The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Hamilton Hall

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Hamilton Hall (side view), Elmira College

Hamilton Hall (front facade), Elmira College

Institution Name: Elmira College
Original/Historic Place Name: Elmira College Library
Location on Campus: College Ave.
Date(s) of Construction:

1925	original construction on June 8 Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbot

Designer: Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbot (Boston)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Gothic revival, Other (Glossary)
Significance: education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation:

Walls: eastern water-struck brick laid in Flemish bond

Roof: slate

Function:

ca. 1925	library
ca. 2004-present (2006)	auditorium (concert and lecture space)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	other (Mark Twain exhibition)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	alumni center
ca. 2004-present (2006)	admissions office

Narrative:
Hamilton Hall is a beautiful English Collegiate Gothic building with oak ceilings and loaded English windows. Hamilton Hall, originally the college library when it was built in 1925, added a jewel to the Elmira College campus and the city of Elmira. The building is still used for offices, and its "Great Hall" is used for concerts .

References:

Barber, William Charles. Elmira College: The First Hundred Years. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1955.

Klauder, Charles Z,. and Herbert C. Wise. College Architecture in America and Its Part in the Development of the Campus. New York and London: C. Scribner's Sons, 1929.