| Marshall University Architectural Guide by Carlos Bozzoli, Architect The John Deaver Drinko Academy |
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Science Building |
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View from northeast
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The older building, built from 1947 to 1950, is a long block with recessions and with a central wall, lightly convex, that was the rear part of a central auditorium; rendered in stucco, it is windowless, and appears protruding to the main façade, facing 3rd. Avenue. From the outside this huge curved wall is divided in three bays, one central and wider, the other two narrower, separated by a pair of Corinthian pilasters. The central panel bears the inscription “Science is truth; Truth is beauty”, and the side panels bears the images of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Alva Edison. The names of Chamberlin and Gibbs appear as well, for the Americans geologist and mathematician, respectively. A rusticated basement, with huge make-believe stucco stone blocks, supports the central protruding volume. This prominent feature in the North façade was the back of the auditorium, no longer existing. The main block, however, is a three story building with 4 bays of grouped sashes paneled windows and two bays, one at each corner, of one sash paneled windows. The corners have quoins that end the brick colored masonry walls. To emphasize the verticality of this central protruding volume, the lateral bays are vertically continued by a stucco finished channeled surface that coincides with the windows width, giving the idea of a high pilaster. The central part of the older building has a cornice and is crowned by a fancy, un-classical balustrade. The building ends in two aisles lightly receded that finishes with a pediment supported by pilasters at each side. These hesitations in the use of the classical language are typical of buildings designed in classical style after WW II, when already the whole classical system was put into question. The 1992-1994 intervention consisted of renovations to the Old Science Building, and was designed by Abramovitz, Kingsley, Schiff Architects. Almost all parts of the older building have been modified with the extensions of 1984 and 1992. An interesting interior space, now covered by a glass roof, appears in the 4th Floor halls, at each extreme of the building. Parts of the old building are unveiled (a full scale top of Corinthian pilaster and capital) and appear mixed with the modern language of the new building extension.  The connection between the old and the new building is performed by a change of materials, using a recessed, paneled glass curtain wall that cut off the old façade at the pediment corners that marks the extremes of the old building at each side. The heights of the new and old buildings coincide, therefore the point of union between old and new is not perceived as abrupt or disruptive. The 1984 addition has been designed by Tinsley- Azariah- Galyean Architects and VVKR partnership, and was about 65000 sf. The walls have been rendered in red brick masonry, as to fit with the older building giving the compound a sense of unity. The expansions are facing the center of MU Campus, and the general shape is clearly horizontal, with three long bands of red brick masonry, which separates the floors.  View from the inner campus,looking north The shape of this building clearly marks the northern limit of the open space of the inner campus, as there are no great trees that would veil this façade. The ground floor, seen from outside, is concealed by the sheds of a greenhouse that covers almost all the building width. Two auxiliary entrances are on each side of the south façade. |
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