Music/Dance Library - Sullivant Hall
Sullivant Hall consists of a basement and two stories, with a steel frame and limestone exterior. The cornerstone was laid at the opening of the 1912-1913 academic year, and the work was completed in December 1913. Sullivant Hall — the east wing shown in the photograph — was dedicated on May 30, 1914.
In November 1921, the Trustees authorized the University Architect to prepare plans for an addition. Contracts were let by 1923, and the north wing was dedicated on April 6, 1926. Further additions were planned for in 1929 and 1948, and the building now consists of four sections, its final addition having been dedicated on April 14, 1950. The interior of the building has been modified several times since, most notably in 1973-1975.
Of special interest is the first addition: the north wing of 1926. Known as the "World War Memorial Wing," it boasts a beautifully decorated marble rotunda housing four bronze bas-relief sculptures by Bruce Wilder Saville. In the words of the artist: "The four panels tell the story of the service from enlistment to the trained soldier in France. The first panel is the enlistment. For this I chose the side of enlistment which will always be uppermost in men's minds, which at the time was of the greatest importance to them. The only thought in their minds was, 'Will I pass the medical examination or not?' So I chose this phase and the panel shows a group of men going before the physical examiner of the Army....
"From the enlistment, the men were trained and the second panel shows the training camp in the background while in the foreground a group of 'rookies' are going through bayonet drill.
"After training, men were taken overseas by convoy protected by our navy. The third panel shows a convoy of ships in the background and in the foreground the deck of a torpedo boat with the gun crew going into action to serve the forward gun, presumably protecting the convoy from submarine attack.
"The fourth and last panel shows the troops in France. They have been supplied all extra equipment, are trained soldiers, moving up through a ruined French village to the battle area, to see active service."
At present, Sullivant Hall houses the Music/Dance Library, the Sullivant Library, the Sullivant Learning Commons, and the Department of Dance.
Updated 19 July 2006
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