Sarah Lawrence College campus
The Sarah Lawrence College campus is built around the original manor, known as Westlands, of the College's founder, William Van Duzer Lawrence.
Among the original ideas that were employed in the College's founding was the notion that, in order to foster a complete and thorough education, there should be no distinction between academic, recreational, and residential lives of the students. As a result, most of the buildings on campus house a combination of administrative and faculty offices, classrooms, student living spaces, and common areas. Because of zoning laws and fire safety regulations, many of the newer buildings do not employ this technique, but it remains a central characteristic of the campus. The majority of the buildings at Sarah Lawrence were constructed in the Tudor and Elizabethan architectural styles.
Structures
Campus Buildings:           |
Academic facilities
- Bates is one of the original campus buildings. A huge facility designed in the English Tudor style that is common in the area, it has housed not just offices and classrooms, but everything from maids’ quarters to dining halls to laboratories and arts facilities. At one time, it was home to a miniature basketball court that is now a painting studio, though the lines of the court can still be seen on the floors. Over the years, programs in science, visual arts and physical education have grown to the point that they’ve spilled over elsewhere on the campus, requiring three buildings of their own. Bates has always been home to the College's main dining facility and also houses the popular "Health Food Bar."
- The Esther Raushenbush Library, designed in 1974 by George Yourke in an architectural style meant to interpret in a more modern and sleek fashion the implied buttresses and strong features of its much older neighbor, Andrews House, the Raushenbush Library houses over 300,000 volumes.
- The Science and Mathematics Center, completed in 1994, is situated on the far north end of the campus. It houses state-of-the-art laboratories in addition to classrooms and offices.
- The Marshall Field Music Building was originally created as part of William Lawrence's residential neighborhood, Lawrence Park West. Built in the Georgian Colonial style, it was situated on three acres of landscaped land when the college purchased it in 1960 to house the music department. Prior to the purchase, President Harold Taylor played his clarinet in several of the rooms to test the acoustics.
- The Monica A. and Charles A. Heimbold Visual Arts Center is the newest building on campus. The building was designed by Polshek Partnership Architects.Finished in 2004, "Heimbold" has garnered national press for its design. Relating to the college’s stated goals, the building engages the landscape and existing campus circulation patterns, promotes student engagement through transparency, and takes a leadership role in sustainable design. The jury applauded its inventive use of materials; consistent development of the project in relation to the original concept; well-integrated plan/section; and exemplary use of building siting, solar orientation, daylighting, and locally quarried fieldstone to achieve LEED certification. The American Institute of Architects awarded a special 'Sustainable Architecture Honor Award' to the project as well as First Honor Awards at its 2005 “Celebration of Architecture”.
- The Campbell Sports Center was not named for legendary long-time faculty member Joseph Campbell, contrary to popular belief, but instead for a College trustee. One of the newest buildings on campus, the Sports Center was completed in 1997 and houses a swimming pool, a rowing tank, a weight room and exercise center, an indoor running track, squash courts, a basketball court, classrooms, locker rooms, and administrative offices.
- The Charles DeCarlo Performing Arts Center, designed by George Youke and completed in 1974, is a large facility on the western end of the South Lawn. Named for former College president Charles DeCarlo, the complex comprises the Bessie Schönberg Dance Theater, the 200-seat Suzanne Werner Wright Theatre, the 400-seat Reisinger Auditorium, a 117-seat Workshop Theater modeled after Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and practice spaces and work areas. The College bookstore is located in the PAC.
- The Ruth Leff Siegel Center, which is almost exclusively referred to as "The Pub," was originally constructed as a gardener’s cottage on the Lawrence estate, then used as an infirmary and later as a faculty house. When the College began admitting male students in 1968, it became temporary housing for men. During the 1970s, the space was remodeled and christened “The Pub” for use as an informal dining hall and as a space for student activities. During the 1980s, it was renamed “Charlie’s Place,” honoring former President DeCarlo. In 1998, the entire structure was renovated, an addition was built, and the new complex took on its present official name. Today, it houses primarily a café serving on-the-go food, but also meeting spaces and the College's "Red Room," which serves as a political activism center.
- The Tea House, also known as the "Tea Haus" for reasons that remain unclear, was originally a gazebo built by the Lawrence family on a small rock hill on the north lawn of their estate. After being saved by a student petition from a demolition that was called for by architect Phillip Johnson in 1960, it was converted to an enclosed building with large windows and a fireplace that now houses a café selling a variety of teas and baked goods. While it is a fact that the building housed the office of literature faculty member Charles Trinkaus from the 1950s through 1970, there seems to be no evidence to support the persistent campus rumor that the Tea House was once the office of long-time faculty member Joseph Campbell.
Administration buildings
- Andrews Annex, built in the 1990s adjacent to Andrews House, houses a number of administrative offices.
- Lyles House is home to the College's Health Services Center.
- The President's House, built in 1921 by Louis Bowman, is an exquisite example of 16th century Tudor style architecture. Its living room features restored carved beams, representing the various trades, from a 16th century Tudor mansion in England. Additionally, above the mantel a Christian creation story is told in intricate wood carving. Campus legend dictates that a secret panel exists in the living room leading to a wine cellar, which was built during Prohibition. The President's House has housed the College's presidents since 1954, when the first President's House, located north of campus, was demolished to make way for the Sprain Brook Parkway.
- Robinson House on Mead Way is home to the College's communications department. Until 1952, it housed "The Caf," a student coffee shop, on its main floor.
- Westlands is primarily an administrative building, but its top floor houses a number of student living spaces. Completed in 1917, it is the oldest building on campus and was home to Sarah Bates Lawrence and William Van Duzer Lawrence before being given to the College. [1] Dynamically situated at the highest point of elevation on the campus, it is another example of English Tudor architecture, and when completed was pictured on the front page of the New York Times. It has been the heart of the campus throughout the history of the College and, owing to its massive size, it now houses the president's offices, the Office of Admission, the Office of Financial Aid, the Office of the Registrar, the Office of International Programs, the Career Counseling Office, the offices of all of the College's deans, and a number of meeting spaces in addition to the top-floor dorms.
- The Wrexham Road Property, acquired by the College in 2004, is a large manor house that once belonged to the Rwandan Consul. The College is presently in negotiations with the City of Yonkers to rezone the building, and until those negotiations are complete it will remain unoccupied. Plans have stated that it will house the Office of Communications or the Center for Continuing Education.
Housing
- Andrews House, a former manor house purchased for $200,000 by the College in 1935 from Arthur Lawrence, a son of the College's founders, is known for its high ceilings, fireplaces, and its spiraling main staircase. The house is designed in the Germantown Colonial Style by architect Penrose Scott. The majority of the building houses students, but it is also the home of the College's Department of Operations and Facilities and to the offices of the Writing faculty.
- Andrews Court refers to the 12 cottage-style buildings to the south of Andrews House. Built in 1974, the buildings have, on average, about 6 dorm rooms eah in addition to full kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms. The buildings are particularly popular, and are occupied by mostly upperclassmen.
- Tweed, a former manor house, is home to a number of large dorm rooms in addition to a pair of classrooms.
- Curtis is home to a number of dorms, but as it is adjacent to Kober (see below), it is also part of the Early Childhood Education complex.
- Lynd House, another former mansion, is home to mostly living spaces. College legend dictates that the mural that runs through the house was painted by former student Yoko Ono, but it was in reality an original feature of the building. The building's adjacent carriage house has been converted into student housing.
- Hill House, bought by the College in the late 1990s, is a seven-story apartment building on the extreme southern end of the campus. At present, the majority of the apartments in the building are occupied by students, but a number of them remain in the possession of the original tenants who occupied them when the building was purchased by Sarah Lawrence. Most of the apartments are quite large and each has a full kitchen. Apartments on the upper floors with south-facing windows have, on clear days, a view of the Empire State Building.
- Kober is home to dorm rooms, but is also a part of the Early Childhood Education complex. It was donated to the College in 1951 by Otto Frohnknecht in memory of his daughter, Margaret Frohnknecht Kober, who graduated from Sarah Lawrence in 1935. There was once a bowling alley in its basement.
- Morrill is the former maid's quarters to the President's House, and now is home to five dorm rooms.
- Slonim House was formerly a manor house that is now occupied by dorms and by the College's Center for Continuing Education and to a number of graduate programs.
- Slonim Woods is the group of 10 purpose-built living facilities constructed in 1977 in the style of Andrews Court.
"Old Dorms"
The "Old Dorms" are the four original purpose-built student housing spaces to the immediate north of Westlands. Dudley Lawrence, one of the sons of William and Sarah Lawrence, achieved the remarkable feat of constructing three of these buildings in one year (1927-1928). The halls were designed by William A. Bates, who repeated the Neo-Tudor style of Westlands through the use of stone and timber materials, and mansard roofs. The interiors are also in keeping with the English Tudor architectural style found on most of the older buildings in the area, with thick plaster walls, hardwood floors, and leaded windows (since replaced with more energy-efficient double-pane windows). McCracken, built a few years later than the other three, is situated to the south of Dudley Lawrence. The original elegant living rooms that were found in each building, excepting McCracken, are now used as classrooms.
- Dudley Lawrence, the northernmost building, houses two classrooms in addition to living spaces. It is named for William Lawrence's son, who oversaw the construction of the Old Dorms.
- Gilbert, named for one of the College's original trustees, is the northernmost building of the three, and is known for being quiet and populated with the College's more studious set.
- McCracken, named for Vassar College president Henry McCracken, is a few years younger than its neighbors and has, at various times, housed the College library, the bookstore, and a number of other facilities in addition to living spaces. Although it still serves as a dormitory, it now also houses dance studios, meeting spaces, and administrative offices.
- Titsworth is an all-girls dorm and was also named for one of the College's founding trustees. It occupies the space between Gilbert and Dudley Lawrence, and is also home to the Titsworth Lecture Hall.
"New Dorms"
Designed by world-renowned architect Phillip Johnson in the sparse modernist style of the time, the "New Dorms" were actually completed in 1960. The architectural style of the buildings is meant to be a modernist reflection of the three older dorms (Gilbert, Titsworth, and Dudley Lawrence) that stand on the opposite side of the North Lawn. The three buildings that comprise the New Dorms are connected by two glass atria in which the buildings' primary stairwells are found. With the exception of the large apartments in Rothschild, these dorms typically house first-year students.
- Garrison is a traditional dormitory-style building with shared bathrooms.
- Rothschild comprises apartment style, air-conditioned dorm spaces with kitchens, living rooms, and an elevator. The basement houses a number of small classrooms and studios in use predominantly by the theater department.
- Taylor is nearly an exact copy in design of its neighbor, Garrison.
The Mead Way Houses
The Mead Way Houses are the eight former private homes that stand along the steep hill of Mead Way on the College's eastern end. The two southernmost houses, Robinson and Swinford, are occupied by administrative offices and the office of the campus internet radio station, and the northernmost six houses, listed below, are reserved for student living spaces. The houses often have different themes (they may be reserved for vegetarians, French speakers, visual artists, etc.) which tend to rotate through the years, and the buildings, which have hardly been converted from their original state, are quite popular among students as a result of their cozy charm, large rooms, full kitchens, and living rooms. The northern houses include:
- Brebner House
- Mansell House
- Morris House
- Perkins House
- Schmidt House
- Warren House
Quotes
- "My rooms were so consistently stunning that the idea of taking my junior year abroad was absurd. My freshman year, when I thumped my suitcase up the stairs at Tweed House, teary-eyed and alone, I unlocked the door to a room that made me feel like the girl in The Secret Garden. There were leaded glass windows (which in those days, and I will surely date myself here, turned outward with the twist of a crank), built-in bookshelves, and a dreamy sleeping alcove. It was all wood floors and slanted ceilings, character, personality. 'This,' I said to my roommate, 'is exactly how I pictured college.'" -Ann Patchett, novelist
- "It is my hope that there may be built up here at Westlands the most beautiful small college in America.... The use of the Tudor and Elizabethan architecture and careful landscape gardening can make this campus a veritable illustration of fine art in itself." -William Van Duzer Lawrence, founder of Sarah Lawrence College.