Tradition and Innovation at the Heart
of Penn
The Renovation of Bennett Hall
Bennett Hall was built at the heart of the campus in 1924 to provide a
home for the education of female students. The modern concept of offering
a college education to women was paired with the time-honored liberal
arts heritage fostered here by Benjamin Franklin. It was simultaneously
a home for both innovation and tradition.
The
once elegant building is now worn and outdated. Wiring is inadequate.
Street noise intrudes on lectures and discussions. And classrooms are
dingy and insufficient. To remedy this, the School of Arts and Sciences
is planning an $18 million renovation. The project will provide improved
facilities for the Department of English and a new home for the Department
of Music. Uniting these two humanities departments under one roof, the
renovated Bennett Hall will be a nexus for creativity and the arts.
English Excellence
The English department, home to one of Penn's most popular disciplines,
serves more than 500 English majors. It also provides English and writing
courses for Penn's nearly 10,000 undergraduates. The department was recently
ranked tenth in the United States by U.S. News & World Report
and also received top scores in the areas of eighteenth-to-twentieth century
British literature, African-American literature, American literature after
1865, colonial American literature, gender and literature, and medieval/Renaissance
literature. The faculty includes two recipients of the Modern Language
Association's James Russell Lowell Prize, one of the top literary-criticism
honors in the country, and a MacArthur "genius" Fellow. The
English faculty holds more teaching awards than any other SAS department,
with six recipients of the university's Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback
Award for Distinguished Teaching and five recipients of the School's Ira
Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Making Music
The music department offers courses to more than 1,000 students every
year. Its graduate group is ranked among the top ten in the nation. Traditionally
strong in the areas of composition and the European classical tradition,
the department is expanding its activities in music history and ethnomusicology.
The faculty includes a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
a MacArthur Fellow, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer. Winners of
the Lindback and Ira Arbams awards are also numbered among the music faculty.
In addition, an alumna recently won a Pulitzer Prize in music, and another
graduate won the 2001 Masterprize International Competition, one of the
most important honors for composers of contemporary classical music. The
department received the School's inaugural Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn
Award for Educational Excellence, and its integration of computer-assisted
instruction makes it a model for music departments across the country.
Nine highly acclaimed student performance groups are sponsored by the
music department, including several ensembles and choral groups as well
as the University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, which will find
a new home in Bennett Hall.
The Renovation
The renovation project will enhance the environment for the teaching and
learning of both of these venerable disciplines. As we improve the building
for education in the 21st century, we will also restore the grandeur of
its early 20th century design. Marble hallways, leaded-glass windows,
high-ceilinged rooms, and limestone trim will be returned to their original
elegance.
Bennett
Hall is virtually at the doorstep of the university. Occupying the southeast
corner of 34th and Walnut streets, the building stands at the entrance
to Penn's historic pedestrian core, the heart of campus life and learning.
Bennett Hall will serve as an anchor as the university shifts its focus
eastward in an expansion toward the Schuylkill River. The transformation
of the area behind the building into an attractive gathering place will
further enliven the campus' southeast quadrant.
Tradition and Technology
Included as part of the Spruce Hill Historic District on the Department
of Interior's National Register, the building's architectural treasures
will be preserved for future generations. Like its newly restored neighbors,
College Hall, Irvine Auditorium, the Jaffe Building, and Fisher Fine Arts
Library, Bennett Hall will blend modern technology and conveniences with
a respect for the campus' architectural tradition. State-of-the-art computer
labs, soundproof classrooms, and cutting-edge instructional technologies
will exist in harmony with the building's sweeping staircases, casement
windows, and marble corridors.
Innovations
in instructional tools have advanced exponentially since the textbooks
and blackboards of 1924. Laptop computers, LCD projectors, digital recordings,
and the Internet play an increasingly important role in the education
of today's students. However, Bennett Hall is not currently equipped to
use such technology to its fullest. The renovation project will enhance
the building's infrastructure so that the English and music departments
can more fully embrace technology as a tool for teaching and learning.
More Improvements
The $18 million Bennett Hall renovation project includes these additional
long-awaited improvements for students and faculty:
- an increased number of seminar rooms;
- special features, such as acoustical improvements, for the study of
music;
- well-lit, comfortable, and secure spaces for work and research;
- new spaces for study and social interaction;
- public spaces restored to their former grandeur;
- updated systems and a repaired exterior;
- enhanced landscaping and a rear courtyard with outdoor seating.
Giving for the Future
Through the generosity of its friend Colonel Joseph Bennett, the university
was able to build Bennett Hall in 1924. Now, we ask for your help to restore
the building to its former grandeur and improve it for education in the
21st century. Bennett Hall will continue to be a place of both innovation
and tradition for future generations.
Gifts designated for the renovation of Bennett Hall may be made in cash, appreciated securities, real estate, life insurance, or tangible personal property. Payment schedules may be established over a period of years. Named gift opportunities are available.
If you are interested in contributing to this project, please call or write.
School of Arts and Sciences
University of Pennsylvania
Office of External Affairs
3440 Market Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3325
215-898-5262