Residential Master Plan Update

March 2006 — The 1912 addition to the original 1884 Charles M. Pratt Building was razed at the end of March, as work continued on converting the former geology building and natural history museum into a first-year dormitory. The project is scheduled for completion in August 2007, and the architect is Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott.

T-wrecks: From the roof of the Merrill Science Center Johnson Chapel, James, Stearns and the Main Quadrangle provide a backdrop for the former Pratt addition and a tyrannosaurean piece of heavy equipment.  View larger photo

This granite from the original addition’s foundation will be hand salvaged and used in the foundation of the new addition to Charles M. Pratt Dormitory.  View larger photo

Inside the original Charles M. Pratt building, the ceiling has been removed to reveal stained-glass windows and stunning, hand-carved beams that support a vaulted ceiling. The new Charles M. Pratt Dormitory, scheduled to open in 2007, will retain the beams and the vaulted central space. With beds for 118 students, carefully designed common space for studying and lounging and a basement social space large enough for the entire first-year class, the new dorm is a key element of Amherst’s Freshman Quad.  View larger photo

Residential Master Plan Image Archive