The Massachusetts institute of technology

A NATIONAL
LANDMARK

STONE 8WEBSTER.

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A NATIONAL
LANDMARK

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Copyright 1920

by

Stone &. Webster

Incorporated

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THE MASSACHUSETTS
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

STONE &. WEBSTER

INCORPORATED

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THE NEW TECHNOLOGY

UNDER the inspiration and leadership of the late Dr.
Richard C. Maclaurin the long-cherished hope of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology of one day owning
and occupying a home worthy of the school's high traditions
became an accomplished fact.

From his inauguration as president in June, 1909, Dr.
Maclaurin recognized the practical nature of the problem,
and that enthusiasm must be supplemented with a business
organization which would interest not only the alumni, but
all friends of education.

Two years later success was foreshadowed in the announce-
ment by Dr. Maclaurin of a special site committee, and in
October, 1911, the corporation announced the selection of the
fifty-acre tract on the Cambridge Embankment of the Charles
River Basin.

In February, 1913, Welles Bosworth, '89, of New York,
was chosen architect, and the selection nine months later of
Stone &l Webster as constructing engineers officially marked
the beginning of building operations. In June, 1915, the
fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Institute, the new
plant was officially dedicated with imposing ceremonies.

THE most striking single feature of the new buildings of
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the entrance
portico of Ionic columns at the head of the Grand Court,
shown on this and the preceding page. Above the portico rises
the dome of the Library, unifying and giving harmony to the
whole group.

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FROM either side of the Grand Court open minor courts,
flanked by pavilions of graceful proportions, each one
bearing the names of eminent scientists and engineers — an
inspiration to coming generations. .

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THE buildings of the Institute, beginning at Massachusetts
Avenue, extend for a third of a mile along the Cambridge
side of the Charles River Basin, dominating the water front.
On the opposite page is a detail view of the colonnade,
under the main portico.

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THE reading room of the Library is situated under the
dome from which comes ample light through windows
and vault lights set in the dome itself. These windows, hid-
den by parapets, are invisible from the outside. The opposite
page shows the spacious foyer of the main educational group.

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Dught or

expense has

been spared in

planning

J[^ and equipping

the laboratories.

Part c

f the

Hydraulic

Laboratory

is shown on the left,

and part

of th

e Electric

Laboratory

above.

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THEORY and practice side by side are well illustrated
in these photographs. On the left is the Mechanical
Laboratory with an engine-driven centrifugal pump in the
foreground, while above is one of the special lecture rooms
ready for a machine tool demonstration.

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THREE systems of ventilation keep the Chemical Labora-
tories free from noxious fumes and odors. In addition
to the exhaust systems used throughout the buildings, there
are the familiar hood with quick draft and mushroom venti-
lators at each desk, each operated separately. The Analytical
Chemistry Laboratory shown above is one of two chemical
laboratories of equal size.

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THE Wood-turning Shop is a spacious room containing a
complete equipment of the most up-to-date, wood-working
tools. Airy and well lighted, the room is a striking example
of modern teaching and shop practice as opposed to those of
a past generation.

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IN the Hydraulic Laboratory is a 1,500 gallon pressure pump.
Heads up to 500 feet can be established by the pump in
closed steel cylinders which supply impulse wheels and pro-
vide for the study of flow through orifices — an important fea-
ture in hydraulic work.

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STUDENTS in the two Mechanical Engineering drafting
rooms work under skylights in the roof, large windows
also admitting a generous supply of daylight. The semi-
indirect electric lighting system supplemented by desk lights
permits work to continue during the evening when necessary.

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THE Laboratory of Mechanical Engineering is constructed
as a large bay with a traveling crane. Below the crane
may be seen the steam and hydraulic machinery of the labora-
tory, including in the background a Corliss engine used for
various kinds of engine testing.

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THE Laboratory of Applied Heat of the Physics Department
is another example of the roomy, light, well-ventilated
working quarters of the Institute. A modern improvement
is the use of electric heaters reliable for maintaining an even
temperature in experiments for indefinite periods.

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THE Machine Tool Shop is a practical machine shop. Here
students apply the knowledge of machine tools taught in
lectures and become familiar with operating details of the
various machines.

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THE interior construction of the large lecture hall is
wholly of concrete, with a fireproof booth for moving
pictures. A special feature is the tracks on which run the
demonstrating tables.

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ONE of the conspicuous machines in the Mechanical En-
gineering Department is the 30-inch circulating pump,
with a capacity of 22,000 gallons per minute, used to supply
the feeder canal for the penstock by means of which water
wheels are tested.

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IN the basement of the Mechanical Engineering Building are
the condensers of the various steam engines, and calorim-
eters for experimenting with steam at all temperatures.
Tests of the flow of steam and air through orifices are carried
on here.

29

THIS is the canal in the Hydraulic Laboratory for testing
water wheels. Wheels requiring up to 50 cubic feet of
water per second can be tested under heads of 38 feet. The
water passes through a 30-inch Venturi meter, with a storage
tank in foreground and a pressure tank in the distance.

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THE Library of Civil Engineering contains a large collec-
tion of the latest books on surveying and geodesy, civil,
sanitary and hydraulic engineering, and current periodicals on
these subjects. Other special libraries are devoted to chem-
istry, physics, electrical engineering, geology, metallurgy, naval
architecture and marine engineering.

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IN memory of Margaret S. Cheney a women's reading room
has been established in the main educational building.
The room is maintained from the income of a fund created
by Mrs. Edna Dow Cheney.

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THE Emma Rogers Room, in the main building, was
named in honor of Mrs. "William Barton Rogers, the
wife of Technology's founder and first president. The walls
are handsomely panelled in oak, making an attractive recep-
tion room for the women students.

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EAST of the educational group, facing the river, is the
Walker Memorial, erected by the alumni in memory of
Francis Amasa Walker, former president of the Institute. It
is a clubhouse and headquarters for the students, a meeting
place for the various activities of college life, and a place of
recreation and amusement.

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THE second floor of the Walker Memorial consists of read-
ing, writing and social rooms, with special rooms for the
faculty and alumni, and a handsome library. A portion of
the hall is seen on the opposite page, with a glimpse of the
library, and above is the directors' room for meetings of the
directors of the Institute.

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THE dining hall on the main floor of the Walker Memo-
rial is used also as an auditorium. Extra seating space is
provided in the balcony on the second floor. The rest of the
main floor consists of a lobby and several lounging rooms.

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ONE of the popular features o{ the Walker Memorial is
the gymnasium on the third floor, directly above the
auditorium. Convenient on the same floor are shower baths,
toilets and utility rooms. Billiard rooms and bowling alleys
are situated in the basement.

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LOOKING westward along the Cambridge waterfront we
have on the right the dormitories and the president's
house, next the Walker Memorial, and at the left the build-
ings of the main educational group.

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THE dormitory buildings are built in two wings four stories
high, radiating from a central tower of six stories, and
terminating at each end in a three-storied bay. The presi-
dent's house occupies the southwest corner of the plot.

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THE three-storied bays at the two extremities of the dor-
mitory buildings are treated with flat pilasters, decorative
niches and an open balustrade above. Projecting bays mark
the entrances to the different student houses and break the
long wall surfaces of the two wings.

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THE first floors of the dormitory sections are devoted to
single bedrooms, and the remaining floors to suites for
two or three men, usually consisting of a study, dressing
room and bedroom. Toilet facilities are provided on each
floor, and most of the single bedrooms are complete with
lavatories.

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EVERY section in the dormitory buildings has its own
entrance and staircase, making of each a complete unit.
The end sections are occupied by fraternities, and a fraternity
living room is here shown. The fraternities have their own
kitchens and dining rooms.

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THE president's house faces the Charles River, forming
one corner of the dormitory group. The buildings on
either side are the end sections of the dormitories.

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THE president's house is surrounded by a wall enclosing
at the back a formal garden with brick walks, teahouse,
fountain and shrubbery. The view shown is from one of the
dormitories looking across the garden toward the Walker
Memorial.

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FROM these dormitory windows overlooking the quiet
beauty of the formal garden one views the smoking chim-
neys and busy thoroughfares of an industrial city.

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Smith Endicott Company
Boston

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