I love how the Williams cow is mooooooning us. hehe
Someone once tried to change my alma mater’s mascot from the beloved badger to a cow –
Back in 1973, Wisconsin’s assistant Atty Gen made a push to replace Bucky Badger with Henrietta Holstein. He really must have been after the farmer vote! I’m not sure how close that came to fruition, but I’m glad we remained the Badgers. Wisconsin Holsteins… nah. lol
Also cute: for some time, a live badger was kept on the Wisconsin sideline at football games. Badgers are not the easiest critters to handle. (I’m sure some drunk fan ruined that for everyone… probably walked right up to the badger and tried to pet it, and lost a few fingers.)
I bet some of the NESCAC teams with animal mascots also kept live animals on the field. I imagine babysitting a bobcat or a panther would be loads of fun. lol. And nobody had better sneak up on the mule from behind. A polar bear would need to be caged – humans probably couldn’t hold it.
But facing the street, Wesleyan built a completely faux Colonial house facade in order to stave off criticism that the architecture was out of step with its surroundings:
Not too long ago (late 2014), Hamilton completed the new Kennedy Center for Theatre and Studio Arts. Each major gets their own studio for use on their senior project. The private studios have floor-to-ceiling windows and hardwood floors. They’re beautiful. Even without a private studio, this is one of D’s favorite places to study:
Forgot the new Johnson Health and Wellness Center that was completed in 2019. It was part of Hamilton’s push to increase mental health services by 30%:
If my Williams fine arts major saw this, she would be jealous. I couldn’t get her to look at Hamilton for reasons that I can’t remember, but I’m sure we were at the “pick my battles” stage of the college process.
In addition to the new first-year dorm discussed earlier in the other NESCAC thread (see rendering below), Midd is also planning for a new art museum and student center.
Architectural and Environmental beauty are fundamentally important. However, for certain people sensitive to smell, Middlebury is awash with cow dung perfume, something to be aware of
I’ve been to most (except Williams and Conn College), but can’t say I’ve seen the entire campus of each.
Middlebury is my favorite campus so far for the architecture and views of the mountains. It is spacious (though that might be less valued in Feb). The view when walking through the entryway to the stadium, with the Green Mountains in the background, is amazing.
I am biased but I do love the Bates campus. They’ve done a great job over the decades sticking with the brick, blending old and new, the chapel being the exception with beautiful stone masonry. There is great variety for a smallish campus with the pond, quad, alumni walk, etc, and it all feels coherent. Most spaces on campus feel like cozy places to sit or string up a hammock - and not just for passing through. For a mountain view, you can see the white mountains in the distance on a clear day from Mt David.
Approaching their 70th year of existence, Wesleyan University will soon have to determine whether to replace them or conserve them for their historic and sentimental value. Television pioneer, Matthew Weiner (Class of 1987) is said to have received much of his inspiration for “Mad Men” from the dorms’ sleek, 1950s, “Holiday Inn” look. :
And, here’s the paradox: People seem to genuinely like them, especially, First-Years. The long, traditional, cinder-block hallways are actually good at building community; the semi-detached lounges have a history of being put to different uses; plenty of natural light:
it does seem to take the cake in terms of layout. It features two-room doubles that provide enough privacy, while also giving residents someone who they could co-habitate with, should they choose. This has led to most of the floors becoming close-knit, and one student says the Nics are unique because, “the people are special.” Another salient feature of the Nics: in addition to its spacious dorms, there are balconies.
“Like the Nics, WestCo also sports balconies but its main feature is WesShop and WestCo café. While some may complain about the price, Weshop provides excellent food with a lot of variety. But it is not without its faults. Residents complain that the door at the entrance of the shower can’t be fully closed, and the shower system can be a little uncomfortable if two people are using it at the same time.
@merc81 , Bates didn’t escape the 70’s entirely. Its Ladd Library is probably one of the least attractive buildings on campus. Despite its central location, maybe because of the greenery around it and the main entrance approached by a separate path, it’s not very noticeable. It’s a good facility though.
The one big advantage Amherst does have over Williams is it’s Pioneer Valley location. It’s campus is adjacent to a classic New England college town book-ended by the state flagship, and it has the additional resources and interaction of the Five College Consortium with it’s free PVTA bus system and access to always interesting Northampton with its restaurants, shops and music scene. And, for Amherst’s sports teams and student fanbase, it has a central commuting location to most of the other NESCAC schools (see cquin85’s post above).
Well, in fairness to Williams and Amherst, the old Sawyer Library was demolished in 2015 and according to @NiceUnparticularMan, Merrill Science Center came down fairly recently. But it’s remarkable how alike they all looked in their heyday!
The Hamilton and Amherst versions really put the brutal in brutalist (though they’re probably not technically brutalist). The straight lines and right angles are one thing. But the lack of windows on them is almost terrifying. I feel claustrophobic just looking at them.
