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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Aug 10, 2024 7:17:11 GMT -5
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Post by Chu Chu on Aug 10, 2024 11:48:39 GMT -5
The pillars on the gates at the entrance in the photo should be the same height. The uneven height has bothered me for decades. Interesting! It never occurred to me that this was a problem.
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Post by newfieguy74 on Aug 10, 2024 13:25:17 GMT -5
The pillars on the gates at the entrance in the photo should be the same height. The uneven height has bothered me for decades. Interesting! It never occurred to me that this was a problem. Me neither, and it's given me a chuckle. Not to make light of mm67's distress but I've barely ever paid attention to the differing heights.
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Post by rgs318 on Aug 10, 2024 13:32:59 GMT -5
Not a difficult "fix"...if anyone wanted to do so.
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Post by sader1970 on Aug 10, 2024 14:47:36 GMT -5
My 2 cents. Looking at the 1941, 1942 and 1943 Purple Patcher yearbooks for hints about what the Linden Land gate(s) looked like before the taller pillars were installed, it appears that Linden Lane was originally a 1 lane road. Notice that in the picture there are 4 smaller pillars, 3 on the left and one on the far right. Looks like previously, before the installation of the 2 taller pillars, the extreme left and right pillars were for pedestrian gates. Guessing they wanted to keep the pedestrian walkways on either side of the now 2-lane road. So, to make the changes with as little work as possible, they left the left hand side as is for one lane of traffic and 1 pedestrian walkway. No work there. They then installed the new gate/pillars and only had to install the new pillars and move just one - the one on the extreme right, in order to maintain 2 pedestrian walkways. But yeah, looks clunky but only because it was brought to our attention here. Been through those gates hundreds of times and never even thought about it. As a digression, Stephen Colbert's father graduated in '42. I believe he was Class valedictorian but under the yearbook lists of "bests" list Jim Colbert (pronounced Coll-Bert) as "Most argumentative with classmate, Dan Merlino." But also, "Best Informed."
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Post by mm67 on Aug 10, 2024 16:04:47 GMT -5
OMG. Did not believe my comment would spark all the responses. Problem? Nah. At my age I could describe real problems. The uneven pillars bothered me going back 60+ years. HC's gateway should present the best face possible. Recently. I saw the relatively recent new main entryway at Fordham off Southern Blvd. It is beautiful. IMHO HC should have symmetrical pillars equal in height and size supporting the archway to our beautiful Linden Lane. Beautiful campus of an elite school should have a perfect, beautiful front gate. Would love to see it.
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Post by sader1970 on Aug 10, 2024 16:32:43 GMT -5
Get your great ‘67 Classmates to chip in to make the adjustments.
Good luck, though, I couldn’t get my guys to donate to replace Fr. K’s stolen bell.🤷🏻♂️
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Aug 10, 2024 17:46:21 GMT -5
Vitruvius, the “father of classic architecture “ specified that pillars alongside a sloping road must be of different heights In order to present a “harmonious appearance” to the passing traveler. I think we should keep things as they are.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Aug 11, 2024 7:07:23 GMT -5
Only on Crossports. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio: de Architectura, Book III The only symmetry to my eye is the decorative metal arches above the separate lanes. Seems to me that the class of '55 cheaped out on the concrete. These days, it's called value engineering.
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Post by hc6774 on Aug 11, 2024 7:39:14 GMT -5
Only on Crossports. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio: de Architectura, Book III The only symmetry to my eye is the decorative metal arches above the separate lanes. Seems to me that the class of '55 cheaped out on the concrete. These days, it's called value engineering. can you name the crests, 1 each on the pillars & 1 on the arch?
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Post by mm67 on Aug 11, 2024 8:18:02 GMT -5
The picture tells the story. Not a good look. HC should fix the pillars at the entrance. Competitive bidding with design submitted. Hire the right people. Don't go on there cheap to save a few dollars. Go with the best. The entrance is HC's face to the world.
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Post by timholycross on Aug 11, 2024 8:26:27 GMT -5
You'll then complain that the road on the left is lower than the road on the right,hence the pillars are a different length so as to make the top of them level.
This will necessitate rebuilding the road.
Put the money towards the Easy Street project, whose cost is going to be pretty steep.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Aug 11, 2024 9:21:29 GMT -5
Vitruvius, the “father of classic architecture “ specified that pillars alongside a sloping road must be of different heights In order to present a “harmonious appearance” to the passing traveler. I think we should keep things as they are. I have to "fess up": Vitruvius was the father of classic architecture, but I made up the part about his point of view about "pillars alongside a sloping road". It sounded pretty good, though, didn't it?
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Post by mm67 on Aug 11, 2024 9:27:17 GMT -5
Good Point.If the pillars were built at different heights to compensate for the different heights of the entering & exiting roads they needed a better ruler. The pillars don't match. Point being ...
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Post by CHC8485 on Aug 11, 2024 9:37:22 GMT -5
mm67, I'm sure the college will be glad to know you're willing to give enough to not not go there on the cheap.
Of course, they could get the columns to match by reducing the size of the gates on the entrance side of Linden Lane - but I'm sure that would be going on the cheap.
The gates have been mismatched for 65 years. I've observed the differences in the gates before and it never bothered me. And thinking about it now, I like quirkiness in older institution's tradition and structures. There's a story in the quirkiness that sometimes its simple - like perhaps the class of '55 couldn't raise enough cash to match the pillars of the gates - or maybe there's another reason worth finding. Father K's "Hidden in Plain Sight" tour of the college now led by Tom Cadigan in the development office tells many of those stories of other quirks in the College's architecture.
Here's a 20 minute version of the tour. There are other virtual versions on YouTube including one for the class of 1970 that, I suspect, sader1970 may have had a hand in setting up, that runs about an hour and a two part version that runs a couple of hours, recorded during the pandemic.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Aug 11, 2024 12:57:26 GMT -5
Vitruvius, the “father of classic architecture “ specified that pillars alongside a sloping road must be of different heights In order to present a “harmonious appearance” to the passing traveler. I think we should keep things as they are. I have to "fess up": Vitruvius was the father of classic architecture, but I made up the part about his point of view about "pillars alongside a sloping road". It sounded pretty good, though, didn't it? Yes, it did. You are fortunate that his precepts and maxims are translated from the original, else you might find yourself wandering between Dante's nine circles of hell.
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Post by alum on Aug 12, 2024 9:11:05 GMT -5
VR responds as to the Prior litigation. As disconcerting as this matter is, I hope that all consider the possibility that the College is completely in the right here. VR and the Board are stewards of $200 million per year institution with a billion dollar endowment and have to protect it.
Dear Members of the Holy Cross Community,
Over the past week, you may have noticed news accounts about a lawsuit involving the Prior Performing Arts Center and the donor for which it is named. I can’t tell you how deeply saddened we are about this situation. The donor’s allegations are simply untrue.
Around a year ago we informed our community of the donor’s lawsuit, through which he seeks to take back $21 million in funds he had donated to the College over the past decade or so. We believe this matter is governed by a written pledge agreement that was signed by both parties in February 2014 and requires that we first work to resolve this matter privately through mediation or arbitration. Because we were honoring our promise to seek a private resolution, we have not yet told our full story. At this point, however, the donor’s most recent legal actions and the resulting publicity have made it impossible for us to avoid sharing the facts.
To begin, the donor was a member of our board of trustees when the pledge agreement was signed and approved by the board. Trustees are bound to act in the best interests of the College, and the donor continued to serve as a trustee until June of 2021, most of the period in question. Through terms he advocated during negotiations, the donor was intimately involved in planning for the building that would bear his name, including selecting a world-renowned architect and consulting on design decisions large and small throughout the process. He frequently lobbied for choices that caused the project’s cost to balloon, ultimately growing from an original estimate of up to $57 million—for which he pledged $25 million in support—to a final project cost of $109 million.
The donor alleges the College delayed the project. However, the trustees, including the donor, had unanimously approved a requirement that two thirds of the funding required for any building project—not just this project—must be raised before the College could put shovels in the ground. These cost increases caused by the donor’s choices extended the timeline and the necessity to secure sufficient funds from additional generous donors before the project could begin.
The College also continued to follow the terms of the pledge agreement. As construction neared completion and the deadline approached for the final payment on his pledge, we made repeated attempts to remind the donor of his obligation beginning months before it came due, and thereafter, to give the donor every opportunity to fulfill his promise to Holy Cross. Unfortunately, he did not.
Many see this lawsuit as a dispute over money, but it is more than that for the College. With the suit, the donor has unfairly challenged the integrity of the College itself, the board of trustees and many people who have dedicated their professional lives in service to our mission. Let me be clear: The College and our trustees take seriously our responsibility as stewards of donor funds, and we manage our obligations to our donors with due care and good faith. As was shared with the donor throughout design and construction, the funds he contributed were used entirely in accordance with the terms of the pledge agreement he signed in 2014. For him to claim otherwise is untrue.
Throughout the process of planning, designing, and constructing this magnificent building, we worked with the donor and our campus community to develop a shared vision for this home for the performing arts at Holy Cross. We were able to achieve that vision, thanks to the hard work of many people and the generosity of so many of you in our community. As anyone who has attended a performance, taken a class, or simply walked past the center knows, the project is a soaring success. The donor himself has joined us in celebrating that fact, most recently at the building’s formal dedication in May. Nothing said in court or in the media can change this.
Our commitment to the arts—and to the vision of the arts at Holy Cross that the center represents—is unwavering. We will not allow this situation to compromise that commitment. You can rest assured that the College is on sound financial footing. The work being done at the Prior Performing Arts Center is central to our mission as a Catholic, Jesuit, liberal arts institution, and it will continue unhindered by this lawsuit.
And that is important, especially now. The arts are transcendent. They allow us to express who we are, to communicate emotions, and to share our personal and cultural experiences, from the painful to the exhilarating. I’m so proud of the transformational work being done at the center and across campus to bring the arts to life for our students, our entire Holy Cross community and our city. It will build distinction for Holy Cross for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Vincent D. Rougeau Vincent D. Rougeau
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Post by sader1970 on Aug 12, 2024 9:23:08 GMT -5
Beat me to it!
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Post by CHC8485 on Aug 12, 2024 11:39:15 GMT -5
In another thread sometime back, I laid out a timeline on the increased cost of the building from the $60 million at initial gift, to $92 million in 2017, to $107 million at the ground breaking in 2019 and a final cost of $109 million at completion.
I am not a member of the BOT and I was aware of the BOT's 66.7% funding requirement (thanks Phreek) prior to commencing a project.
I believe I also indicated (and Vince left out) that I had heard from a reliable source, well before the groung breaking, that the Performing Arts Center did not make the cut for capital projects in the initial Become More Campaign and Neil Prior offered the $25 million to get it into the campaign.
I suspect (so this is speculation) at least part of the reason the Performing Arts Center did not make the cut was that the development staff understood that there were not a significant number of donors as enthusiastic about the project as Mr. Prior.
So to me, given an ever ballooning budget, a 66% funding requirement, and a possibly less than enthusiastic donor pool, the 5 years between initially signing the agreement (2014) and start of construction (2019) was a very predictable outcome.
And while the college may not be without fault in this matter (the college seems to be less than forthcoming with accounting for the money), I do believe Mr. Prior has little to be truly upset about and the college is mostly right. And either way, it sure seems like mediation & arbitration should have been attempted prior to litigation.
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Post by rgs318 on Aug 12, 2024 12:01:21 GMT -5
Here's a 20 minute version of the tour. There are other virtual versions on YouTube including one for the class of 1970 that, I suspect, sader1970 may have had a hand in setting up, that runs about an hour and a two part version that runs a couple of hours, recorded during the pandemic. This video is well done and well worth the time to watch for any who are part of the greater Holy Cross Community. Thank you for posting the shorter version.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Aug 12, 2024 13:10:33 GMT -5
VR (and the College) did acknowledge that NP had contributed an additional $3 million above the initial contribution of $18 million.
What VR (and the College) did not address were the events chronicled by NP in which two members of the BoT issued an ultimatum for NP to pay the $7 million still due. (IIRC, the BoT members credited him with only the $18 million. Also, again IIRC, NP claimed that the College also asked him to contribute several million $ to Luth so that Luth construction could start. And he complained he received no credit for that.)
By NP's telling, the BoT trustees told him that if he did not come up with the $7 million by day x, the dedication and the specially commissioned musical performance (paid for by NP) would be cancelled. Again by NP's telling, as he worked to gather the $7 million, the BoT cancelled the dedication, and did so before the date and time that he was to turn over the money.
IMO, it was the sequence described above that provided grist to the wild rumor that spread among faculty and staff that HC was in great financial distress, a rumor that VR took it upon himself to address in the Town Hall meeting.
Again IIRC, NP did finally receive one accounting statement for his $18 million gift. That statement was produced several years subsequent to HC receiving his gift. The statement showed that the balance in the account was $18 million and small change. The inference that NP apparently drew was that the funds had not been invested. Even if HC had put his gift into Treasury bills, which might yield an annual return of 2-3 percent, over five years that investment might have yielded $2-3 million.
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Post by CHC8485 on Aug 12, 2024 15:05:17 GMT -5
If I had anything to do with the project, particularly fundraising, I would have been a bit worn out with bending to desires (whims?) of NP a long time ago. And trust me when I tell you that I am thrilled we finally have a performing arts center.
However, the decisions that he at least heavily influenced meant the college had to raise about $50 million more than was projected (had to raise $84 million vs. $35 million) when they initially agreed to the project.
Look, there is fault on both sides, I get it. It's a very unfortunate mess.
But in the grand scheme of things, had Mr.Prior been as assiduous about the impact his choices for the new performing arts center were having on the overall budget as he wants Holy Cross to be with accounting for the 2% interest on his $18 million, the building would have been complete before the pandemic (IIRC the original timeline after design contract was awarded was for completion in January 2019) and his concert would have been held.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Aug 12, 2024 18:24:19 GMT -5
Chc8485- 2 outstanding posts on this matter-very, very well done!
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Aug 12, 2024 19:45:18 GMT -5
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Post by sader1970 on Aug 12, 2024 20:42:31 GMT -5
Had a short tour of the new Jesuit residence by one of the on-campus holy fathers that I know. The chapel is very beautiful but the rest seems simple and functional. It is nice but basic and in no way would anyone call it elaborate. Put another way, it is nether an upgrade or downgrade from Ciampi, or whatever it's called now. Just newer.
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