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Woods Hall Records

 Record Group — Multiple Containers
Identifier: RG-144

Collection Scope and Contents

This collection documents Woods Hall which was built in 1904 and remained, with many renovations, in use through 2009. Mostly the collection contains photographs of the interior and exterior of the building. The photographs of the exterior of the building are both before and after the major renovations that occurred in 1960-61. There are also a fair amount of pictures of the kitchen and dining rooms, in particular the dining rooms as they existed in 1940s and early 1950s.

In addition to the photographs, there are dedication materials from the original opening of the building in 1904, including the original handwritten speech by Mrs. Eleanor S. Woods; Floor and framing plans; a contract written in 1919 for the use of Woods Hall by the Student Young Men’s Christian Association for the year running from September 1, 1919 to June 15, 1920 (on the back of this document is another document outlining the constitution for the Student’s Insurance Alliance of Springfield College); and a group of materials from the Woods Hall and Beveridge Center Renovations that took place in 1969, including contracts, planning documents, meeting minutes, and correspondence.

Dates

  • Creation: ca. 1903-2008

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted

Conditions Governing Use

Rights status not fully evaluated.

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Historical Note

A gift of Eleanor S. Woods who recognized the need for greater social opportunities for the students of the Training School, Woods Hall was erected on May 23, 1904 as a social and dining hall on campus. Woods, a member of the Merriam family (Webster’s dictionary) donated $18,000 for the project. On September 28, 1904 the dedication of Woods Hall took place in which Mrs. Eleanor S. Woods gave her address: “come in by twos, sometimes being not too bashful to borrow now and then from Smith’s or Mount Holyoke’s pretty garden of girls, though there is many a fair one in our own Springfield.” The central feature of Woods Hall was a dining room which could accommodate 125 or more guests. The first floor of the building also contained a parlor while the second floor was designated for dorm rooms.

During the First World War, changes were made to Woods Hall to accommodate the unit of the Students’ Army Training Course organized at the College. A two-story addition consisting of a kitchen and a social room for the Student Association was built by Fred T. Ley & Co at a cost of $40,166.49. The U.S. Government reimbursed the college $8,598.53, approximately one-third the cost of the kitchen. The new Social Room in Woods Hall was dedicated by Dr. Laurence L. Doggett on April 30, 1919. In 1939, improvements were made to Woods Hall at a cost of $2,171. The Woods Hall Lobby and Cafeteria Dining Hall were redecorated, rebuilt, and refurnished. The second floor was also entirely remodeled, removing the store and post office and making a large classroom out of this area to accommodate 200 students. During the summer of 1951 Woods Hall was completely revamped to accommodate the incoming freshman women, Springfield College’s first co-ed class. The faculty dining room, lobby, conference room and main dining hall were covered with bright tile flooring and an acoustic ceiling was built as well as modern recessed lighting.

On May 24, 1958 the cornerstone of the Beveridge Center was laid. The Center, which was built between Abbey/Appleton Halls and Woods Hall, replaced the former campus student union, sometimes referred to as Doggett’s House or Gulick’s House (both men lived there), and was opened for full operation on January 5, 1959. In 1961, Woods Hall underwent its largest renovation, a complete facelift to provide more seating capacity, a faculty dining room and a conference room on the first floor and a large multi-purpose room on the second floor. The renovation, which cost close to $300,000 was part of a two-phase renovation program on campus which completely altered the original structure of the building. The renovated Woods Hall looked nothing like the original Woods Hall built in 1904 as the entire front of the building was completely reconstructed.

The completion of a new dining hall, Cheney Hall, in 1968 facilitated further renovations to the former dining facility. In 1969 an enclosed ramp from the Grumman Room in Woods Hall to the Chaplain’s office area in Beveridge Center was added. Renovations were made to the post office, and the new bookstore and air conditioning was installed in the building. A snack bar and lounge were also included in the renovation. The Beveridge Center and Woods Hall served as the “living room” of the campus providing a variety of uses and services to the campus community.

In 2008, Woods Hall was demolished to make way for the construction of the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union. The Beveridge Center, located adjacent to Woods Hall, was renovated and joined to the new campus union which was dedicated on February 4, 2010.

Chronology

1904 May 23rd - Woods Hall erected.

1904 Sept. 28th - Woods Hall dedicated, Mrs. Eleanor Woods gives her addres.

1918 Sept. 27th - Barracks and changes to Woods Hall.

1919 April 30th - Dedication of Social Room of Woods Hall.

1939 June 9th - Redecoration, rebuilding, and refurnishing of Woods Hall Lobby and cafeteria Dining Hall; second floor entirely remodeled.

1950 Nov. 3rd - Building alterations including adjustments to East Gymnasium, dinning facilities in Woods Hall, and the Infirmary.

1951 Dec. 7th - Woods Hall and East Gymnasium renovated, Alden St. is widened and paved.

1958 May 24th – Cornerstone of the Beveridge Center laid.

1961 Woods Hall completely renovated, with entire front reconstructed.

1968 Cheney Hall completed – renovations to woods hall dining facilities.

1969 Enclosed ramp from Woods Hall to Beveridge Center added. New bookstore and air conditioning installed.

2008 Woods Hall demolished, Richard B. Flynn Campus Union Built.

Extent

.75 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

Arrangement

Since this is an artificially created collection there is no original order. Other than digitized materials, there is no apparent order within the folders.

History of the Collection

There was no formal acquisition of the materials for this collection. The collection is artificially created. Materials were received from different places at different times. The Acquisition sources and dates of the materials are unknown.

Digitized Materials

Browse digitized materials from this collection. This collection is partially digitized.

Title
Woods Hall Records
Status
Completed
Author
Jeffrey Monseau
Date
2011-10
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2012-04: Added Historical Note written by Erin Andersen
  • 2022-06: Transferring information from the original Word document to ArchivesSpace.

Repository Details

Part of the Springfield College Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Springfield College
Judd Gymnasia
263 Alden Street
Springfield Massachusetts 01109 U.S.A. US
413-748-3309