By Jamie Curtis, class of 2010
The majestic Victorian-era North Hall has symbolized the spirit of Mansfield University for more than a century. Located in the heart of the campus, it originally housed the women's dormitory and today serves as one of the most elegant libraries in the United States.
The original North Hall, known as the "Ladies Building" was built in 1874. The four-story wooden and brick structure was 150 feet long with a covered walkway that connected it to South Hall and Alumni Hall. The kitchen and dining hall were moved from the seminary building to the new ladies dormitory. Building materials for North Hall totaled about $15,000.
During the dedication ceremony for the new structure, Dr. Simon B Elliott, state trustee and one of the most important figures in Mansfield history, unveiled his vision of higher education that was far-reaching and decades ahead of its time: [Source: Mansfield Normal School College Catalogue 1874-75.]
"To the end that intelligence and education shall be universal; that the rich and the poor; the child of him who has power and place, and of him who treads the lowly paths of life shall receive alike the blessings of Education-the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the people of this community built and now dedicate this building to the uses of education and to the moral and religious instruction and in rite equally and alike without distinction of sex, or race, or creed, or party, the children of all who may desire to participate of the opportunities which shall be here offered." -- Dr. Simon B Elliott, State trustee. [Source: "The History of Mansfield University to 1912: An Address by Simon B Elliott." Published by Mansfield University 2007.]
As student enrollment grew, Mansfield needed to expand. In 1891 construction plans were drawn up by Elmira, NY architects, Pierce and Bickford. The original plans called for a steeple. While very imposing and fanciful on the drawing board, it was scaled back by the board of trustees due to financial constraints.
From 1891-1894 the northern section of the 1874 structure was removed to allow the incorporation of the North Wing into the central portion of the building where the atrium or "well" is located. By 1894 the North and Central parts of the building as we see it today were finished. The expanded atrium joined the new north wing of the building with the original 1874 central portion of the original building. Electricity was also installed in 1897.
The southern portion of the building was not completed until the early 1900's, due to a lack of funds. In 1908, the rest of the 1874 structure was torn down. By January 1909 the first three floors of the new south wing were occupied, and by summer of 1909 the construction of the new south wing was completed. [Source: Mansfield Normal College quarterly, 1909.]
The 270 x 100 foot, seven- story structure housed the women's dormitory, an elegant oak dining room for 500 (located where the children's library is today), kitchen, bakery, infirmary, fraternity rooms, suites of rooms for the art and music departments, reception rooms, principals/faculty quarters etc. The rooms in the attic on the 7th floor served several purposes over the years, one of those being musical practice rooms.
The final touches to the building were completed by 1911. A raised walkway was built connecting the 3rd floor of the south wing to the Alumni Hall, South Hall and the Gymnasium, where Manser dining hall is today. A grand stairway, creating an entrance to the first floor, was also built on the west side of North Hall at a cost of $1,800.
North Hall did not undergo any other major renovations until the summer of 1930 when the atrium/well openings were covered with flooring and the rails were removed. The atrium openings were considered a fire hazard, and sealing off these openings was a preventative measure as there were no sprinkler systems at the time. Many students were disappointed about the changes, and groups of students would often gather around the banisters on each level of the atrium to sing. According to local historian Stephen Orner, girls also used to leave their outgoing mail on the banisters of the well.
In the mid 20th Century, the Women's Dormitory underwent another face-lift. In 1950, the kitchen was modernized. In the summer of 1953 fire escapes were installed, the 10 dormers were removed, and a new slate roof was added. Students on each of the women's floors decorated over what was the atrium at Christmas time and had contests to determine the best decorated floor.
The 1960's were a time of great change on campus. Mansfield State Teachers College became Mansfield State College.
The face of the entire campus was evolving as new dormitories and Manser Dining Hall were constructed. The completion of these facilities left vacant space in North Hall. Some areas of the building were turned into office space, commuter lounges, classrooms, and computer rooms. The print shop and A/V studio were also there. State officials by this time were nervous about the continued use of the building as a residence hall due to the outdated wiring the in building which was considered a fire hazard. All inhabitants were moved to the first two floors where special outlets were added to handle modern appliances.
By the early 1960's, plans were in the making to tear down North Hall and replace It with both a student center (Memorial Hall) and a parking lot. The grand staircase on the west side of the building was removed in 1969 to make room for Memorial Hall.
Since the plan was to demolish North Hall, Memorial was built beside it, where the North Hall entrance stairs had been. Plans called for part of Memorial Hall to be built over a portion of North Hall site, but because of strong protests to save the North Hall, architects had to change their plans and re-design Memorial, which was completed in 1970.
According to former Mansfield Archivist Robert Unger, in 1974 when MU was under the direction of President Lawrence Park, the general assembly appropriated a quarter of a million dollars to demolish North Hall in hopes of receiving funding for a more modern facility.
North Hall continued to serve as a women's dormitory until 1976 when Cedarcrest opened. North Hall's first two floors were then utilized as office space until the early 1980's, and the basement housed the TV studio. The campus police station was located on the northwest corner of the ground floor of the North wing. Today this section of the building serves as a staff/faculty lounge and a tutoring center for athletes.
North Hall was closed in 1982. It was at this time plans to save the building and re-renovate it into a usable, modern facility began to take shape.
Things really began to press forward when President Rod Kelchner was named president in 1983. He had long opposed the state's plans to demolish the building and now was in a better position to take the necessary steps to save it. He spent many hours lobbying in Harrisburg to save the building, obtaining the necessary funding, and helping to determine that the building become a library.
"North Hall embodies the spirit of Mansfield," Kelchner said. "A spirit that I often referred to as ‘dogged determination.' The history of our school is characterized by struggle and challenge. Beginning with a fire that destroyed the original building Seminary Building just four months after it opened, to a series of fiscal issues, enrollment challenges, and threats to close the school. Mansfield survived many struggles. North Hall is a microcosm of similar challenges. From the centerpiece of the campus which housed classrooms, student rooms, the Office of the President, a dining hall, and meeting rooms, it slowly deteriorated to a dilapidated structure that was a campus eyesore. However, Mansfield always came back. It overcame challenge after challenge and emerged stronger and stronger."
Other key players in the preservation of North Hall were Library Director Dr. Larry Nesbitt, and Bill Yost, vice president for administration and finance. In 1984, the general assembly appropriated $6 million funding for the renovation project. State Representative Fred Noye, MU class of '68, was influential in persuading the general assembly to appropriate the funds. The original plan was to renovate the structure into a student center. Later it was determined that North Hall would better serve as a library. However, it was a long time before the funds were actually released. The battle to save North Hall was a long and difficult one.
Before any further steps could be taken, the building needed to be evaluated by an architect to determine if modifications could be made to support a change in weight capacity. According to Nesbitt, the weight-bearing capacity differed between a residence hall and a library. A typical library needs at least 150 pounds per square foot versus the 60 pounds per square foot required of a typical residence hall. In order to update the building there needed to be steel rods in the framework. The university got lucky. In 1985 Treby-Howard Phillips, an architectural firm from Allentown, PA surveyed the North wing and found the building structurally sound. The components needed to convert the old dormitory into a library were there. "If they had torn apart the south wing first, the building would have been torn down. So it was a pure stroke of luck," Nesbitt said.
In 1987 Governor Robert P. Casey sent Kelchner a letter saying that the state would release $6.5 million to begin renovations on North Hall. Casey's letter stated: "Due to the historical value of this building, it is important to the commonwealth that it is preserved and reopened for use… not only will this project enhance the academic facilities on the Mansfield University Campus, but it will also restore the building's historical value in the community." (The North Hall Dedication Program Oct. 26th 1996). The program also states what the three proposals were in creating the new building.
The $6 million that was initially allotted by the state was not enough to complete the project. Another three to four million was needed. Dr. Stephen Bickham, professor of philosophy at Mansfield, created the Save North Hall committee as part of a fundraising effort. "The Save North Hall Committee was a faculty, alumni, student group of Pennsylvania citizens interested in supporting the university." Bickham explained.
"We had no official status with the university, though they knew who we were and what we were doing. I asked one other faculty member to be on the committee with me--Howard Travis, of the Communications Department. The names of all the committee members are on a plaque just outside the main library door," Bickham said. "What we did mostly was make telephone calls. We'd meet in my office once or twice a week and phone Harrisburg. . . . We learned our way around the bureaucracy."
Bickham said that he, himself, made very few of these calls. "We found that the alumni and students were much more effective than anyone else on the phone. The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) as well as our elected officials were charmed by the students being interested enough in this important project to make the calls."
Eventually the project began to move. "We knew where the finish line was," Bickham said. "That point was when the state would advertise bids for the project. It was a multi-million dollar deal, and there would be plenty of companies interested in getting the work. Once the winning bids were announced we would know we had won."
Bickham said committee members' work kept the project alive and, more importantly, a sense of hope that North Hall could be saved. He also painted a picture of what the building was like before the renovation. "Gradually the building became a derelict in the middle of campus. Windows were boarded up, and the ones that weren't boarded were broken by people throwing stones. You could hear water gushing down the inside steps of the building. The building was vulnerable to fire since there were no internal fire protection or fire notification systems." Bickham said.
Each floor had about 38 rooms. The hallways were dark and narrow. There were stories about homeless people living in North Hall and cooking pigeons to eat. . . In the early 1990's before the renovation campus police were sent to North Hall to investigate a disturbance. The suspicious noise turned out to be from a great horned owl.
In June of 1993 bids were released to five different contractors. These included G.M. McCrossin Inc. of Bellefonte, PA.; Silvertip Inc. of Lewisburg PA; Schoonover Plumbing & Heating of Canton PA; G.O Wick Electric Inc. of Elmira NY; and Aven Fire System, Inc of Newcastle PA. The head architects during the Renovation was Eckles company/architects from Newcastle PA. The building systems engineer was Pascoe Engineering Consultants Inc., also from Newcastle. The project was overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services.
The renovation, which began in August 1994 took 18 months, and cost $10 million. According to Nesbit, the renovation included adding more steel columns to increase the weight support needed for a library. All steel beams are camouflaged by white columns. Other major renovations included restoring/reopening the atrium, incorporating internet access, and encasing the porches in glass. "The challenge of a school is to use buildings as a primary indicator of academic vitality and student success," Nesbit said. "Before the North Hall renovation, all MU had buildings looked like shoe boxes… we had no building in use that stood out and made the statement that we're a good school."
North Hall was the first library in the U.S. that was planned with complete internet access. All the furniture in the library has an 1890's feel, and was designed by Brodart Furniture Company. Nesbit mentioned that the shape of the 1912 plaque, which is arched at the top, was the inspiration for the architectural design that appears as a theme throughout the library. Nesbit was involved in every detail of the renovation process, right down to the types, colors and shapes of the nuts and bolts.
The library officially opened on July 1, 1996. The transformation was unlike anything in campus history. "If you have a little money and persistence it's just phenomenal what you can get," Nesbit said. The Traditional Reading Room was dedicated to Dr. Larry Nesbit upon his retirement in 2005.
Today, North Hall continues to play an important role on campus for students. There have been some additions to the library since the renovation. These include energy efficient lights and windows, as well as the incorporation of wireless internet from anywhere in the library. Bean bag chairs for the students were also added. "I want this library to be the student's library. You want them to be comfortable and respectful of it and they always have been… they are fantastic with that," said Scott Dimarco, the current library director. "We want a library for the next generation of students, one that says to students we're here for you."
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