College Hall (La Salle University)
Encyclopedia
College Hall is the original academic building on La Salle University
's campus, It is located at 1900 W. Olney Avenue in Philadelphia. College Hall presently houses the Schools of Business and Business Administration, the Campus Ministry Center, and the La Salle University Archives. It is attached to the Christian Brother's Residence, and is on La Salle's main quadrangle.
near the interaction with Stiles Street, purchased its present campus at 20th Street and Olney Avenue in 1926. Impressed with St. Joseph's College's new Barbelin Hall
, La Salle contracted builder and alumnus John McShain
to construct the buildings for its new campus. Construction of College Hall, along with the Christian Brother's Residence and Wister Hall began in 1928, and the building was complete by September 1929, when La Salle College High School
temporarily moved into the building. La Salle College moved into the building in March 1930, and it was dedicated by Cardinal Dougherty
on 24 May 1931.
Due to a lack of funds, the building was not completed as originally planned. Present-day College Hall had been intended to house La Salle College High School, and an un-built east wing of the building would have contained the college itself. Attached to this planned wing, and located roughly where present-day McShain Hall is, would have been a large auditorium. La Salle had planned to eventually construct this un-built wing, resulting in east wall of the building being "temporary" plaster instead of brick.
Initially, the lack of funds also resulted in the first and fourth floors also being incomplete. On the third floor, the college housed student athletes who lived too far to commute to school. They lived in what had been intended to be classrooms, and slept twelve to a room. This arrangement continued throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s.
were held. On 11 February 1958, then-Senator John F. Kennedy
spoke in this auditorium upon receiving an honorary degree from La Salle. This auditorium was converted into the De La Salle Chapel in 1965.
Science labs were located on each of the upper floors until the 1980s. The second floor housed a physics lab, the third a biology and an anatomy lab, and the fourth a chemistry lab.
From the 1930s until the late 1950s, La Salle's library was located on the second floor facing the quadrangle. Upon the completion of the David Leo Lawrence Building, the books were moved there, and the space was converted into classrooms.
program. The sit-in lasted four days, with students working in shifts. After the fourth day, the college decided to accept the student's demands, and ended its mandatory ROTC policy.
, and the School of Business Administration took over most of the classrooms.
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...
's campus, It is located at 1900 W. Olney Avenue in Philadelphia. College Hall presently houses the Schools of Business and Business Administration, the Campus Ministry Center, and the La Salle University Archives. It is attached to the Christian Brother's Residence, and is on La Salle's main quadrangle.
Construction
La Salle College, then located on Broad StreetBroad Street (Philadelphia)
Broad Street is a major arterial street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is nearly 13 miles long.It is Pennsylvania Route 611 along its entire length with the exception of its northernmost part between Old York Road and Pennsylvania Route 309 and the southernmost part south of Interstate 95...
near the interaction with Stiles Street, purchased its present campus at 20th Street and Olney Avenue in 1926. Impressed with St. Joseph's College's new Barbelin Hall
Barbelin Hall
Barbelin Hall is the most enduring and memorable building on the campus of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The structure was completed in 1927 and was the first building on the current City Avenue campus known as Hawk Hill. The building is known for its 165 foot tower which...
, La Salle contracted builder and alumnus John McShain
John McShain
John McShain was a highly successful American building contractor known as "The Man Who Built Washington."...
to construct the buildings for its new campus. Construction of College Hall, along with the Christian Brother's Residence and Wister Hall began in 1928, and the building was complete by September 1929, when La Salle College High School
La Salle College High School
La Salle College High School founded in 1858 is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for boys located in Wyndmoor, a community in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, outside Philadelphia. The school is staffed by a lay faculty and the Christian...
temporarily moved into the building. La Salle College moved into the building in March 1930, and it was dedicated by Cardinal Dougherty
Dennis Joseph Dougherty
Dennis Joseph Dougherty was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951, and was created a cardinal in 1921.-Early life and education:...
on 24 May 1931.
Due to a lack of funds, the building was not completed as originally planned. Present-day College Hall had been intended to house La Salle College High School, and an un-built east wing of the building would have contained the college itself. Attached to this planned wing, and located roughly where present-day McShain Hall is, would have been a large auditorium. La Salle had planned to eventually construct this un-built wing, resulting in east wall of the building being "temporary" plaster instead of brick.
Initially, the lack of funds also resulted in the first and fourth floors also being incomplete. On the third floor, the college housed student athletes who lived too far to commute to school. They lived in what had been intended to be classrooms, and slept twelve to a room. This arrangement continued throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s.
After Completion
On the building's first floor was an auditorium where dances, plays, exams, assemblies, and massesMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
were held. On 11 February 1958, then-Senator John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
spoke in this auditorium upon receiving an honorary degree from La Salle. This auditorium was converted into the De La Salle Chapel in 1965.
Science labs were located on each of the upper floors until the 1980s. The second floor housed a physics lab, the third a biology and an anatomy lab, and the fourth a chemistry lab.
From the 1930s until the late 1950s, La Salle's library was located on the second floor facing the quadrangle. Upon the completion of the David Leo Lawrence Building, the books were moved there, and the space was converted into classrooms.
Student Protest
In April 1969 College Hall was the location of a sit-in conducted by about two to three hundred students. The students were protesting La Salle's policy that mandated that all freshmen and sophomores participate in La Salle's ROTCReserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
program. The sit-in lasted four days, with students working in shifts. After the fourth day, the college decided to accept the student's demands, and ended its mandatory ROTC policy.
Renovations
Starting in the 1980s, College Hall underwent significant renovations. The mail room, located on the first floor, was moved to McCarthy StadiumMcCarthy Stadium
McCarthy Stadium, The Mac, is a 7,500-seat multi-purpose stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is home to the La Salle University Explorers men's and women's soccer teams. It was previously the home to the university's American football team until it was discontinued in 2007 after a seven year...
, and the School of Business Administration took over most of the classrooms.