SOM Entry Pavilion & Offices

The existing buildings on Hillhouse, number 52 to the south, designed by Henry Austin in 1849 and number 56 to the north, designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1837, currently accommodate the administration and faculty. Visitors arriving at this double front, find themselves a full story above the main levels of the buildings to the west. At the center north, 60 Sachem Street, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in 1960, forms the bar of the ‘H’ the legs of which were designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes in 1978. The entry on Sachem is the least frequently used., The old carriage house on the west at 135 Prospect became a part of the Barnes scheme and the school in 1978. The students enter primarily from this side because it leads past the mailroom directly to the classrooms as well as all other academic activities. The SOM dining hall is also directly across the street.

The new centered entry pavilion with a linking colonnade is between and behind the existing buildings on Hillhouse. In addition twelve new faculty offices are to be located beyond, on top of the existing Sachem Street building. The front garden or court establishes a new center by eliminating the paths to 52 & 56 Hillhouse and adding a new bluestone walk from the sidewalk to the new entry. The existing paths will be abandoned two stone pillars of the old paths are relocated to frame a new threshold at the street. The new entry and colonnade are designed to be compatible with the grand domestic scale of the 19th century houses. The additions on top of the existing buildings are designed to fit with the buildings beneath while enhancing the spatial qualities and legibility of the center court. The proposed connections, horizontally between the first floors of 52 and 56 and vertically with a more direct stair and elevator serving all levels of the academic buildings, improve the overall accessibility.