Description: Structural steel frame, shale brick
with sandstone trim; front portion: 3 stories with basement, 146x55 feet;
west wing: 2 stories, 119x50 feet; east wing: 1 story, 119x60 feet; powerhouse:
1 story, 65x70 feet; repair shop: 1 story, 21x35 feet; containing classrooms,
labs, offices, shop, power plant
This property continued in use after 1949. Post-1949 research is not yet completed.
Formal Name
Charles William Bingham Mechanical
Engineering Building
Named For
Charles William Bingham, trustee
Constructed
6/1926-3/1927
Architect
1926: Wilbur J. Watson and Associates
General Contractor
1926: Sam W. Emerson Company
Cost
1927: $471,000 estimated; $.34 per
cubic foot
Financing
1926: Gift of $1,000,000 (half for
construction, half for building maintenance endowment) from Charles W. Bingham, trustee
and William Bingham, II, friend; Gift of $100,000 from Worcester Warner, trustee; Gift of
$50,000 from Eckstein Case, trustee; Gift of $30,000 from Charles F. Brush, trustee; Gift
of $10,000 from William Gwinn Mather, trustee; Gift of $10,000 from Francis F. Prentiss, trustee;
Gift of $20,000 from Herbert H. Dow, alumnus/trustee
Occupants
1927-1949+: Mechanical Engineering
Dept.
Uses
1927-1949+: Classes, research, offices,
workshops, power plant
Trivia
First Case building designed by
Wilbur Watson
Alterations and Modifications
Description
1937-1938: Added approximately
1000 square feet to balcony
Alterations and Modifications
Description
1940: Approximately 4600 square feet third story on shop wing
Architect
Wilbur J. Watson and
Associates
General Contractor
The Hadlock-Krill Company
Cost
$23,000-$27,000
Financing
Gifts of various amounts from Frances Payne Bolton, friend, and Mechanical
Engineering alumni and friends
Alterations and Modifications
Description
1941: Added 2000 square feet to balcony along east side of Power Laboratory
Architect
Wilbur J. Watson and Associates
General Contractor
The Hadlock-Krill Company
Cost
$6,500
Financing
Gifts and Endowment
This summary was compiled by staff of the University Archives from sources in the custody of the Archives.
