Amherst College and the hurricane of 1938

Amherst College and the hurricane of 1938

by | Sep 5, 2022 | Blog

The War Memorial at Amherst College, with its panoramic view of the Holyoke Range, and the Main Quadrangle, with its lush carpet of grass and soaring tree canopy, almost surely are the most beloved outdoor spaces at Amherst College. Each appears inevitable, timeless, as if it had always been there. In fact, both are relatively recent additions to the campus, which looked very different before their creation in 1939 and 1946, respectively.

Last spring, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin, Amherst College class of 1979, spoke to us about the building of Amherst College’s Johnson Chapel. On Friday, September 9, at noon, he will return to discuss how the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 and World War II led to a profound reorientation of Amherst’s hilltop campus. He will also paint a portrait of the little-known landscape architect who designed these signature spaces. The lecture will conclude with an analysis of the War Memorial’s original design as well as an appreciation of how the passage of time has transformed the memorial into the campus icon it is today. A question-and-answer session will follow.

 

This lecture will be on Friday, September 9, at noon, over Zoom; the link is   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81792085843
Early Amherst College

Early Amherst College

by | Mar 20, 2022 | Blog

Blair Kamin’s talk about Amherst College architecture is now online for viewing.

On February 25, Mr Kamin gave a highly informative talk about the early growth of Amherst College — the plethora of small contributions which made the college a truly local, community project, and Adam Johnson’s deathbed contribution which enabled the completion of Johnson Chapel. He also discusses the architectural roots of the campus plan — the acropolis, or ‘high city’ — and of the simple, austere campus war memorial.

You may view the recording of the lecture here.

Coming up next week: Dr. Julie Dobrow will return to the Amherst Historical Society to talk about her upcoming book, Crossing Indian Country: From the Wounded Knee Massacre to the Unlikely Marriage of Elaine Goodale and Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohíye S’a). She will give the lecture at noon on Friday, March 25, in the Woodbury Room of Jones Library.

Early Architecture at Amherst College

Early Architecture at Amherst College

by | Feb 24, 2022 | Blog

Our popular History Bites lecture series is starting its 2022 season. On Friday, February 25, a noon, we will host a Zoom lecture from Mr Blair Kamin:

Amherst in the Beginning: The Making of an Academic Acropolis

This talk describes how the people of the town of Amherst gave birth to the College—and how the Acropolis-like plan of the early College and its Greek Revival centerpiece reflected their highest aspirations. We’ll also consider the Northampton architect who likely designed Johnson Chapel and Adam Johnson, the childless Pelham farmer who left his fortune to the College, allowing the fledgling but cash-poor institution to complete construction of the edifice that bears his name.

“In a dynamic society like ours, the old sometimes needs to give way to the new, not just for ‘progress’ but to make way for new landmarks and new stories. Still, when we seek to convey the power of the past, it’s hard to compete with the arresting, three-dimensional reality of architecture, whether it takes the form of the over-the-top Tiffany dome at the Chicago Cultural Center or the restrained purity of Johnson Chapel.”

Blair Kamin, the former architecture critic of the Chicago Tribune, is the author of “Amherst College: The Campus Guide,” published by Princeton Architectural Press. He is a winner of numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Mr Kamin will speak over Zoom at noon on Friday, February 25. The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89873360775

And on Friday, March 11, Mr John Hanson will deliver a live lecture at noon in the Jones Library Woodbury Room. His topic: Reading Early Epitaphs in Amherst’s West Cemetery.

Biography of Edward Hitchcock

Biography of Edward Hitchcock

by | Sep 10, 2021 | 2021 History Bites

by Robert McMaster

Edward Hitchcock was one of the most eminent American scientists of his time, a popular professor and president at Amherst College, and an inspired preacher. But, nearly 160 years after his death, his story has never really been told. So in his new book, All the Light Here Comes from Above: The Life and Legacy of Edward Hitchcock, Williamsburg author Robert T. McMaster at last brings to light the many facets of one of this state’s and the nation’s most famous sons.

(video in process)