January 26, 2000
... but structure survives with strength and permanence of stone
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
Walking into the lobby of Williard after Saturday morning's fire, even the first floor shows signs of the fight that was waged to save the building.
Ice is encrusted on the wood paneling, and workers from Cousino Construction Co. of Toledo are doing their best to keep the stone structure intact, with the final word on the future of the building not expected for another month.
It was a grand building, with mahogany wood paneling on the walls and ceiling, and a grand staircase that climbed to the third floor.
It resembled a small castle, with turrets that housed suites of rooms that housed three students, and a small dining room on the first floor, affectionately known as the "'Berg Room.''
The following historical information on Williard Hall was taken from a book on Heidelberg's history titled, "Heidelberg: Democratic Christian College, 1850-1950,'' written by E.I.F. Williams.
Williard Hall, built in 1907, has a long and distinguished history. It was named for George Williard, Heidelberg president from 1866 to 1890. The president of the college in the early 1900s, Charles Miller, wished to attract more women students to the college. Because of that, the first women's dormitory, Williard, was planned. It remained a women's dormitory until 1974.
Miller also believed that the beauty of Heidelberg's campus was its architecture. In particular, he liked to use Gothic stone, feeling that it denoted permanence, and that it was Gothic, to show the religious origin of the college.
When the decision to build came, he wished to use the limestone, rather than brick, yet only enough money was available for the brick. That was when he turned to the owners of the local limestone quarry, the Frances of Bloomville. They gave to the college the gift of the stone to build that hall, and four others on the campus.
At the time, the campus was situated more on Perry Street, and when the board of trustees voted to build Williard on South Greenfield, they met some derision for putting the dormitory "way off in the woods.'' The building, constructed to house 70 students, was considered by some to be so large the rooms would never be filled.
Patton and Miller of Chicago were chosen as the architects of Williard, and all of the other stone structures constructed on campus. The style of architecture used is Modern English Gothic, to be similar to the buildings that graced the campuses of Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge. The gray Bloomville limestone was topped with a red tile roof; the cut stone used came from Indiana and was Bedford limestone.
The three stories contained a reception room, parlor, dining room, kitchen, and literary society rooms. A hospital room and gymnasium also were found on the first floor, and the dormitory was considered one of the most modern, and beautiful, halls in Ohio.
Miller was so proud of this building project that during commencement exercises in 1906, a procession of students was assembled to march to the site of the new building. When Williard was dedicated, on June 12, 1907, a special speaker, Jane Addams of Hull House in Chicago, a prominent leader in women's activities and a well-known social worker, was there. She spoke on "Women's Need of Education in Collective Enterprise.''
The original structure was renovated in 1993, at which time the smoke alarms and safety sprinkler systems were installed.
An A-T article dated Sept. 22, 1993, quoted students as referring to the newly renovated dorm as the "Heidelberg Hilton'' or the "Stouffer's'' of Greenfield Street.
Work included wiring, plumbing, painting, new carpeting and furniture as well as the fire safety features. The building that sported refinished wood, brass trim, fancy lighting fixtures and plush carpeting was sought after as a living area by upperclass students. Lottery numbers were given out with lucky winners being given space there. Most rooms were double occupancy, although there were some singles available. The improvements were reported to have taken 90 days to complete.