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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1950)
Page 4 THE BATTALION Friday, September 22, 1950 A&MArchitect C. W. Adams Key Figure in Construction In 1946, when the Board of Dir ectors of the college asked Carle- ton W. Adams, A&M System archi tect, to make a preliminary report of study on the proposed Student Center, he was faced with the problem of making a survey of what the needs of the A&M Stu dent Center would actually be, what its size would be, and exact ly what facilities should be includ ed in its construction. With the assignment of this ar chitectural problem to his office, he first assembled certain data available locally. Then he made a visit to seven colleges with out standing union buildings, mostly in the Midwest. This trip proved of great interest and considerable value in building an understand ing of the general problem and in seeing what others had done and were planning to do with their un ions. Word Travels Word that A&M proposed to have a Student Center without un necessary delay was received with considerable interest at the col leges visited. The personnel in each union were gracious in giv ing their time to discuss the pro ject and in going over their build ings and explaining their opera tions. Adams was confronted with the problem of building a center to serve the needs of the college. One particular problem on this campus that is unlike those at other col leges is that A&M is not co-educa- tional. Most of the students live on the campus and have normal eating facilities. In some of the larger universi ties the union problem is sort of a day room problem, with a big crowd at noon and in the early evening, while here our proposed center was to be for social and ex tra-curricular activities. Due to the fact that we had lim ited facilities for recreation on the campus, the recreational portion would have to be accented. There was also the problem of the site for the building. The location that was chosen is the best that was available since it is between the two dormitory areas, close to the athletic facilities, faces the main drill field, and provides as much parking space as possible. Many student activities and meeting rooms would be needed to house the various organizations on the campus. Based upon his trip to other student unions, Adams observed that the Center should be provided for three groups. For Students First of all it should be primar ily for A&M students. It should offer them something of immedi ate pleasure and future profit by becoming the center of the social life of the college. By providing facilities for fellowship, study, rec reation, entertainment, eating, drinking, and lounging, the Center would cover a wide range of acti vities, accenting those that were social, spiritual, and healthful. It would help weld a strong school spirit, cement friendships, promote mutual interests, com mon pursuits, and understanding. This environment would stimulate vivid personalities and develop qualities of leadership and supple ment the work of the classroom. It was to provide unlimited means for discriminating use of time. Faculty and Staff Second, the Center was to be for the faculty. Although fund limi tations prohibited having a facul ty lounge and dining room, the Center offers the faculty facilities not available elsewhere on the campus. It affords an atmosphere where faculty and students may meet on common ground. WE CONGRATULATE the Management on their accomplishment of the magnificent MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER and are proud that we had a small part in its development Ox ^ HALSEY & ROYER MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS Transit Tower San Antonio Tom Halsey, ’25 ‘Dad” Royer, 13 Thirdly there are the former stu : dents. The Center becomes their college home, the place to renew old friendships, the point of con tact in college life. Beyond this there are the friends of the col lege—the fathers, mothers, and sweethearts. And finally the pro posed Center was to be a memorial, serving especially as a monument to those of A&M who gave their all in their service to their coun try, and also as a memorial to all those who served in the armed for ces in times of war. The main advantages of our Memorial Student Center are the free and open plan of the build ing, the orientation of the building on the site, the provisions for ex pansion, and the generally invit ing and interesting “look” of both the interior and the exterior. Advantages Shown When the proposed plans were sent out to the director of the University of Wisconsin Union for criticism and suggestions, the director pointed out these advan tages: “The relationship of the facilities to each other and to the most appropriate location in the present scheme with an eye on op erating efficiency and economy, and on convenience of use by the public and servicing and supervis ion by the staff.” He praised the service auxiliar ies and the special features that have proven desirable in general union experience since they allow for future additions. Plans have been made to build an additional eight bowling alleys, a theater with 1,000 or 1,200 capac ity, an additional 66 guest rooms, and a swimming pool and locker rooms. In the architectural and design sense, Adams believed there should be “harmony” indicative of a uni fied people, and “solidarity” indi cative of strength of character and rugged masculinity. He believed that the Center’s great front doors should constitute a real “invita tion” to students and a “welcome” to visitors. Invitation Look Adams pointed out that a ma jority of the student union build ings have no such inviting look. Instead, with the usual narrow en trance, they seem to keep the stu dents out rather than make them feel that they should go inside. Careful allotment of space and sound planning was required for economical operations and easy Carleton W. Adams The man behind the planning of A&M’s new Memorial Student Center is Adams, A&M System architect. As a result of his efforts, the building has become widely proclaimed a structure of unusual beauty, architectural merit, and practical arrangement. He is currently working on a $9 million building program for the System. Before him is a model of the new $300,000 men’s dormitory for Arlington State College. control. Flexibility of arrange ment was essential since avail able funds would not permit the in clusion of everything desired. On October 24, 1946 the building committee of the Memorial Stu dent Center was appointed by Pres ident Gibb Gilchrist. This commit tee was authorized to decide on the facilities needed in the building, the operation and control of the building program, and the finan cing of the complete program. Committee members were E. E. McQuillen, chairman, H. D. Dil lingham, J. J. Woolket, E. N. Holmgreen, W. R. Carmichael, S. L. Loveless, J. W. Rollins and E. L. Angell. Adams sat in with the committee on their meet ings. Student members were Pat Spillman, Elmo Livingston, Robert Leatherwood, Sam Williams, and Powell Sheumock. A report by the committee de cided on an extended type building with careful attention to porches and terraces to make it as homelike in appearance as possible, and made recommendations concerning their decisions. It was agreed that the building program would get underway by May, 1948. How ever the ground-breaking ceremo nies were not held until Sept. 20, 1948. In working with the committee, Adams first submitted a drawing showing all the facilities the com mittee asked for, and then the com mittee decided upon which parts to omit, because of fund limita tions. The completed building cost $2 million to construct and is planned so that the proposed ad ditions will blend with the archi tectural scheme. Guest Room Work Is Mrs. Holland’s Mrs. Mozelle Holland, acting manager of the guest rooms, has worked with the Memorial Student Center for two years. Prior to her present position, she was gen eral cashier for the business de partments. Her office is just beyond the main lounge in what is called the Front Office. To help her with her job of managing the 66 guest rooms and the 32 rooms in the Aggieland Inn, and taking care of reservations, housekeeping, and all matters pertaining to their op eration, she will have a staff com posed of clerks, maids, bellhops, and office workers. There are two types of guest rooms, Mrs. Holland said. One is the standard room and the other is a deluxe room with a living room and bedroom combination. All rooms are air-conditioned, have pri vate baths, room service, and tele phone. CONGRATULATIONS TEXAS A. & M. We are proud to have had a part in the construction of the beautiful Memorial Student Center BUILDERS SPECIALTIES FABRICATED STEEL BUILDINGS READY MIXED CONCRETE Bryan Building " Phone 2-1505 Bryan, Texas