Stratton Hall (1894-present)
Stratton Hall as it appeared shortly after its construction in 1894. At this point, there was no paved West Street, and the Project Center had not yet been built, but Washburn Shops appears to the right. Also notice the plaque above the main entrance: it proclaims the building to be the "Engineering Laboratories," the original name. The plaque is now displayed in the lower entry area.
Originally designated the engineering laboratories, Stratton Hall helped house the expanding mechanical engineering department. It accompanied the recent building of the Power House and the Hydraulics Laboratory around 1894, at a cost of $46,000.
Stratton occupies a site across from the Washburn Shops on West Street. It is a four story building 116 feet long and 53 feet deep. Its physical appearance is similar to the Salisbury laboratories since both designs were provided by Earle and Fisher.
The building was named for Charles G. Stratton '75. A civil engineering graduate of WPI, Stratton spent most of his time with the Curtis Manufacturing Company. Purchasing the company in 1901, he sold it in 1911 to the Worcester Electric Light Company. Stratton served WPI faithfully as a member of the Alumni Association. He also assisted in the purchase of Bliss Field in 1909, the first step towards new athletic facilities at WPI.
Originally, the first and second floors contained undivided space, while the third floor contained a lecture hall, library, and recitation rooms. The fourth floor housed two drawing rooms, a machine design room, and a model room. These facilities allowed the majority of the mechanical engineering department to move out of Salisbury Laboratories and Boynton Hall. Stratton Hall housed mechanical engineering until 1942 when plans for a new mechanical engineering building were approved.
Following the vacancy left by the mechanical engineering department in 1942, the civil engineering department was slated to occupy Stratton Hall. In 1943 however, WPI was chosen as one of the 22 colleges to direct the Navy V-12 Program. This officer training program required the use of many facilities on campus including Stratton Hall. The building served as quarters for Navy seamen while Sanford Riley was commandeered as officers quarters. A wartime training center was developed under WPI's physical education department providing the students with callisthenic drills. The V-12 Program continued until June of 1946.
The Mathematics and English Departments shared Stratton Hall after the departure of the Navy. As both departments grew in size, constraints on the facilities became apparent, and in the mid-1960's, the English department was relocated to Salisbury Laboratories. In 1979, the Department of Mathematics changed its name to the Department of Mathematical Sciences - the name by which it is known today.
While for many years the upper floors have been the home of academic departments, the basement of Stratton Hall has housed a variety of operations. These have included the Carpentry Shop, the first WPI computer and the Campus Police. When the Police left for Dean St., their former space became the new home of the Human Resources Department. Currently Stratton is home to Mathematical Sciences and the Carpentry Shop.
- Excerpts from the Tech Bible of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1990
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: September 25, 2006 12:20:09