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Table 1. Sabine’s construction and acoustical data.11
The absorption coefficients for 1-inch felt and Sabine’s seat cushions are found in two other papers, “Musical Pitch” and “Architectural Acoustics” respectively (see Table 1).11 These publications provided the only reference for the origi- nal acoustical state of the room. While there are a great deal of data concerning experiments with cushions, no data were found regarding the post-treatment conditions.
Architectural drawings
It was not learned until after the start of demolition that the University had no drawings of the museum prior to 1900. This discovery prompted a search, probably still incomplete, lasting three years for sources of information, including the Harvard libraries and other institutions in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
The first discovery of value was a single blueprint found in 1973 in the Cambridge building department comprising a plan and section showing the proposed addition of the semi- circular wall separating the domed part from the lower sur- rounding space. Since no copier was available and material could not be taken out for copying, a pencil tracing of the blueprint became the source of plans and sections that were
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subsequently published. While generally consistent with
Sabine’s drawings, later investigation has confirmed some inconsistencies compared to other drawings discovered later in Architectural Review, August 1894 (see Fig. 2 and the dis- cussion in the section on the “Conflict between drawings”).15
Following an initial presentation in 1973, copies of the
paper were sent to many people whose names had surfaced in
discussions with former faculty and staff familiar with the orig-
inal Fogg Art Museum, requesting any information that could
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presented at a meeting in 1976.
The re-examination of correspondence and notes
prompted by the current study elicits distinct regret about the many questions that, in hindsight, could have been asked of several elderly correspondents from 1973 to 1976. Another
regret is that, had the dearth of information been appar- ent, more photographs could have been taken and interior dimensions could have been verified. However, this loss may in some ways be offset by the vastly improved com- munications afforded by computer resources. Samples of Sabine’s original sound absorbing material should also have been saved from the rear wall and from one of the lunettes, or arched recesses, in the dome. It is hoped that continued study of the records will shed still further
It is gratifying to re-read the correspondence from librarians, retired faculty, researchers and others who were very generous with time and recollections. One person suggested a check of records at the new Fogg, where a staff member not only found a photograph of the original room but also intro- duced a retired professor whose student class notes from Sabine’s course in architectural acoustics are now in Harvard’s Pusey Library. This photo, shown in Fig. 3, was used for the proceedings’ cover of the Sabine Centennial Symposium.17 Some information acquired after the 1973 presentation was
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be added.
Fig. 2. Architectural section, colorized to better visualize the building structure15.
12 Acoustics Today, July 2007