Current News
Connecticut College awarded $28.5k grant for historic steel house
December 08, 2008
NEW LONDON, Conn. - Connecticut College has been awarded a $28,500 grant from the Dr. Scholl Foundation to support the rehabilitation of the college's notable steel house, purchased in 1933 by Winslow Ames, the founding director of New London's Lyman Allyn Art Museum.
The grant will assist the college in preserving the frameless steel-panel prefabricated house. Abigail Van Slyck, the Dayton Professor of Art History, Chair of the Art History Department and Director of the Architectural Studies Program at the college, and Doug Royalty, a preservation specialist, will oversee the project.
"This grant from the Dr. Scholl Foundation is particularly exciting in that it allows us to undertake lead-paint abatement," Van Slyck said. "It may not be glamorous, but it is an essential first step in preserving this rare early example of prefabricated, modern housing. Once the abatement is completed, it will be easier-and safer-to allow visitors to see the innovative, frameless structural system and super-efficient planning of this 800-square-foot house."
Several prefabricated houses were displayed at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, where they were touted as the answer to the housing crisis of the Great Depression. Ames attended the fair and was fascinated by the steel "machine for living." Excited about the possibilities of prefabricated housing, he and his wife built the steel home, as well as another two-bedroom house assembled from panels of specially formulated asbestos cement, on two small lots on Mohegan Ave. Both were sold to Connecticut College in 1949.
The second house, now known as the Winslow Ames House, was rehabilitated in 1994 and is now used as office space by the college. The steel house, however, was used as faculty housing until 2004 and has remained largely unchanged. In July 2007, the house was listed on the State Register of Historic Places; a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places at a national level of significance has recently been approved by the State Historic Preservation Board.
About the Dr. Scholl Foundation
The Dr. Scholl Foundation was established by Dr. William M. Scholl in 1947. It is a private, independent grant-making foundation created for charitable purposes. The Dr. Scholl Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work and compassion. Grants are made annually after an extensive review by the staff and all the directors of the Dr. Scholl Foundation.
About Connecticut College
Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college's 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.
-CC-
For more information contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu