Bronx Community College

Bronx Community College, New York, New York

Campus Heritage Plan, Table of Contents and List of Figures (PDF) 9.6 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 1, Sections I & II (PDF) 11.5 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 1, Section III, part 1 of 2 (PDF) 48.1 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 1, Section III, part 2 of 2 (PDF) 39.7 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 1, Section III & IV (PDF) 54.5 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 2, Section V (PDF) 49 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 2, Section VI & VII (PDF) 28.8 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 2, Section VIII (PDF) 60.3 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 2, Section IX, X, & XI (PDF) 11.9 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 3, Section XII, Appendix A & B (PDF) 40.7 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 3, Section XII, Appendix C, part 1 of 3 (PDF) 35.8 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 3, Section XII, Appendix C, part 2 of 3 (PDF) 58.6 MB

Campus Heritage Plan, Volume 3, Section XII, Appendix C, part 3 of 3 (PDF) 33.5 MB

The historic campus of Bronx Community College is one of the triumphs of late 19th-century American architecture. Designed by the firm McKim, Mead and White, under the direction of Stanford White, the complex includes Gould Memorial Library, modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, and the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. Clad with a distinctive yellow Roman brick trimmed with limestone and terra cotta and boasting elaborate interior spaces, these buildings have faced ongoing deterioration from water infiltration, failure of materials, and highway and industrial pollution. Grant support will assist in the creation of a conservation master plan, which will serve as a road map for all future conservation work on the buildings.

Bronx Community College received a Getty grant in 2004 for $228,000 to support campus heritage planning.

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Report Summary

Architects McKim, Mead & White created what would later become known as the "Stanford White Complex" for the uptown campus of New York University. The Library has interior finishes designed by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, plus a dome and tiles by R. Guastavino Co. The Hall of Fame includes ironwork by artist Samuel B. Yellin. Crow, Lewis & Wickenhoefer completed the design for Philosophy Hall. The 40-acre site has landscaping designed by McKim, Mead & White, with some assistance from Vaux & Co. and perhaps later modification by the Olmsted family.

The site was previously occupied by a Revolutionary War Fort and subsequently by the Mali Estate. CUNY’s Bronx Community College occupied the Complex in 1973.

Historic Designation(s): Gould Memorial Library, Language Hall, Hall of Fame of Great Americans, Philosophy Hall (National Register of Historic Places); Stanford White Complex and the Gould Library interior (New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission)

Planning Process Used

• Consultants researched archival documents including relevant drawings, specifications, correspondence, and aerial photographs, arranging material chronologically
• Consultants distinguished 5 units (distinct areas) within the overall cultural landscape, recording the relevant character-defining features (topography, vegetation, circulation, water features, furnishings)
• Consultants surveyed and conducted condition assessments of building envelopes, infrastructure, and landscape(s)
• Archival documents were photocopied for deposit with Bronx Community College
• Researchers reviewed preservation standards issued by the National Park Service and by the American Institute of Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works (AIC)
• Several conservation methods were tested for the buildings’ exterior and interior surfaces, e.g., chromochronology, efflorescence, cleaning Guastavino tiles, graffiti removal

Outcomes: Products

• Illustrated, detailed condition assessment for each building, organized by floor
• Conservation test results and related discussion
• Report section dedicated to and detailing development of a related education program
• List of sculpture subjects and sculptors for the Hall of Fame of Great Americans
• Illustrated discussions of stained glass, its history, and its maintenance and restoration, plus 19th century paint colors
• Glossary of stained glass terminology
• Assignment of responsibility for landscape maintenance
• Cultural landscape report developed for future findings

Outcomes: Plans

Education program related to preservation of historic buildings Outcomes: Policies and Practices Possible implementation of proposed method for developing an education program related to the preservation of historic buildings

Unique Features

• Specific mention of depositing archival materials with relevant institution
• Conservation testing and test results
• Cultural landscape report form
• Report section dedicated to and detailing development of a related education program
• Discussions of stained glass, its history, and its maintenance and restoration, plus 19th century paint colors
• List of Figures