Page 12 - Summer 2007

THE FALL AND RISE OF THE FOGG ART MUSEUM LECTURE HALL: A FORENSIC STUDY
Brian F. G. Katz
Perception Située,
Laboratoire d'Informatique pour la Mécanique et les Sciences de l'Ingénieur Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F91403 Orsay, France
and
Ewart A. Wetherill
28 Cove Road, Alameda, California 94502
In 1973 a significant building in the
history of acoustics was destroyed.
Harvard University’s first Fogg Art
Museum, which housed the lecture room
that prompted Wallace Clement Sabine’s
interest in architectural acoustics, was
demolished. However, a link to this space
was preserved so its acoustical character-
istics can be explored again. As computer models and aural-
ization become ubiquitous for projects, the use of the com-
puter model for renovation as a yardstick for comparing
various options is an attractive supposition. But, this can
only be the case if the “original” model can be considered
“accurate.” In this study, an attempt is made to create a cali-
brated model, based on historical measurements and post
renovation measurements, turning back the clock to recre-
ate and hence revisit this historical room. In addition to the
measurement and simulation methods and obtained results,
there was a substantial effort in finding the historical infor-
mation to recreate the building. This historical information
was in the form of architectural documents, scientific
papers, articles in the press, as well as interviews and pho-
tos. All these pieces provide insight into this monumental
site, raised from the rubble of history. This article presents
much of the historical background of this study concerning
the Lecture Room, while the majority of the technical
aspects have been previously presented in recent confer-
1,2
Fogg Art Museum—History
From careful study of Sabine’s work in the Fogg lecture room three conclusions can be drawn—the remarkable com- bination of circumstances that created the right situation for Sabine’s discoveries, the brilliance of his achievement that can be appreciated by careful reading of his Collected Papers on Acoustics, and the likelihood that further information on his early research still awaits discovery.
It is seldom that a building gains significance for all the wrong reasons. The original Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, opened in 1894 as a memorial to William Hayes Fogg, had all the natural advantages—location, a wealth of fine art and endowments, and an eminent scholar as its star; but its place in history may ultimately be as the vehicle for the found- ing of a new science.
ences.
According to a recent historical account, the bequest for
“... its place in history may ultimately be as the vehicle for the founding of a new science.”
the building came as a not entirely welcome surprise to Harvard. Charles Eliot Norton, who was the senior lecturer in fine arts, and founder of the first course in art history in the United States, is reported to have looked for ways to use the bequest other than a new building bearing the donor’s name. The prominent architect Richard Morris Hunt
who was awarded the commission evidently received little guidance from the university and had limited access to Norton
3
received strong criticism ranging from its architectural style to the inadequacies of the art galleries. It was described as an ill-placed and architecturally alien intrusion upon Harvard Yard.
Upon its completion the occupants soon learned that the semi-circular, domed lecture room was acoustically unsatis- factory. Norton found to his chagrin that in addition to its other shortcomings he could not speak over the strong reflec- tions of his own voice returning from the semi-circular rear wall of the room. He criticized the entire building in a strong- ly-worded Resolution to the Board of Overseers and demanded that it be corrected forthwith “...It is the duty of the graduates to remove this impediment.” 4
Some of the finer details were reported in contemporary newspaper accounts:
“The acoustic properties are so poor that Professor Norton could not make himself heard half-way across the room. It is now hung with muslin to stop the echo and nobody knows what will finally be done to put the room in fit condition.5”
“When the building was opened, Prof. Norton denounced it quite severely on several occasions and it soon came to be the standing joke around college. ...The painting of ‘Norton’s Pride’ in huge red letters on the building last winter is one evidence of the way in which the students regard the matter. ...This morn- ing, however, brought forth a lot of specific objections from Prof. Norton...The bad acoustic properties of the building then came in for a share in the affair. It is well-known that the remarks of a lecturer are badly distorted by the time they reach the rear of the room—and this objection was well-founded.” 6
Norton was the cousin of Harvard’s president, Charles Eliot, which undoubtedly gave him added influence, but it is likely that the continuing embarassment to the university created by his frequent strenuous objections prompted the
during its design.
After the new building design was made public it
10 Acoustics Today, July 2007