Sunday, July 24, 2022

Secret Societies

Your Mission: Find as many of these listed secret societies as you are able, plus find two more not listed here, take your own photo of these building but from another angle, then research this society - how long they have been in operation, who do they accept, and name some of their famous alumni.

Make your own blog post of your findings.

Scroll and Key

Wolf's Head

Skull and Bones

Book and Snake

St. Elmo

Berzelius

LINKS FOR INFO

Aurelian Honor Society

Berzelius

Book and Snake

Elihu (secret society)

Linonian Society

Wolf's Head

Yale Society for the Exploration of Campus Secrets

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Friday at Yale's Outdoor Education Center

From Picnicking to Paddling at the YOEC

The lakefront property is a bit “hidden” in the sense that it is a 42-mile trip from Yale’s central campus...

...a very popular and bustling summertime leisure destination for Yale students, faculty, and staff, and their families. Many Yale departments host summer meetings and yearly celebratory gatherings there...

Open from mid-June through Labor Day, the OEC is available to the entire Yale community, either through a seasonal membership or a day fee. Visitors are welcome to swim at the lifeguard-attended beach or to use the center’s watercraft, which include single and two-person kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards. Fishing off the dock is also available

A lakeside pavilion boasting large picnic tables, a grill, serving area, and a brand-new expansive deck with seating is available for group rentals. A gazebo, also with a grill and tables, serves as an ideal spot for smaller group gatherings.

“It offers a real tonic against the stresses of the world, a chance to picnic in a beautiful environment and then enjoy time out the water,”.....

“Where else can you on any day in the summer come in, park your car, swim, go out on a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard, take a hike, and have a picnic — in a place that is as scenic as this one."

Sterling Library, the Collegiate Gothic Architectural Style and Sketching Details

Sterling Library's Architectural Surprises

“Throughout SML, in almost every available wood, stone, and plaster surface, is carved a design that will remind the viewer of the dignity and significance of learning in general and of libraries in particular. A visitor passing through the archway separating the nave from the exhibition corridor will walk beneath four quotations on the value of written knowledge. Above the circulation desk, field bosses on the ceiling represent various writing implements, from quill pen to typewriter keyboard; and a painting of Alma Mater on the back wall is surrounded by allegorical figures representing her academic schools. In the exhibition corridor, stone corbels picture scenes that include a fifteenth century scholar, a reader with a book and jug, and a student receiving his diploma.

Find a characterisitc feauture of the Collegiate Gothic style in the library, whether it be an arched window, a doorway, a vaulted ceiling, a bas relief or anything that catches your eye, then take a photo, draw a sketch, comment and post that work on your blog. All work should be done during your time here.

Photo and Sketch Compliments of Edgar in the Intensive English Program 2022

Collegiate Gothic Style 1890 - 1940

History

The Collegiate Gothic Revival style is an early 20th century adaptation of the 19th century Gothic Revival style to serve a specific function, educational buildings. The Gothic Revival style, which flourished from the period of 1830 through 1890 in the United States, was often chosen for churches and institutional buildings due to its impressive, medievally-inspired form. In the early 20th century the Gothic Revival style reappeared for an appropriate choice for both university and secondary school buildings. Prominent universities such as Boston College, Yale, Duke, and Princeton employed the Collegiate Gothic Revival style in this period to create an atmosphere of respected antiquity.

In the 1920s and 30s, many new public and private schools were built in Pennsylvania as a result of changes in educational policy. These new larger and more complex school buildings had specialized space design for cafeterias, gyms and technical training and were often of Collegiate Gothic style. While these designs were sometimes rather pared down versions of the more ornate forms of the style with only a few decorative details like an arched and recessed entryway or a few decorative panels, these school buildings are clearly part of the Gothic Revival tradition. Masonry construction lent a sense of permanence and substance, a fitting image for the public education system, especially as it strove for even greater academic offerings.

The Collegiate Gothic Revival style can be found throughout the state in the public and private secondary schools of cities and towns, and also on university campuses. The Philips Memorial Building at West Chester University is a noted example of this style and was built in 1927. Constructed in 1930, Bishop McDevitt High School (originally called Catholic High School) in Harrisburg is another good example of this style as seen as a private secondary school.

Common Building Types

high schools
colleges
administrative buildings

Identifiable Features

Gothic arch window and door openings
Masonry (brick or stone) construction
Bas relief decorative panels or plaques
Portico or recessed porch entryway
Buttresses
Tracery windows
Crenulated parapet
Tower or spire

from:http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/collegiate-gothic.html

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Leitner Observatory Tonight

Tuesday-night outdoor observing sessions will begin at 8:30PM ET (weather permitting). Please always check the LFOP twitter feed for the most up-to-date information.