The North Complex

A Timeline
By: Jessie Alibozek
The Idea: Due to the influx of students of the baby boomer generation, the
college needed to expand. The idea, under President Rosemary Park, was
to create a complex, comprised of six dormitories, all connected to a single
dining hall. This North Complex could hold 500 students and would move
most students out of the inferior wooden dorms, which were not intended
to be permanent structures

The Beginning: Building process for the North

Complex began in 1961. Known as Plan C, the
college received a loan from the Federal Housing
and Home Finance Agency of three million dollars
for building. In the photograph, Hamilton and
Lambdin Houses are on the left and Harris Refectory
is on the right.

1960

1958

Rendering by Shreve, Lamb and

Harmon Architects

The Naming: Five of the six buildings

were named for prominent intellectuals
of the college, including Mary Foulke
Morrison, secretary of the Board of
Trustees, Allen B. Lambdin, business
manager for the college, Elizabeth C.
Wright, a founder and first bursar,
Benjamin Marshall, second president,
and Rosemary Park, fifth president and
commissioner of the complex.
Hamilton House was named for two
sisters Edith and Alice, who were from
the New London area and known for
their scholarly work.

1961

Moving In: In the winter of 1961, freshmen students living in

wooden dorms, trek through the snow with all their belongings to
the new dorms. By the spring of 1962, all dorms are completed. The
new dorms are significantly different from other buildings on
campus due to their brick and metal faades and modern finishes.
Quickly, the dorms are criticized for to their lack of atmosphere and
uncomfortable living quarters. Students still prefer to live in the
older dorms that have more character.

1962

A newspaper article, chronicling

the mistake of the North Complex

The Interiors: Although critiqued heavily, the

North Complex rooms added much to the campus at
the time. They demonstrate the modern movement of
the 1950s and 1960s, which marked a complete shift
in thinking and design. They also echo the teachings
of the Bauhaus and mass production, both of which
became widespread by the 1950s. The complex was
built to be flexible, interconnected, modern, and
efficient. The interiors are described as Danish
Modern because of their minimalist wooden
furniture.

Left: A Student
Room

1963

One of the 21 Double Rooms

Above: A Common Room

Above: A Postcard Advertising

an Open House. Right: Students
sunbathing on the rooftop deck
of Harris Refectory

A Temporary Solution: Murals are

added to Harris Refectory and living
rooms of each house in order to make
the North Complex more
comfortable.

1980

The Real Solution: In the 1990s, a plan to rid the

North Complex of its institutional feel began. The
project was initially only going to take four years but
ended up taking nine to complete. The new Plex
features irregularly shaped rooms, twisting hallways,
and a faade of granite and stucco (McDonald, 257).
The new faade matches the older buildings on
campus, such as the Student Center at CrozierWilliams.

1996-2005

1960s North Complex

A Wellesley College Mural from
the 1980s. Murals added to the
college at this time were probably
similar.

The Renaming: Benjamin T.

Marshall House is renamed
Johnson House for Ann Werner
Johnson, a Trustee of the College.

2008

Current North Complex

Floor plans of the older North Complex and the newer

renovations. One can see that Hamilton and Johnson
Houses appear unchanged, except for the addition of
elevators. Additionally, the buildings grow in size and
an upper level of Harris is added, replacing the former
roof deck. (Floor Plans Created in Rhinoceros)

The East Rotunda: The only

circular part of the entire
floor plan, and has no
intended function other than
to connect Morrison and
Lambdin Houses. It is
currently used as a waiting
area or as a pass through.
Above is a plan of the space.