Lycoming College - Lycoming College Campus - Past and Present

Front view of Williams Hall. It contains 146 rooms, including 73 double and single rooms for students, a suite, several lounges, a recreation room, and other laundry, storage, and study areas. It was first occupied in 1965 and named North Hall. The name was later changed to Williams Hall in 1980, in honor of Mary Ellen Whitehead Williams. Her son, Joseph A. Williams, the owner of St. Mary's Sewer Pipe Company and benefactor of the College, donated funds to renovate the residence hall. He requested that the hall be re-dedicated in honor of his mother, who had raised him and his three brothers and one sister on her own after his father's early death at age forty. She continued to operate the family's 100-acre farm in Penfield, Clearfield County. The building was re-dedicated October 24, 1980.

The Old Fine Arts Building was originally constructed in the 1870's as a family dwelling. It was purchased in 1931, along with nineteen other properties located on the same city block, by Michael Bond Rich of Woolrich Mills, the former President of the Board of Directors of Williamsport Dickinson Junior College. The property was donated to the college for future expansion. The Fine Arts Center, consisting of eighteen rooms, was opened to the public in 1940. The building was demolished in June 1986 due to unsafe conditions caused by a shift in its foundation. The former Hilltop Gymnasium was renovated for use as the Fine Arts Building.

Front view of the Old Fine Arts Building. The Fine Arts Center, consisting of eighteen rooms, was opened to the public in 1940. A plaque inside the portico in the front of the building read: 'This Fine Arts Building and President's residence were made possible by the gifts of Mr. and Mrs. William Fleming Rich and Family.'

View of Old Main looking south through the stone gates. The West Wing was built in 1839, the East Wing in 1850, and the center section was added in 1855. That section became six stories of faculty and administrative offices. Old Main functioned as a residence hall, classrooms, administrative building, and chapel combined. It was demolished in 1968. The former site is occupied by Lamade Gymnasium.

View of the east wing of Old Main looking north. This photo appears in a 1933 brochure, 'Williamsport Dickinson in the Beautiful Alleghenies,' and on the cover of the program for Guest Day, Saturday, May 14, 1938.

View of the back (north side) of Old Main, with several automobiles parked around it. The diveway was replaced by a sidewalk in 1948.

View of the cupola of Clarke Chapel as seen from the stone stairway of the Flag Court.

A view of the old Science Building just prior to demolition. The building was originally used as part of the Flock's Brewery. Lycoming College acquired it in 1951. It was converted into a science facility in 1956-57. According to a 1958 newspaper article, the interior was painted and plastered, acoustical tiles were installed in the ceilings, and asphalt floors were laid. Improvements were also made to the electrical and plumbing systems. According to the 1987-88 academic bulletin, the building housed biology and chemistry laboratories, classroooms, a lecture hall, and a greenhouse, and was used until 1988. It then served as a storage center for the Buildings and Grounds department until its demolition.

A side view of the old Science Building and maintenance building just prior to demolition. The building was originally used as part of the Flock's Brewery. Lycoming College acquired it in 1951. It was converted into a science facility in 1956-57. According to a 1958 newspaper article, the interior was painted and plastered, acoustical tiles were installed in the ceilings, and asphalt floors were laid. Improvements were also made to the electrical and plumbing systems. According to the 1987-88 academic bulletin, the building housed biology and chemistry laboratories, classroooms, a lecture hall, and a greenhouse, and was used until 1988. It then served as a storage center for the Buildings and Grounds department until its demolition.

View of the President's House from Elizabeth Street. Drum House was built c.1857 by Charles and Mary Drum and purchased by Williamsport Dickinson Seminary and Junior College in 1931. It served as the president's residence from 1940-1965. In 1965 the building was renovated as the Fine Arts Department. After a new Fine Arts facility was completed in 1983, the building remained vacant until its extensive renovation in 1987, when it became Admissions House.