The James D. Westcott Building is a historic building on the campus of The Florida State University in

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. The Westcott Building currently houses the chief administrative offices for

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

and is the primary focal point of the campus as seen down College Avenue. The building is also home to Ruby Diamond Auditorium. It is known for its distinctive appearance. Built in 1910, the Westcott building was named after James Diament Westcott, Jr. who was an early contributor to

; his estate was valued at $100,000.

History

The Westcott building was built in 1910 to serve as the Florida State College's administration building by which it was known until 1936. In that year the building was renamed the James D. Westcott, Jr. Memorial Building by then university president

Edward Conradi Edward Conradi served as President of Florida State College for Women (now Florida State University) from 1909 to 1941, and as President Emeritus from 1941 until his death in 1944. He was born on 20 February 1869 in New Bremen, Ohio. Conradi rece ...

in remembrance of the former

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

justice who had left a large part of his estate to what was then the West Florida Seminary in 1887. In April 1969, much of the interior of the building was destroyed by a fire. Renovations of the interior of the building were completed in 1973 and were able to preserve the historic collegiate gothic exterior that the building is known for. This renovation created space for the John S. Knight and James L. Knight Foundation Lobby, which serves to welcome visitors and provide performance entertainment space for viewers. Two bronze doors at the entrance of the building lead to a hallway gallery of presidential portraits. Each individual portrait featured in the hallway portray a president whose vision drove the university to what it is today. The circle in front of Westcott was first closed to traffic by former

President Sandy D’Alemberte in 1994. In 2005, former

President T.K. Wetherell took steps to complete the restoration work from the prior decade, which included the removal of mildew from the Westcott Building’s front and paving the fountain’s circle with bricks. Wetherell sought to preserve the Westcott area as a historic symbol of

, as most who have attended the school consider its twin brick towers, arch-style entry and fountain an iconic component of the school. In the mid-2000s,

began developing its

Legacy Walk The Legacy Walk is an outdoor public display on North Halsted Street in Chicago, Illinois, United States, which celebrates LGBT contributions to world history and culture. According to its website, it is "the world's only outdoor museum walk and y ...

—which leads pedestrians through a variety of walkways that display statues, busts and stained-glass windows of individuals who the University deems important to its history. The

begins at the Westcott building and its surrounding plaza at a bronze statue of

Francis Eppes Francis Wayles Eppes (September 20, 1801 – May 30, 1881) was a planter and slave owner from Virginia who became a cotton planter in the Florida Territory and later civic leader in Tallahassee and surrounding Leon County, Florida. After reach ...

, a plantation owner who took an interest in educational issues in

. Although Eppes was an integral contributor to the eventual creation of

, his statue was the subject of a referendum for its removal in 2016, as The Students for a Democratic Society believed it should be removed due Eppes’s usage of slaves. During his presidency, Wetherall added more vegetation, improved irrigation, and more bricks to the Westcott fountain to further develop its atmosphere for students, residents and tourists alike. The surrounding asphalt around Westcott was removed and replaced with more green space and landscaping, including holly ferns, pink azaleas, Japanese maple trees and sago and coontie palms. Beneath the asphalt, Tallahassee architect Rodney Lewis claimed to have found a thousand bricks, which were reused in the legacy project. This campus-wide beautification project was estimated at $200,000. The Westcott area remains a popular place to capture graduation photos.

Westcott Fountain

Westcott fountain is a historic landmark on the campus of

. It sits at the end of College Avenue in front of the Westcott building. There is a large, marble plaque in front of the fountain with the

logo, used to welcome people to campus. Westcott fountain came into the possession of

in 1917 as a gift from the

Florida State College for Women Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...

, classes of 1915 and 1917. Today, the fountain is a strong symbol of unity and heritage for

. Westcott fountain sits in the center of a plaza, surrounded by engraved bricks. The bricks commemorate students, professors and others who have contributed to

. The Florida State University Alumni Association administers the "Brick Program." The brick plaza was a project of the classes of 1996 and 1997. Its construction in 1998 was possible through the generous donations of students, alumni, faculty, staff and more. The bricks are used to commemorate names, special dates and accomplishments and new bricks are installed every semester. In 1982 the fountain was renovated in commemoration of Professor Anna Forbes Liddell. The fountain that is there today is however not the original one. Westcott fountain was replaced in 1988, due to failure of the original support system. Westcott fountain sits upon what was previously referred to as "Gallows Hill": during the 1830s, the hill was a site of executions. Westcott fountain has become a monument at

. It is a symbol of the University that sits proudly at the main entrance to the school.

Traditions and Myths

One of the longest standing traditions surrounding the Westcott fountain is being dunked in the water by a group of friends on their 21st birthdays as a way to welcome the person to the legal drinking age and it is said that you are not truly a

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

until you have been dunked in there. Aside from the fun traditions that accompany the fountain, there are also many ghost stories that have been created surrounding it. Since the fountain is located on an old execution site, some students have reported hearing strange noises at night. There have been a few reports stating that the entire Westcott area is still haunted by the executed dead.

Ruby Diamond Auditorium

Ruby Diamond was one of the thirteen members of

’s graduating class of 1905. Aside from being a political activist, Diamond made numerous donations to more than thirty-seven organizations. Two scholarships have been named in her honor as well as the auditorium inside of the Westcott Building, which is the largest auditorium on campus. The College of Music at

has six concert halls (Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, Opperman Music Hall, Dohnanyi Recital Hall, Lindsay Recital Hall, Longmire Recital Hall, and Owen Sellers Amphitheatre). Ruby Diamond Auditorium is the primary performance venue for

and is located on the first floor of the Westcott building. Originally built in 1911 to serve as the main auditorium for the University, it was torn down in 1951 after developing a settling crack and was rebuilt in 1954. In 1971 the auditorium was named in honor of a generous benefactor to the University and a graduate of the

. Renovations on Ruby Diamond Auditorium began in April 2008, which were to include a new, expanded, lobby area and the expansion and remodeling of the northwestern wing of the auditorium. The renovations were finished in October 2010 and Ruby Diamond was officially opened with a concert on October 8, 2010. Total cost for the renovations was approximately $35 million. Actual improvements on the auditorium are an increase in the size of the lobby bringing it to 11,000 square feet and increased facilities including ticket vendors and restrooms. The renovations on the auditorium also include increased seating capacity to 1,260, improved lighting, improved sound, and aesthetic changes in the auditorium proper. A rehearsal room was added behind the performance stage to allow for a simultaneous warm-up while another ensemble performs.

References

External links