The Nott Memorial is an elaborate 16-sided stone-masonry building which serves as both architectural and physical centerpiece of

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

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. Dedicated to

Eliphalet Nott Eliphalet Nott (June 25, 1773January 25, 1866), was a famed Presbyterian minister, inventor, educational pioneer, and long-term president of Union College, Schenectady, New York. Early life Nott was born at Ashford, Connecticut, on June 25, 1773 ...

, president of Union for a remarkable sixty-two years (1804–1866), the high by wide structure is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

, noted for its distinctive and colorful Victorian architecture.

Design

Officially designated Nott Memorial Hall but referred to by generations of students and faculty simply as "The Nott", the building's centrality and initial design trace back to Josef Ramee's 1813 conception of the school grounds, the first planned college campus in the United States. The Memorial was designed by

Edward Tuckerman Potter Edward Tuckerman Potter (September 25, 1831 – December 21, 1904) was an American architect best known for designing the 1871 Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut. With his half-brother William Appleton Potter, he also designed Nott M ...

, architect of area churches and homes, alumnus of the college, and grandson of President Nott. Construction began in 1858 and was completed in 1879. The result is one of very few 16-sided buildings in the world. For nearly a century the Nott was mostly open inside. In 1961 the college moved its bookstore into the basement and configured the first two floors into

theater in the round A theatre in the round, arena theatre or central staging is a space for theatre in which the audience surrounds the stage. Theatre-in-the-round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome, but was not widely explored aga ...

. The upper floors were eventually closed off and fell into disrepair.

Restoration

In 1993 the college began a complete renovation of the Nott, restoring it to its original design. The award-winning project was undertaken by noted Boston based architecture firm

Finegold Alexander + Associates Inc Finegold may refer to: *Finegold, California, former name of Fine Gold, California, community in Madera County * Barry Finegold (1971–), American politician * Ben Finegold (1969–), American chess International Grandmaster *Finegold Alexander Arc ...

and carried out by A.J. Martini, Inc., contractors. The bookstore and theater were moved to other locations on the campus, and in 1995 the Nott reopened on the celebration of Union's 200th anniversary. Once again, the center of the Nott is completely open to the top of its dome overhead. The main floor is a meeting room with seating for up to 400; the second and third levels ring the space and include galleries and informal meeting places for students. Two-hundred eighty-eight restored stained glass windows bathe the interior in colored light. Atop the dome a quotation in colored

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

from Rabbi

Tarfon Rabbi Tarfon or Tarphon ( he, רבי טרפון, from the Greek Τρύφων ''Tryphon''), a Kohen, was a member of the third generation of the Mishnah sages, who lived in the period between the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) and the f ...

, found in the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

Pirkei Avot Pirkei Avot ( he, פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת; also transliterated as ''Pirqei Avoth'' or ''Pirkei Avos'' or ''Pirke Aboth''), which translates to English as Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethics, ethical teachings and Maxim ...

2:15, which proclaims in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: "The day is short, and the work is plentiful, and the laborers are indolent, and the reward is great, and the master of the house is insistent." The Memorial was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1972 and was further declared a

in 1986. and

Mandeville Gallery

The Mandeville Gallery opened in 1995 following the major restoration of the Nott Memorial and is located on the second floor. The Mandeville Gallery presents changing exhibitions featuring nationally recognized, contemporary artists exploring modern issues. The Wikoff Student Gallery is located on the third floor of the Nott Memorial and presents changing exhibitions featuring the work of current, full-time Union College students. Due to the unusual architecture of the Nott Memorial, the Mandeville Gallery provides a unique environment for viewing exhibitions. The Gallery is a mezzanine, open to the floors above and below, and is composed of two semi-circular areas of viewing, creating an atypical but creative gallery venue. All gallery exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

References

External links

* * *https://muse.union.edu/mandeville/ {{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state) Monuments and memorials in New York (state) Union College (New York) Towers completed in 1879 Buildings and structures in Schenectady County, New York Tourist attractions in Schenectady County, New York Art museums and galleries in New York (state) Edward Tuckerman Potter buildings National Register of Historic Places in Schenectady County, New York