West Hall (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Old Troy Hospital
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After the 2004-2008 exterior renovation
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 8th Street, Troy, New York, USA |
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| Built | 1869 |
| Architect | Marcus F. Cummings |
| Architectural style | French Second Empire |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001257 |
| Added to NRHP | October 25, 1973 |
West Hall is a cool building at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. It's located in New York State, USA. Today, it's where RPI's Arts Department is located. Before becoming part of RPI, it was a hospital. It's so old and important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Troy Hospital.
A special stone on the building says that the first stone for the Troy Hospital was placed on June 28, 1868. The hospital opened in 1869. It was run by a group of nuns called the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. The building was designed by Marcus F. Cummings, a famous architect from Troy. It's a great example of French Second Empire architecture, which was popular a long time ago.
In 1922, the Sisters of Charity sold the building. It became a Catholic High School in 1923. Then, in 1952, RPI bought the building and named it West Hall. They called it West Hall because it was one of the buildings furthest west on their campus. After a big makeover, RPI's School of Humanities and Social Sciences moved in. The Geology Department also used to be there. There was even a geology museum in the basement! You can still see some parts of it today.
Today, West Hall has many offices, art studios, and practice rooms. The Rensselaer Symphony Orchestra uses it for rehearsals. There's also a large auditorium for performances and smaller rooms for music practice.
Between 2004 and 2008, the outside of West Hall got a major update. This was partly paid for by a special grant. The building was repainted and fixed up. The front steps were also redesigned. In 2008 and 2009, new stairs were built on the north side of the building. Strong concrete walls were also added to hold back the hill.
Some people have heard a story about "cables" holding West Hall up. The story says these cables were put in place to keep the building from sliding down the hill. They were supposedly anchored to strong rock near another building called Walker Labs.
However, a professor named Thomas Zimmie, who teaches Civil Engineering at RPI, says this is just a myth. He explains that these kinds of stories pop up all over the world. Professor Zimmie says, "There are no cables holding West Hall." He agrees that there are some slope issues on campus, but they can be fixed. He also thinks any big problem with the hill would take "at least a few thousand years" to happen. So, no need to worry about West Hall sliding away!
Contents
Building History
West Hall has had a few different lives over the years. It started as a hospital, then became a high school, and now it's part of RPI.
Troy Hospital (1871–1913)
The building first opened as Troy Hospital in the fall of 1871. It was the second location for Troy Hospital, which was started by the Daughters of Charity in 1850. The new building was built on higher ground. This was done to get more "natural ventilation," which meant better airflow and fresh air.
The architect, Marcus F. Cummings, designed the hospital in a style sometimes called the "Grant Style." This was named after the president at the time. The hospital was meant to help "the poor and needy of the city." It also helped factory workers and Irish Catholic immigrants. Over time, it also added private rooms for richer people in Troy. In 1905, the hospital even had horse-drawn ambulances to pick up patients! The building was not used between 1913 and 1923.
Catholic Central High School (1923–1952)
In the spring of 1923, a leader named Bishop Gibbons wanted to turn the old Troy Hospital into a Catholic Central High School. They raised a lot of money, about $250,000, to fix up the building. They added an auditorium, a gym, and a cafeteria.
Classes for the new high school started in 1923. However, the building wasn't ready yet. So, students had classes at another location until early 1924. During its time as Catholic Central High School, West Hall got many of the classroom layouts we see today. It even had separate entrances for boys and girls! You can still see the "Boys" sign on the southernmost entrance and the "Girls" sign on the northernmost entrance. The building became part of RPI in 1952.
Gallery
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West Hall at twilight, June, 2009
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Descriptive plaque on front steps
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Postcard of Troy Hospital from 1913
