The
Historic
District of the Georgia Institute of Technology
, also known as the Old Campus of
Georgia Tech or the Hill District, is
significant in the areas of architecture, education, engineering
and science, as well as landscape architecture. The
area is a
Registered Historic
Place and part of the central campus of Georgia Tech.
Located in
Midtown Atlanta
, Georgia
, United
States
, it is roughly bounded by North Avenue on the South, Bobby Dodd
Stadium
, a 55,000 seat football stadium on the East, Bobby Dodd Way on the North and
Cherry Street on the West.
Environs
The Georgia Institute of Technology Historic District is situated
on and around the crest of "the Hill," the highest elevation of the
school's original nine-
acre campus. Comprising 12 buildings, the Old Campus is a
landscaped cluster of mixed-period classroom, dormitory and
administrative brick buildings. Buildings of the Old Campus include
the Carnegie Building, which was the campus library until 1953; the
Georgia Tech President's Office is now located there. Lyman Hall
Laboratory, named after
Lyman
Hall, one of Georgia Tech's earlier presidents, was the
school's first Chemistry Building. The YMCA Building, funded by
John D. Rockefeller in 1910, now houses the
Georgia Tech Alumni Association Offices.
The random placement
of these buildings around the centrally positioned Administration
Building ("Tech
Tower
") has created unique urban spaces. Hundred
year-old trees shade the red brick buildings and enhance the sense
of special enclosure. A brick roadway, Uncle Heinie Way, wraps
itself around the Administration Building forming a "loop" and
provides both service and vehicular access to the buildings in this
portion of the Campus. A new plaza, Harrison Square, (1968), which
both a hard surface of brick and concrete as well as an open green
space, was created after the demolition of the Old Shop, the
successor of the original (a near-twin to the adjacent
Administration building which burned down shortly after its
completion).
Style, Form, Planning
The Old Campus of Georgia Tech is significant for more than just
the design of the buildings of which it is comprised. As is evident
in the placement of the buildings, little thought was actually
given to the future expansion of the then young technological
school. Instead, the site planning was carried out in such a manner
as to meet the immediate and pressing needs of the school. This
practical approach has created the significant quality of space.
The harmony found within the Old Campus is attributed to the fact
that almost all of the buildings were built within a short span of
time—from 1885 to 1923. Though all exhibit a consistent approach in
design and construction, none include a repetition of style or
form.
National Register of Historic Places
In 1978, the area was added to the
National Register of
Historic Places. Near the entrance to Tech Tower, an
historical marker maintained by the
Georgia
Historical Society commemorates this listing as well as the
early
history of the Georgia
Tech campus.
The twelve buildings
The Old Shop could be considered a "thirteenth building." Erected
in 1888, it was destroyed by a fire in 1892 and a replacement was
built in the same year. The second shop building was demolished in
1968.
See also
References
- Chapin Building, Georgia Institute of Technology
campus map. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- Meeting Minutes, August 2003 — Committee on Real
Estate & Facilities, Item 5, Board of Regents of the
University System of Georgia. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- Inventory of the L. W. "Chip" Robert, Jr.
Alumni/Faculty House Dedication Records, 1979, Georgia Tech
Archives and Records Management. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
Bibliography
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