Balch Hall

Balch Hall

Balch Hall, or more accurately Balch Halls, is the only all-female dormitory at Cornell University. Technically, Balch Hall consists of four eighty-student halls, hence the more accurate name "Balch Halls", which has fallen out of use.

History

In 1920, Cornell founded a committee to research the feasibility of constructing a new women's dormitory to meet the needs of the growing community. In 1922, Frederick Ackerman submitted a basic plot for the construction of a dormitory on North Campus and, with approval of the University's Architectural Advisory Board, began seeking donors with the promise that Cornell would pay for up to half of the building's construction. In 1928, the University accepted the $1,650,000 donation of Allen C. Balch '1889 and Janet Balch, a graduate student from 1886-88. When Balch opened in September, 1929, it became the third female residential college at Cornell, after Sage College and Risley Hall.

To this day, as the Balches requested, the dormitory has remained an all-female dormitory.

Facilities

On North Campus, Balch stands out for its majestic English Renaissance style. Originally, each of the four halls were decorated differently in "Early American, Georgian, English Jacobean, and modern Grammercy Park" ("Cornell Alumni News", 10/3/29). At the end of Spring 2000 semester, the dining hall was closed and has been converted into a student center, cafe, and lecture hall known as the Carol Tatkon Center. [http://ri.campuslife.cornell.edu/fs8.html] The dorm rooms are unique in that each has its own working sink.

Trivia

Balch Hall (or a model of it) was used in the film "Love Potion No. 9" when Paul, the male lead character, uses the potion to take advantage of the all female dormitory. This section of the film shows lights in different rooms turning on and off to the sounds of Beethoven's 5th Symphony as he "visits" the different women. Paul is quickly arrested for this disturbance.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Balch — is a surname that may apply to: *Antony Balch (1937 1980), British film director *Emily Greene Balch (1867 1961), American pacifist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient *Rear Admiral George Beall Balch (1821 1908), American **USS Balch, named for… …   Wikipedia

  • Music Hall (Cincinnati) — Cincinnati Music Hall U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark …   Wikipedia

  • Cincinnati City Hall — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Melvin Hall — This article is about the 20th century unicyclist. For the late 20th century baseball player, see Mel Hall. Melvin Hall (September 11, 1915, Boxville, Kentucky April 17, 2001, Balch Springs, Texas) was an American unicyclist. He was the son of… …   Wikipedia

  • National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame — …   Wikipedia

  • College Hill Town Hall — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Cornell North Campus — North Campus is a residential section of Cornell University s Ithaca, New York campus. It primarily houses freshmen. North Campus offers programs which ease the transition into college life for incoming freshman. The campus offers interactions… …   Wikipedia

  • Sumner Hunt — Sumner P. Hunt (May 8, 1865 ndash; November 19, 1938) was an architect in Los Angeles from the 1890s to the 1930s. In partnership with architect Silas Reese Burns he designed such regional landmarks as the original building of the Southwest… …   Wikipedia

  • Scripps College — Infobox University name = Scripps College motto = Incipit Vita Nova ( Here Begins New Life ) established = 1926 type = Private head label = President head = Fritz Weis (Interim) city = Claremont state = CA country = USA undergrad = 878 postgrad …   Wikipedia

  • Cornell University — Cornell redirects here. For other uses, see Cornell (disambiguation). Cornell University Emblem of Cornell University Motto I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”