A Brief History of Campus 1889-2014

125th

AnniversarySaint Anselm College Historic Campus Walking Tour

Large, imposing and covered in traditional ivy, Alumni Hall has always been one of Saint Anselm’s most impressive sights. Today, it is the central landmark in the life of the Saint Anselm campus and community. Commencement is celebrated on its steps and many offices, including Admissions and the Office of the President, are housed there. But for many years, Alumni Hall was the only center of campus - it originally encompassed every classroom and dormitory at the college, as well as all dining and recreational facilities. Known as “the college building,” or “administration building” until formally named “Alumni Hall” in 1983, it was designed by Boston architect Patrick W. Ford. Ford also designed St. Raphael’s church and school, the first home of the Benedictines in Manchester which was completed in 1889. Construction began in the summer of 1891 - but in a disastrous turn of events in February 1892, a fire destroyed most of the almost-completed building. Despite their distress at this considerable setback, the Benedictines persevered and less than 2 weeks after the fire, they began rebuilding the burnt out structure. The new building (which still stands today) officially opened its doors for the first classes on September 6, 1893. Since that day, generations of Anselmian students, faculty and staff sharing in the spirit of our founding fathers have passed through the doors of Alumni Hall.

The Saint Anselm campus has grown dramatically from that one all-encompassing building. The “college upon the hill” today encompasses 400 acres, and 1,900 students live and learn in 52 buildings. While several structures (like Joseph Hall and Bradley House) were built in the early 1900s, much of the major campus expansion occurred between 1957 and 1966, when the first Advisory Board of Trustees led the college’s first capital campaign, the “Once in a Lifetime Appeal.” During this period, thanks to enterprising and generous local and regional business leaders, Saint Anselm effectively doubled in size. Six buildings, including Geisel Library, two residence halls, Cushing Student Center, a science center and Stoutenburgh Gymnasium were added. In 1966, with the completion of the Abbey Church, the campus was provided with a spiritual heart. In the latter half of the twentieth century and early years of the twenty-first, Saint Anselm has continued to expand to include many more buildings and landmarks, including now-familiar centers of college life such as Davison dining hall, Sullivan Arena, and the Dana Center. The New Hampshire Institute of Politics was established,

Visit www.anselm.edu/125 and follow #Anselm125 for more history lessons, information and opportunitiesto read and share Anselmian stories.

SAINT BENEDICT STATUELocated at the entrance to Visitor Parking, the large-scale bronze statue of Saint Benedict was created by Mont Vernon, N.H., artist and sculptor Sylvia Nicolas HD ’91. It was installed in 1989, the year of the college’s centennial celebration.

SAINT ANSELM STATUEThe large-scale bronze statue of Saint Anselm on the plaza in front of Alumni Hall was also created by Sylvia Nicolas. It was dedicated on April 21, 1987 (the Feast of Saint Anselm).

GROTTO AT SAINT ANSELM COLLEGEDedicated on October 25, 2014 as an outdoor space for quiet contemplation by students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors, the Grotto’s main feature is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Madonna of Saint Anselm (by Sylvia Nicolas).

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Bernard Court was built to strengthen the student residential experience, and campus was beautified with the creation of the Campus Green. In 2014, the Living Learning Commons, a new 43,000 square foot residence hall housing 150 students, was dedicated, and additional spaces for prayer and quiet contemplation, including the Multifaith Prayer Room in the Cushing Center and the Grotto housing the Madonna of Saint Anselm statue, were installed.

We commemorate 125 years of Anselmian history and look forward to a future imbued with the faith that our founding fathers demonstrated when they built Alumni Hall – not once but twice. In the spirit of both preserving and promoting a uniquely Catholic, Benedictine academic and residential community, Saint Anselm College is committed to creating campus spaces that nurture the intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth of students for many years to come.

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Kimball Barn Abbey ChurchMonasterySaint Leander’s CemeteryJoseph HallAlumni HallBradley HouseLake Pocahontas Gadbois HallJoan of Arc HallSullivan ArenaAthletic FieldsDavison HallDana Center for the HumanitiesGoulet Science CenterGeisel LibraryEaton HouseCushing Student Activities CenterStoutenburgh GymnasiumButcher Shop Bakery Studio Worthley BarnNew Hampshire Institute of Politics & Political Library (NHIOP)

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MAP LEGEND

KIMBALL BARNThe Kimball farmhouse stood at the foot of the main entrance to the college, as part of the Kimball family’s Maplewood Farm. It was destroyed in the 1920s, but the Kimball Barn across the street served the dairy herd until the late 1940s when the farm was discontinued. The barn still stands today and is used by the college’s Physical Plant department. ABBEY CHURCHArchitect Nicholas Isaak ’36 collaborated with the Benedictines, primarily Fr. Christopher Hagen, O.S.B., in the early 1960s on a design that anticipated some aspects of the liturgical changes instituted after Vatican II. In 1963, Richard Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, made a significant contribution towards the construction of the Abbey Church. He stated that without a proper church, “this is a campus without a heart.”

MONASTERYTo accomodate the growth of the monastic community after its elevation to an abbey in 1927, a new monastery was constructed and dedicated in 1955. The complex contains a variety of rooms including living quarters for monks, a chapel, and a refectory. Later additions to the monastery complex included more rooms and enclosed walkways to the Abbey Church.

SAINT LEANDER’S CEMETERYFor the Benedictine community, the vow of stability is important. Each monk lives his life in service to the monastery and the college and is buried in the cemetery. It is named after Bro. Leander Schieber, O.S.B., who planted many of the surrounding trees.

BRADLEY HOUSEBradley House (named after college co-founderBishop Denis M. Bradley, first bishop of the Diocese of Manchester) was initially built in 1915 on the site of what today is Goulet Science Center, to house the Sisters of St. Benedict who worked for thecollege and monastery. It was expanded to accommodate the Sisters of St. Joan of Arc in 1928. When the sisters moved to the monastery building (later Joseph Hall) in 1955, it became a dormitory, and in 1959, the building was transported up the hill to its current position. It now houses faculty offices.

LAKE POCAHONTASOriginally a small pond, this body of water was called Lake Pocahontas by the Benedictines and students, possibly in reference to a lake in New Jersey. It was used for swimming and ice hockey, and in later years it was enclosed to form a swimming pool. In the early 1940s, the Army Air Forces detachment on campus drained the pool and poured a partial concrete foundation. It was modified in the 1970s by Physical Plant.

GADBOIS HALLIn 1952 the Nursing Department was established to offer a degree program for Registered Nurses. The college received grants to construct a classroom building with laboratory space and offices specifically for Nursing faculty. Gadbois Hall was completed in 1968 and named after college friend Edgar Gadbois.

JOAN OF ARC HALL Prior to the completion of this dormitory in 1969, women students in the Nursing Program studied on campus, but were housed at a local hospital or downtown location. In 1975, the dormitory was named in honor of the Sisters of St. Joan of Arc, a religious order that served the college and monastery for over 80 years.

SULLIVAN ARENAThe Thomas F. Sullivan Arena was completed in 2003, made possible by an historic gift from Robert and Miriam Smith. Standing at 65,000 square feet, with a 200-by-85-foot ice rink, it primarily serves as an arena for men’s and women’s hockey. It has also functioned as a venue for concerts, student programming, commencement and televised presidential primary debates.

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JOSEPH HALLConstructed in 1919 as the monastery to house priests and clerics separately from lay brothers and students, this residence included individual rooms, a kitchen and a chapel. With the completion of the new monastery building in 1955, it was converted to a convent for the Sisters of St. Joan of Arc. Following the departure of the sisters in 2008, the building was renovated to house faculty offices and classrooms. In 2009, it was named Joseph Hall in honor of Bishop Joseph Gerry, O.S.B. ’50 HD ’86, third abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey.

ALUMNI HALLFirst constructed in 1891, the original structure was destroyed by fire on February 18, 1892. The Benedictine monks immediately rebuilt and welcomed the first students to the college in September 1893. Originally called the College Building and later the Administration Building, it was formally named Alumni Hall in 1983. With increases in enrollment in the first decade of the 20th century, the college needed more space for students and monks, and the North Wing addition was completed in 1911, creating a proper gymnasium on the main floor, more dormitory space, and a recreation area in the basement. The two upper floors were named Broad and High Streets after the Newark, New Jersey streets near the Benedictine monastery of St. Mary’s Abbey. The South Wing addition to Alumni Hall was dedicated in 1924. It contained a chapel and a dining hall in the basement. With the completion of the Abbey Church in 1966, the chapel was no longer used to celebrate Mass. In 1967, the Chapel Art Center was established in this wing to highlight the art collection of the college and display visiting artists’ work. The Center was named in honor of Alva de Mars Megan in June 2000.

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DAVISON HALLDedicated in 1987, Davison Hall is the main dining facility on campus. Named in honor of Robert and Lucille Davison, the interior of this facility bears a resemblance to the monastery’s refectory. The Davison Family’s construction company helped construct some of the buildings during the great expansion of 1960, including the Abbey Church.

DANA CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIESWith the roof collapse and subsequent demolition of the Abbey Theatre in 1969, dramatic productions were limited to the Chapel Art Center or locations in the city of Manchester. When the Humanities Program was created in the late 1970s, the college began exploring options for a new building to host performing arts and accommodate Humanities classes. Dedicated in 1982, the Dana Center was completed with the assistance of alumni, donors, and the Charles A. Dana Foundation.

GOULET SCIENCE CENTER By the 1950s, the facilities and equipment for science instruction on campus were outdated. The Perini Science Hall was dedicated in 1960 in honor of the parents of Louis Perini, Sr., a member of the Advisory Board of Trustees, whose support and family construction corporation helped create many college buildings. In the 1990s, the building and facilities were renovated and re-dedicated in honor of Leon Goulet ’47. The building includes science classrooms, laboratories, the Robert Weiler ’73 Computer Center, and an attached greenhouse. The large lecture hall in the heart of the building is named the Perini Lecture Hall.

GEISEL LIBRARY The college library was originally housed on the second floor of the Administration Building (now Alumni Hall). Dedicated in 1960, the Geisel Library provides access to collections and study space to support the academic mission of the college. It also houses the Archives and Special Collections. The Library is named in honor of Joseph Geisel, a local businessman and member of the Advisory Board who bequeathed his estate to the college in honor of his parents.

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17 STUDIO Raphael Hall is the second oldest building on campus. Originally flat-roofed, this two story structure was completed in 1895 as an art studio and residence for Benedictine brothers, and was known simply as the Studio. On the second floor, the artist monks of the Studio of Christian Art, Fr. Bonaventure Ostendarp, O.S.B., and Fr. Raphael Pfisterer, O.S.B., created murals that would later be installed in churches primarily in the Northeastern United States. Eventually the building became a dormitory and was renamed Raphael Hall in honor of Fr. Raphael in 1976.

WORTHLEY BARN The Worthley Barn and a farmhouse once stood near the lower entrance to the college. Purchased along with seven acres of land in 1895, the Worthley Barn served the college’s agricultural needs for many years, including housing livestock from the dairy farm. The building fell into disrepair and was torn down at an unknown date. Farm operations moved to the Kimball Barn.

NEW HAMPSHIRE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS & POLITICAL LIBRARY (NHIOP)Occupying land that was once used by the college for farming, the NHIOP location was given to the U.S. Army Reserve by the college in 1956 to construct an armory, which was named in honor of John and Donald Crafts, brothers from Manchester who served during World War II. The college received the property back in the late 1990s. Under the leadership of Fr. Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B. ’69 and with the support of New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, the NHIOP was established in 2001 as a nonpartisan forum for discussion and debate on all aspects of the American political process.

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EATON HOUSEDating to the mid-18th century, this farmhouse and about 70 acres of land were purchased by the Benedictines in 1889 for the college. The Eaton House served Fr. Hugo Paff, O.S.B., as a base for fundraising activities for the yet-to-be-built college and later supervision of the progress of construction. It was subsequently used for a variety of purposes including housing religious sisters, students, and monks, until a fire destroyed it in 1960.

CUSHING STUDENT ACTIVITIES CENTERThe Student Activities Center was completed in 1960 in response to the need for a student union and cafeteria. It was dedicated in 1964 in honor of college friend and benefactor Richard Cardinal Cushing of the Archdiocese of Boston.

STOUTENBURGH GYMNASIUMPrior to the construction of the Gymnasium in 1960, the North Wing of the Administration Building served as the gymnasium. Cramped and with little room for spectators, the college decided to include a gymnasium in the designs for the expansion project of 1960. In 1964 the college dedicated the building in honor of the chairman of the Advisory Board of Trustees, William J. Stoutenburgh. In 2008, the court was named in honor of the successful former men’s basketball coach Al Grenert.

BUTCHER SHOPLocated southwest from the Studio, a small building existed that served as the butcher shop and contained an area for pigs and hogs.

BAKERYSituated approximately 30 feet to the south of the Studio, the bakery was a narrow building used by the Benedictine brothers tasked with bread making for the college. It was destroyed by fire in 1917.

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A Historic Campus Walking Tour