(Daily Kansan photo)
GOING UP—Joseph R. Pearson Hall, a 7-story men's dormitory, is under construction on West Campus Drive.
5MillionSpent On Buildings
7-Story Men's Dormitory Latest Project Underway
More than five million dollars has been invested in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building, Stouffer Place, and Joseph R. Pearson Hall the last two years.
Newest of the three is the 24-million dollar Music and Dramatic Arts Building. It was formally dedicated Nov. 10 but has been occupied since Sept. 1. Construction of the building began in September, 1955.
The building houses the University Theatre. This includes 1,188 seats, a 42-foot turntable stage, an orchestra pit on a hydraulic lift, an electronic lighting panel, high fidelity and stereophonic sound systems, acoustical "cloud" to diffuse sound, shops for scene construction and costume design, and five dressing rooms.
It also contains Swarthout Recital Hall with a seating capacity of 396 and a concert stage. It has a tonal climate governed by the shape of the ceiling and by walnut-paneled walls.
The Experimental Theater has 80 swivel seats and a stage on three sides.
These apartments are furnished and are offered to the married students on a first come,first serve basis.
Stouffer Place is the new married students' housing development that was occupied for the first time at the beginning of this school year.
Other facilities of the building include: 81 piano practice rooms, eight classrooms, four organ' practice rooms, three ensemble practice rooms, 37 music teaching studios, 10 offices, three rehearsal halls, a large library, storage facilities for musical instruments, band uniforms, choir robes, multiple music scores, and theater costumes and properties.
The apartments were named after Ellis B. Stouffer, who during his career at KU was head of the mathematics department. Dean of the Graduate School and Dean of the University. He retired five years ago.
The building is being named after the late Joseph R. Pearson, one of KU's best-known benefactors.
The third project is a 7-story men's residence hall that is expected to be ready for occupancy about Feb.1, 1959. The 1.6-million dollar structure will house 416.
The Pearson's have donated approximately $200,000 towards the new hall. Mr. and Mrs. Pearson have been instrumental in the building of four other halls which house over 1,000 students.
Name 5 Houses For Pearson
With the completion of the new men's residence hall, J. R. Pearson there will be five houses on the campus bearing the names of Pearson or Sellards. The names are for their generous benafactors, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph R. Pearson, who have given endowments exceeding $500,000 to the University of Kansas for residence halls.
Deane W. Mallott, former chancellor of the University, spoke to an alumni meeting in 1944, at which the Pearson's were present. He spoke of the immediate need for scholarship residence halls in the growing University. The Pearson's realized their chance to exert their philanthropic energies and presented the University with a check for $201,000 the next year.
The costs for each hall have been met by foundation gifts from the Pearson's and complemented by money from the Watkins fund or bond issues. There are five halls begun with the endowments: Sellars, women's scholarship hall. Pearson, men's scholarship hall, both built in 1952; Grace Pearson (named for Mr. Pearson's sister) men's scholarship hall. Gertrude Sellars Pearson, women's residence hall, both completed in 1955; and J. R. Pearson, men's residence hall to be completed in 1958.
As the Pearson's had hoped, their influence in the providing of good living quarters at the University has encouraged others to do like-wise for the thousands of students yet to come.
MODERN HOME—This 2.4 million dollar building houses the School of Fine Arts and the
—(Daily Kansan photo)
speech and drama department.It has everything from soundproof practice rooms to a theater.
Daily hansan
55th Year, No. 51 SEC.C—FEATURES & SOCIETY LAWRENCE, KANSAS Friday. Nov. 22, 1957
NEW APARTMENT PROJECT—Stouffer Place was opened to 120 couples. It is the first housing
-(Daily Kansan photo)
project for married students. A second 120-units is being planned.
4 Campus Building Projects Are Now In Planning Stage
Two large men's dormitories, an engineering building, and a business and economics building are projects scheduled to be completed in the near future.
The two dormitories will be the largest on the campus, each housing 432 students. They will be built across from each other on Daisy field west of the Allen Field House.
J. J. Wilson, director of dormitories, said each building will cost slightly over $1.5 million. One will be called Templin Hall, the other L. N. Lewis Hall.
To Get Bids Soon
Architecture plans for the L, N. Lewis Hall are in the final check stage and the University will receive bids around the first of the year, Mr. Wilson said. It is hoped that bids will be received by April for Templin Hall.
The Templin Hall now in use will be razed. The new Templin Hall will be named in honor of Olin Templin, former dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
L. N. Lewis, Lawrence merchant and banker who died in 1934, gave his estate to the University.
Bids will be made soon on the
The building is expected to cost about $1.3 million and will be at Sunnyside Avenue, south of Malott Hall. Construction will start the first of the year. Eight Sunnyside married students' apartments have been torn down to make room for the building.
school of business and economics. The building is expected to be ready for students by the fall term of 19-9, said Keith Lawton, director of physical plant operations.
Engineering Plans Made
Mr. Lawton said preliminary planning is being done on the construction of a building for the School of Engineering on Naismith Drive west of Lindley Hall.
He said no appropriations have been set by the Legislature, but the School of Engineering is deciding which departments will be located in the new building. Marvin Hall will still be used by the School of Engineering but it will give fewer departments more room, he said.
Bids will be accepted this month on 12 more units to be added to
Mr. Lawton said a $25,000 planning appropriation has been given an addition to Snow Hall. The mammalian genetics laboratory, built under the Memorial Stadium, will be ready this month.
Stouffer place, northeast of the present buildings, he said. When the development is finished, it will have cost $2,250,000 and will have 2401 and 2-bedroom units in 20 buildings, he said.
Mr. Lawton said the $75,000 landscaping job of the Music and Dramatic Arts Building is fighting bad weather to get done. He said, however, the sidewalks should be done by the end of this month.
Decision Holds Up Work
The remodeling of Blake Hall is being held up for a decision by the Board of Regents, he said. Original bids for the work were turned down because they were too high. The addition to the Student Union is still awaiting a decision on a loan from the federal government, he said.
Work consists of contour grading, sidewalk construction, fire hydrant lines, underground drainage and two steam tunnel outlets.
The Joseph Pearson Hall for men's expected to be completed by Feb. 1, 1959, he said, somewhat later than first planned. The building will house 416 men on 7 floors with a total cost of a little over a million and a half dollars. Construction starts the middle of this summer.