Over the years, one of the mainstays of Continuing Education at Rice has been photography courses. In particular, serious students return repeatedly to the classes offered by Peter Brown. Last week marked the conclusion of the last such class to be given in the old building, one of the two “temporary” structures built for the Institute of the Arts in 1969. I searched high and low for an old image of these metal building but came up with nothing except this December, 1968 article that details the Menil’s new involvement with Rice. I don’t know how closely the little model pictured here resembles what was actually built, but I do know that it doesn’t look like that now.
In any event, the last class inspired Robert Flatt, one of the regulars, to compose–and, I believe, perform as a rap–a stirring tribute to the decrepit old building on the eve of the move into the new one. I very much regret that I didn’t witness this myself.
An Ode to the Old Metal Building
Our last class in the old metal building Brings tears to our eyes amidst our celebrating It began its life in 1969 Patroned by the de Menils Using Howard Barnstone for architecting One of two metal buildings referred to affectionately As “Barn” and the “Son of Barn” respectively
(Chorus) I am Blue you would be too If you had the Closing Down Blues
Its first featured exhibit was a real success An Andy Warhol show about an installation in progress It featured a tree ready for planting That is alive today just outside the building It was home to some owls just a few months past No one thought the building would last
(Chorus)
In 1987 it came to acquire The attentions of Mary McIntire And became the home of continuing education And of course the wonderful course, Taught to our class with Peter’s dedication
(Chorus)
The temperature was never exactly right And it took a long time To get the tables just right But it’s been a good home For our photography critiques Getting better & better with each passing year The passion to improve is really sincere
(Chorus)
It’s just part of the law of entropy Everything must decay and die someday Even the Astrodome cannot escape destruction Please say goodbye to this wonderful old building With it squeaks and groans and temporary construction We will miss you some but not a lot As we enter the new building across the parking lot.
Bonus:
Update: This analysis of yesterday’s Lovett Hall renovation post came in my email. I think it’s about right.
If my recollection is correct, the registrar, cashier, etc., were all located on the second floor of Lovett Hall where the Founder’s Room is now. I think it is true that the Founder’s Room space was also divided vertically into 2 floors of such offices.
Those offices were moved into Allen Center when it opened, and Lovett Hall was remodelled thereafter. Portions of Doug Killgore’s movie “Grigsby, G.” were filmed in what became the Founder’s Room after it had been returned to a single room and was covered with whitewashed wall board (and not yet finished into what was called by many the “New Orleans brothel” style it sported until the Glanvilles paid for it to be remodelled to today’s appearance sometime before the Economic Summit). Doug’s movie was made, if I recall correcty, during the spring of 1970, and so that is probably a good guess for the date of the photos on today’s blog.