I began my preliminary investigation about a week and a half ago when I met with Ms. Iannucci, the Emma Willard archivist and history teacher, to see what she knew or resources she could provide for my project. I began asking her about the general history of the buildings, when they were built, and who the architects were. She was able to answer a few questions, but then went and pulled two big file boxes off of the shelves. These boxes contained the contracts, agreements, and specifications for Sage Hall, Slocum Hall, The Gymnasium (currently the Alumnae Chapel), Kellas Hall, Weaver Science Building, the Hunter Science Wing, the Dietel Library, Mott Gymnasium, Cheele Aquatic Center, as well as some details about the once private homes now turned public spaces on campus (Cluett and Wellington-Lay). The architects to whom the buildings were commissioned worked for the firm M.F. Cummings and Son. The four who worked on the Emma Willard School were Abraham K Moseley, Frederick M Cummings, and William Lando. The style of the buildings ranges from English Collegiate to Tudor Gothic. Abraham Moseley was the architect responsible for the choice in architectural style and also the man behind the many gargoyles found along the top of Slocum Hall, Sage Hall, and the Alumnae Chapel.
These gargoyles, or grotesques, are carved from Bedford Indiana limestone, the same stone used on all of the trims and sills of the iconic grey walled buildings. This stone is very porous, and at one point was a vibrant yellow-white, but after a hundred years of dirt, rain, and snow, the porous stone has collected dirt, giving the gargoyles a darker grey appearance.
Unfortunately, the Cummings Reports had nothing to offer me in terms of finding out what the grey exterior stone was, where it was from, and if a visit to the location where it was quarried was possible. My next step is to meet with Mr. Mcgovern, head of Buildings and Grounds, to ask what he knows from his extensive collaboration with the masons who keep our buildings looking beautiful.
Jess
(Photo of gargoyle from http://www.emmawillard.org/sites/emmawillard.org/files/MVW_4278.jpg)