THE PHOENIX FUND PROGRESS REPORT NEWS OF THE PROGRAM TO REBUILD COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC VOLUME 1 NUMBER 1 FEBRUARY 1985 Dr. Thomas S. Hall, to assure that the architecture of the new buildings and surrounding landscaping would Chairman of the Board, work with the existing buildings and exterior spaces. The spectacular site overlooking the ocean, introduces Phoenix Fund composed of nineteenth century formal gardens and terrain, both natural and man-made, is Progress Report fundamental to the overall concept of the plan. "The master planning process was an oppor- The Phoenix Fund Progress Report is a newsletter tunity to build on the existing academic programs designed to keep you-alumni, parents, and other and the in-place physical campus elements, and to good friends of COA-informed of the progress of resolve some of the conflicts inherent in the orig- the Phoenix Fund and the rebuilding program. inal ad-hoc layout of the College," Mr. Scully ex- As most of you know, on July 25, 1983, Kaelber plained. "Effort was made throughout to consis- Hall, the center of campus activity since the tently maintain the interdisciplinary mix which is key College's inception, was totally destroyed by a fire to the COA philosophy of bringing ideas together that began in the early hours of that morning. By rather than separating by disciplines. mid-afternoon, the Board of Trustees had gathered "Several mixed-use buildings are more appro- in an emergency meeting to assess the physical priate to the needs and image of the College than loss and decide a course of action. one larger building," said Mr. Scully. "This ap- Within days of Within days a new vision of COA began to proach is also more appropriate to the sequencing the fire a new emerge. In the smoldering ruins, a parallel was of buildings dictated by the financial realities of vision of COA seen between the ecology of a forest regenerating the College in its rebuilding process. Equally, sev- began to after a fire and COA's future. At the time of the eral smaller buildings lend themselves more read- emerge. fire, literature instructor Susan Lerner pointed out ily to the use of passive solar energy for heating that the Chinese character for the word "crisis" is and for the provision of energy-saving daylight a combination of the signs for danger and oppor- evenly to the spaces. tunity, with the emphasis on opportunity. A tragic "The fire created a huge void in the middle of situation created the opportunity to design and the campus. Ironically, that void opened all eyes build new facilities to better serve the College's to the full wonder of the view to the ocean. The educational mission. best site can be lost by putting a building on it. It A three-year intensive capital campaign to raise is often better to construct a building adjacent to $5 million was organized. The Phoenix Fund, the site in order to preserve its quality." named for the legendary bird who was consumed The planning has shifted the focus of activities by fire and rose from its own ashes, was officially slightly to the south, toward The Turrets, and has launched at a meeting of the Board of Trustees in attempted to leave the northern area undisturbed, New York City on November 15, 1983. as an heirloom too important to be used other Through the The Phoenix Fund is the medium through which the than as it is now. Phoenix Fund College will gain the necessary funds to rebuild the "Previously, there was a perceived distance COA will gain campus and achieve long-term financial stability. between Kaelber Hall and The Turrets," said the necessary As you will see in this first report, substantial Mr. Scully. "Now emphasis is placed on coordi- funds to rebuild progress has been made in the initial year of fund- nating the administrative offices in The Turrets the campus. raising and the first stage of rebuilding is underway. with academic activities and several key class- We hope you will follow our progress with interest rooms. Also, as with the new auditorium, The and give your support to the Phoenix Fund over the next several years. Tom Hall Thomas S. Hall, Ph.D. Chairman of the Board of Trustees The architecture of the new buildings and Master plan approved landscaping is designed to A master plan for the rebuilding program of work with exist- College of the Atlantic was enthusiastically ap- ing buildings proved by the Board of Trustees at their annual and exterior meeting on August 14, 1984. Architect Dan Scully spaces. of Scully/Monahon, Architects designed the plan Architect's plans for Kaelber Hall complex Turrets is at the edge of the core campus and collection of books to be expanded to 50,000 vol- serves as public and campus meeting area. The umes compared to the former 16,000. Soundproof lower lawn between Kaelber Hall and the Ocean audio-visual booths and reading carrels will pro- serves to connect the two buildings. Rather than vide more than three times the study space for- the existing steep grade, the path will be across merly available. The shingled architectural style is level ground. Year-round vertical access from the consistent with the extraordinary architectural lower lawn to the upper grade elevation of heritage of Mount Desert Island. The location of Kaelber Hall will be made possible by a stairway the proposed auditorium establishes an access to It is hoped that and elevator to all three levels." Kaelber Hall along the north side of the renovated construction of With this master plan, the new Kaelber Hall will Carriage House, now science and art studios. the Kaelber Hall be the functional center of the campus; the new Mr. Scully has been working on the design complex can Thorndike Library will encompass the entire top development for Kaelber Hall and expects to com- begin in floor. In the library, an airy and spacious reading plete this phase in February. It is hoped that the September. room and porch will offer extraordinary views of construction phase can begin in September 1985, Frenchman Bay. Central, yet quiet, the library's provided the $2,400,000 needed to build Kaelber greatly enlarged stacks will allow the permanent Hall and the library has been raised. 10 10 6 1 2 9 10 3 8 5 4 7 10 Master Plan for rebuilding College of the Atlantic as proposed by Dan Scully of Scully/Monahon, Architects. 1 Kaelber Hall 2 Thorndike Library 3 Gates Auditorium 4 Science Labs 5 Visual Arts Studios 6 Turrets-Administration 7 Pottery/Kiln 8 Wood Shop 9 Maintenance 10 Housing 11 Pier Dan Scully, Architecture Magazine and won the award for the Best Built Institutional/Commercial building at the architect for 1980 International Passive Solar Energy Conference. Mr. Scully was awarded a Prix de Rome Fellowship in 1969. In 1977 he was selected to "40 rebuilding under 40" in Architecture & Urbanism Magazine. He was a member of the Board of Directors of program Total Environmental Action, Inc., from 1978-1981 and was vice president for Design. Dan Scully of Scully/Monahon, Architects, Mr. Scully's academic and institutional projects Peterborough, New Hampshire, was originally have included renovation of the energy education Mr. Scully's hired to design a new auditorium. After the fire, facility at the Fireboat House in New York City work includes Mr. Scully was asked to design a master plan to and renovation of the Music and Arts Center at extensive rebuild College of the Atlantic. Mr. Scully, who the Dwight Englewood School in New Jersey. Mr. experience in received his Masters of Architecture from Yale in Scully, who designed a house for Northeast solar and aca- 1970, has had extensive experience in solar and Utilities, Inc. Project Solar in Connecticut, says he demic design. academic design. prefers to use architecture to solve energy problems His designs have been published in national and rather than use mechanical systems to solve international magazines and in 1972 Mr. Scully problems created by the architecture. was awarded the Progressive Architecture An industrial process building designed by Mr. Magazine Annual Design Citation. His design for Scully as a pilot project for the EPA to clean up the Flat Rock Brook Nature Center in Englewood, one of the worst EPA Superfund hazardous waste New Jersey, was also published in Progressive sites is currently under construction.