When David Singer crawled into a dark, dusty vault below Gilbert Hall, he was only hoping to discover the source of some cracks on the walls of the structure above.
But he found much more.
Covered by a quarter-inch of dirt and steeped in a half-century’s worth of architectural history sat dozens of 85-year-old, hand-made terra cotta pieces that had been removed from the Commerce wing of Gilbert Hall when it was renovated in 1951.
Singer was studying Gilbert Hall for his Historic Preservation master’s thesis. His discovery of the terra cotta, a glazed-ceramic material traditionally used as ornament on buildings from the first half of the 20th century, will hopefully allow architects, engineers and planners to make a more historically sensitive interpretation of the building as they renovate it today.
“There is strong support in the Campus Planning Committee to reinstate those pieces,” he said.
Fred Tepfer, a planning associate for the University, said there were plans to include some of Ellis F. Lawrence’s original design elements, such as the terra cotta pieces, in the renovation of Gilbert Hall that is scheduled to begin in summer of 2001.
“It went from being one of those pipe dream fantasies to something that has a good chance of happening, thanks to David’s discoveries,” he said.
Singer, who has since distributed copies of his report to University Planning, said he thinks the actual antique pieces he found beneath the Education wing of Gilbert Hall could be reproduced here on campus and used in the new design.
“If the (Historic Preservation Program) wasn’t in existence, I don’t know that anyone would have found these things,” Singer said.
Tepfer said the program has been a great help to University Planning.
“We rely on the expertise of faculty and students in the program,” Tepfer said. “We’re reminded everyday how important that program is. It has helped us preserve the asset of a beautiful campus.”
George Bleekman, a project manager for University Facilities Services, surveyed the restored west-facing facade of Villard Hall. Decorations and ornaments that were part of the original building have been faithfully and accurately restored to their 1886 appearance.

Students from a historic preservation class that Bleekman taught have been doing work on the Villard Hall restoration project, which should be completed this summer, he said.
“Students actually get to do a lot of hands-on work,” he said. “It’s an almost unheard of opportunity in the United States to have novices working on a National Landmark.”
The partnership between Facilities Services and the Historic Preservation Program has been mutually beneficial, Bleekman said.
The Historic Preservation Program, which combines elements from the fine arts, architecture, and planning, public policy and management programs, underwent a standard, 10-year, external review in 1998. The results of the review sound familiar to many people in the University’s smaller, underfunded programs.
“After nearly two decades of remarkable achievement with minimal University funding, the Historic Preservation Program stands at a crossroads,” the report stated. It went on to describe the state of the “overworked and exhausted regular and adjunct faculty” and warned that the program is in danger without increased funding.
Many within the program fear that the services, which exist now largely due to volunteerism and the passion of adjunct professors, will fall apart if more money is not made available.
“A lot of the adjuncts [are] doing this more for love than money,” said Scott Bogle, a Historic Preservation master’s student identified by others as a leader within the program. He said he is worried who will pick up the ball when the program’s current director, Don Peting, retires.
The Historic Preservation Program’s budget comes out of the architecture school’s discretionary fund.
Architecture and Allied Arts Dean Robert Melnick said he is doing what he can to put more money into the program. He described it as “very important to the school,” but said “it’s not as if there’s a lot of discretionary money that I’m funneling elsewhere,” he said.
He said he recently allocated some funds from private donations to the Historic Preservation Program.
For Singer, the Historic Preservation Program goes way beyond discovering architectural treasures in the darkened corners of this campus: The work the program does has a greater societal impact.
“You can’t ignore the fact that when you just remove any reference to history in a place, you lose your connection to it. Historic preservation revitalizes communities.”