The Commons (1915)

Item Information

Title:
The Commons (1915)
Description:
This lantern slide, “The Commons (1915),” shows a large group of International YMCA College students seated in Woods Dining Hall, also called The Commons. Nearly every person in this image has their eyes closed.
Date:
1915
Format:
Photographs
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
Lantern Slide Collection
Subjects:
Woods Hall
International Young Men's Christian Association College
Springfield College
Springfield College--Students
Springfield College--Buildings
Springfield (Mass.)
Lantern slides
Dinner parties
Dining tables
Cafeterias
Social & civic facilities
Student Unions
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
3x4 in
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/3540
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Notes:
The school, now known as Springfield College, designed Woods Hall to serve three functions: dormitory, dining hall, and social space. Construction was completed on May 23, 1904, and the building was dedicated on September 28, 1904. Eleanor S. Woods, a member of the Merriam family (Webster’s Dictionary), recognized the students’ need for greater social opportunities and donated $18,000 for the project. The central feature of Woods Hall was a dining room built to accommodate one hundred and twenty-five guests. The first floor also contained a parlor, and the second floor was designated for dorm rooms. In the summer of 1951, Springfield College redesigned the dorm to accommodate the college’s first co-ed class. During this renovation, the faculty dining room, lobby, conference room, and main dining hall were covered with bright tile flooring. An acoustic ceiling and modern recessed lighting were also added. The most significant renovation occurred in 1961, when the building received a complete facelift that left it unrecognizable as the original Woods Hall. In 2008, Woods Hall was demolished to make space for the construction of the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union, which was dedicated on February 4, 2010.
Identifier:
LS-01-66