISTORY Villanova founded........................................... Papal sanction.............................................. Classes formed.............................................. Chapel blessed.............................................. College closed.............................................. College reopened............................................ First public commencement........................ .......... East college wing built................................... College incorporated........................................ Monastery extended.......................................... Bachelorship of Arts........................................ Mastership of Arts.......................................... College closed.............................................. College reopened............................................ College Catalogues first issued............................. Commercial diplomas granted................................. Bachelorship of Science granted............................. Gymnasium opened............................................ Main college building begun................................. Main college building completed, Alumni Hall................ Prosent Chapel dedicated.................................... Celebration of the Golden Jubilee........................... Dedication of Monastery and College Hall, now Mendel........ Bachelorship of Science in Engineering granted. .. ......... Original Monastery consumed by fire,........................ St. Kite's Hall begun....................................... Corr Hall dedicated......................................... Establishment of School of Scionce.......................... Occupation by soldiers...................................... Tolentine Academy renovated and rechristened Alumni Hall. . Inauguration of School of Business Administration........... Austin Hall dedicated......................... ............. Disastrous Fire destroyed College Hall and Dormitorios...... Modern Mendel Hall begun.................................... Fedigan Hall erected. ........... Mendel Hall dedicated....................................... School of Commerce and Finance completed.................... Opening of new Gymnasium, , ..................... .......... Monastery and Good Counsel Hall completely destroyed by fire. New Monastery begun......................................... Dedication of New Monastery................................. . 1842 | 1843 . 1844 . 1845 . 1846 . 1847 j 1848 . 1852 . 1855 | 1857 . 1865 J 1871 J 1872 . 1873 . 1874 . 1887 . 1893 . 1901 . 1905 | 1912 .. 1915 . 1917 1920 . 1921 . 1925 .. 1928 .. 1928 .. 1928 .. 1929 .. 1930 .. 1932 1932 . 1933 .. 1934 S»t««n

Page 19 text:

A school of Commerce and Fi- nance was inaugurated in 1922 to meet the demand for training in the business field. An increase in enroll- ment necessitated the erection of a new dormitory, Austin Hall, in 1925. A library containing over 30,000 vol- umes was incorporated in its east wing. An intensive program of devel- opment was initiated in 1926, when the Rev. James H. Griffin O.S.A. was elected president, a plan which has favorably progressed in spite of a series of disheartening disasters which have struck Villanova within the past few years. A ruinous fire leveled College Hall in January, 1928, destroy- ing student living quarters, classrooms and nearly all of the offices and records. Within an amazingly short time, however, the stately walls of modern Mendel Hall arose from the ashes, another tribute to the dauntless spirit of our educators and advisors. At the same time, to accommodate the ever-increasing numbers of new students, Fedigan Hall, our latest dormitory, was constructed. A strongly felt need for roomier quarters for the School of Commerce and Fi- nance, and adequate facilities for the proper physical development and recreational enjoyment of the college students, culminated in the opening of two magnificent struc- tures that more than satisfy those demands. The splendid new business building furnishes every convenience conducive to learning, while the gigantic field house has become the envy of many of the larger colleges in the East. Directly connected to the gym- nasium is a regulation type, tiled swimming pool. During the summer of 1932, the election of Rev. Edward V. Stanford O.S.A. as President marked the advent of a new administration. Hardly had the new officers en- tered upon their duties than they were called upon to cope with one of the most heart- rending misfortunes that had ever struck the campus. In August, the Monastery, home of the Augustinian Fathers for over half a century, was totally destroyed by another fire. Temporarily dispossessed of practically every belonging, the Fathers with charac- teristic patience and fortitude, took up temporary quarters in other parts of the col- lege grounds. Immediately work was begun on the erection of the new Monastery so recently completed. A beautiful Gothic structure, it is indicative of the spirit and deter- mination of the Augustinian Fathers. Truly does it offer the abode so deservedly theirs. Villanova has told its tale. Its story in time has been found to have been a truly full one: the more absorbing by reason of the manifold struggles from which Villanova has emerged the victor. The efforts of our beloved Fathers nave not been in vain, for Villanova is now on the threshold that holds every promise of a glowing future. May we hope and pray that we may ever share in aiding our Alma Mater in her every undertaking, in order that succeeding generations of Catholic youth may be served in the interests of Him to Whom we owe all success. MONASTERY FIRE IW

Page 21 text:

CAMPUS FROM the time of its foundation, it has always been the boast of Villanova as pos- sessing an extensive campus that is un- rivaled in beauty. Having as a nucleus for development the lawns and gardens of the Belle Air estate of John Randolph, years of carefully planned landscaping have made it the acme of natural grandeur, and architectural splendor. The following pages will offer to the reader a pictorial panorama of our Alma Mater. A poor attempt to reproduce the magnifi- cence that is so clearly portrayed when one beholds our Villanova in its natural vista.