I spent a significant amount of time this afternoon trying to figure out how and when the Tau Beta Pi bent moved around in front of Abercrombie as well as when the little pool was filled in. I found quite a few interesting things but I still don’t feel comfortable that I have it all pieced together. (This is one of the all too common moments when I’d give almost anything to be able to talk to Alan Chapman again. I really miss him.)
Anyway, as I dug around I found a couple of really nice pictures of the building taken not long after it was completed. The first one was looks to be a bit earlier, maybe 1948ish, and gives us a nice look at the lay of the land:
This second one I’ve never seen before–this was taken just inside the front door, looking out toward the west. Note that there are hedges that aren’t there in the first picture:
So those hedges were either planted after the first picture was taken or removed before it. It’s got to be the first option because they weren’t there in this December 1947 aerial:
My first thought when I looked at these was “Is that Paul Pfeiffer walking through the door??” I think maybe it is:
My second thought was “So. Much. Parking!”