Vol 15 No 6 Smith Memorial Hall

PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION Volume 15 November-December, 1995 Number 6 Focus On: Smith Memorial Hall The Tma Weedon Smith Memorial Hall is eligible for the National Register of His- toric Places under Criterion C, in the area of architecture. Erected between 1916- 1920 to the plans of University of Illinois architect, James M. White, the building is an example of the Beaux Arts Classical style on a campus of primarily Georgian Revival structures. Integrity of design has been maintained over the years. Since its completion in 1920, the building has housed the expanding School of Music, and was the School's only building during its formative period when hundreds of undergraduate and graduate t' students were influenced byits renowned 'acuIty and visiting performers to the music department. The Tina Weedon Smith Memorial Hall; 805 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, was recently nominated Introduction to the National Register of Historic Places in honor of the centennial of the School of Music. "...To raise the gerierallevel of education of the people and to train leaders." dered th~ men out when, for the first ness and pleasure of people than any- This was the motto strongly promoted by time, he laid eyes on Miss Tina Weedon. thing within my know}edge, aside from Professor David Kinley during his tenure The following year, Captain Smith strug- the necessary living expenses of-human as president of the University of Illinois gled through enemy lines to marry Miss beings. " (1920-1930). He accomplished this vision Weedon, whereupon he reestablished James Mclaren White, university ar- by stimulating prospective benefactors himself in Champaign, Illinois with his chitect and professor, was chosen to be among the alumni. Initiating tliis era of new bride. the supervising architect for the project. patronage, sprung the architecturally sig-: . Mr. Smith practiced law and was an ac- nificant Smith Memorial Hall. The Tina White was the supervising architect of the tive member of the University of lllinois University of Illinois for almost a quarter Weedon Smith Memorial Hall, completed Board of Trustees from 1897-1903,where of a century, proving his participation as in 1920, elegantly stands east of Foel- he became a 'vocal proponent of music a great contributor to at least eighty of the linger Auditorium and just to the north of education. Mrs. Smith was a light-hearted major buildings on the campus. His first two National Historic Landmarks, the Morrow Plots and the Astronomical Ob- and high-spirited woman, with a pat- major building project was the old ticular fondness of music. On August 22, Library (Altgeld Hall) designed with servatory, a historically significant partof 1903 Tina Weedon Smith died. Nathan C. Ricker in 1896. Prof. White was the main quadrangle at the University of In memory of his beloved wife, Captain stated to,have been more influential than Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Thomas J.Smith donated real estate hold- any other man on the material develop- ings totaling $250,000 for the construction ment of the campus during his 43 years History of a music building for the University of on staff at the University. As Rev. H. Oif- As an officer in the federal army in the Illinois Department of Music. Never ford Northcott a!idressed at James Civil War, Captain Thomas Smith ' J. before had the University been so White's funeral, "Here's to the man who halted the company he was commanding honored in accepting such a generous gift plans things- Builds things- Makes things- on March 6, 1863 during a march in pour- that was not state appropriated. In ' Who prates not of wonders of old, Nor ag rain outside a home iri Woodbury, Smith's own eyes he noted, "While I am fennessee. Smith's men entered the house seeks to acquire treasures of gold, But in no sense a musician, there is nothing takes off his coat, and takes ahold, And and devoured all the food they could " nearer to my heart than the development doesthings." find. After being informed by the 0WI\er, of music. It is the greatest thing in the Smith was asked by Edmund J. James, Mrs. Weedon, of the invasion, Smith or- world and contributes more to the happi- President of the University of Illinois, to examine the plans carefully and give his , MemorialHall brought aliowed Stiven to form and teach in the early decades of the opinion. The reply was as follows: "I expand interest inmusiceduc~tion 19OOs. have gbne over again with the Supervis- through changes in music curncula with The Recital Hall continues to enlighten ing Architect and his assistants the plans the addition of theory, !=Qnducting,and in- the delicate space with inspiring m~sic. A of the Music Building and I can see no strumentation cours~s. By the time of his Champaign local and renown singer, Wil- grounds for criticism w:hatever. They are death in January 1947,he had established liam Warfield, ~eaded a combir1ation of . _) so completely satisfactory tome that I graduate progralI1.s,'recruited excellent talents for a fund-raising performance in hardly need to sayariythmg more except faculty, organized the departmental 1990. Warfield is known internationally tha t Ihope all possible dispatch 'Yill be library, and had instituted much that Was for his singing in productions like "Show- made use of in getting a .start and continu- to characterize the school for the next half- boat" and iri concerts and on records. ,00 ' ing until completion." With this, White, century. , January 22, 1990, pianist Ian Hobson per- was authorized to proceed with theex- Starting in the 1920s, distinguished per- formed Beethoven's Fantasyfor Piano cavation and the construction of the foun- formers and faculty have been an integral Chorus and Orchestrawith an orchestra of ,dation of Smith Memorial Hali. part of the University of Illinois School of University of Illinois faculty and students , "This is the happiest moment of my Music. Amorg the renown faculty were' for a fund-raising campaign. life," said Captain Smith, ashe took the the following. Russell Hancock Miles was beribboned spade in his trembling hands _ a composer, choral conductor, and or- , Architecture and broke the sod as th~ formal signaI'for ganist for lllinois from 1922-1963,whose fuaddition to the history which made excavation to begin onOctober 24, 1916. best known work is the cantata, T~ Cham- Smith MemoriafHall possible and the Not only was Mr. Smith excited, but also beredNauh1us, based on a poem by ,Oliver talents that have since kept the audit- , Wendell Holmes. Velma Kitchell Wilson, the many students and facultywho ' orium full of breathtaking sounds, the ac- would be aole to be a part of the new and 'appoirited to the facultY in 1928, was a -- tual architeCtural "symphony" wltich was expanded Schoolof Music.In James _ pianist and choral director, who em- composed here is also significant to this White's opinion this added one-more - phasized music appreciation and 'music memorial building. Identifying features piece to his master plan, bE!gW\as early as education. Her 1939 music appreciation of the buildingcompri~ the Beaux Arts January 1912, for the University of D- class had 171 students enrolled, one of CIassical style. Based on academic prin- linois. His modified plan of 1919 con- the largest enrollments of the ,time. She ciples expounded by France's famed ar- sisted of the development of a main quad- also advocated using radio programs as chitectural school, the Ecole des Beaux-- rangle,an engineering quadrangle to'the part of a music 'teac:\:ler'scurriculum, Arts, the style was quic.\dy adopted by north, and an agricultural quadrangle to Viennese immigrant Hubert Kessler America's leading architects: This formal, the south. Complying with this idea, the began teaching in 1930 and was the academic style was well suited to th,e , UnivE!!"sitycampus has developed accord- author of a number of textbooks based on monumental buildings built in the early ing to the pattern planned by this ar- music theory and philosophy. He did twentieth century and quickly became chit~, __, ,__, ,.~, .'~ .'. _.., ~_ muchtppromlite i1n.W1d~1aQ4ing.iIDd the style,9{.cPpjcej~n<bYm~l9tt:frePI¥, "I As construction'of the new music build- appreciation of Heinrich Schenker's Beautiful m.ovement in the United States. ing progressed it was evident that Smith's theory of music analysis. William G. Hill, Inspired by classical Renaissance architec- health was d~teriorating. Efforts by the the school's first musicologist, was a ture, the Beaux Arts Classical style has al1 Board ofTnistees helped in the financia:l major contributor to the development of exuberanc;e of surface decoration that is security, so that the structure might ~ the music library. Under his auspices, the seldom found in other classical styles. completed ~efore Smith's death. Despite library expanded to fill the needs of the This style is characterized by bilateral all o( the efforts, Captain Thomas J. Smith school's graduate programs. symmetry; the use of Greek ,and !{oman died at the age of 82, two years prior to Bruce Foote, an accomplished singer idioms, often freely mixe<:l;smooth the completion of Smith Memorial Hall. and familiar voice to radio audiences, be- m.asonry walls accented by quoins or rus- Shortly before his death, he so ,beautifully came a faculty member in 1933. Foote per- ticated stonework; figure scUlpture and expressed his t:J1oughtswhen he' wrote: formed on,WGN radio's "Theatre of the cartouches, especially at the roofline; one- "From the commencement of business in Air" and in many opera and oratorio over-one or multi-paned windows, Champaign, Illinois, I have lived a life programs.

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