Dalloway's fate in question
By KATIE McVOY
News Writer
Saint Mary's administrators are currently determining what to do with the old Dalloway's clubhouse.
Because of the Master Plan, the old building will no longer be used as a clubhouse for College and community groups. A new Dalloway's is being constructed to house these activities. The old Dalloway's is now being considered as part of a land grant to the Congregation of the Holy Cross, but no definite plans have been made.
"There has been some discussion about some exchange or purchase of the land," said Keith Dennis, vice president for finance and administration. "Part of the discussion is whether or not the clubhouse would go back to the congregation."
John Kovach, head of archives at Saint Mary's, wrote a proposal for another plan for the use of Dalloway's. "The question that no one has been able to answer is why [Dalloway's] has to be torn down," the proposal reads. "The answer is: It doesn't."
Kovach drafted a proposal that he submitted to president Marilou Eldred, vice president and dean of faculty Karen Ristau and Sister Bernice Hollenhorst, director of the Cushwa-Leighton Library. This proposal suggested that the space be used as a new home for the archives, which currently exceed the space allotted by the College.
"By the summer of 1999, the physical storage capacity of the archives was exceeded," Kovach wrote.
Kovach proposed two solutions for the space problem the archives are currently facing. The first involved building a new structure that would accommodate a new archives center. In addition, the building could house a museum and research center that would allow for the growth of the archives. However, this solution seemed unlikely to become a reality because of the cost.
"The second and more logical solution would be able to carry the growth of the archives for at least two decades and would involve the move to an existing open space on the College grounds," the proposal said.
This existing space is Dalloway's. "It would be an ideal setting (being a historical building) to house the history of the College."
Dalloway's is twice the size of the current housing for the archives, which would give ample space for the existing collection, offices, and continued growth.
In addition to creating room for the archives, Kovach believes that the move would have additional advantages.
According to the proposal, "The location of the Clubhouse would open up more of an opportunity to cooperate and work in conjunction with the congressional archives in Bertrand Hall; the move would allow the College's rare book collection to take over the former archives area, which would allow greater potential for the growth of that already impressive collection."
Kovach would like to see the current archives used as a storehouse for the rare books collection as well as a reading room. Kovach has not been given an answer as to when he will hear back from the College about his proposal. The members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross will have some say in the decision, so the decision will not be left totally to the College.
Kovach will continue to work on getting his proposal passed. "I'm going to continue to swing at these two strike pitches," he said.
In his proposal Kovach said, "There is a poster which came out during the Sesquicentennial which has the phrase, 'Honoring Tradition. Pioneering Change.' What better way to illustrate this to not only tout the 'Pioneering Change' with the Master Plan but also reaffirm, 'Honoring Tradition' by finding a new use for a part of the history of the college."
All News Stories for Tuesday, April 4, 2000
