While I was home sick with covid a thought occurred to me and kept rolling around in my mind, causing me a bit of worry. If you’ve stuck around here for a while you may remember I spent too much time trying to understand the history of the Tau Beta Pi bent and of this little spot where Abercrombie and Mech Lab met:
The thing that was bothering me was the two benches that sat there. Both have memorial plaques attached, which I wrote about here and here. Remembering and honoring our dead is the sort of thing I take very seriously and with the demolition of Abercrombie and the ongoing construction of its replacement I worried about what had become of them.
So when I was on campus this week I hurried over to have a look. The general area is, as one would expect, rather a mess, with the landscaping torn up. But the benches are still sitting there behind some construction fencing:
I trust someone is paying attention to this.
Now I’m wondering where the bent is.
Bonus: Abercrombie’s replacement. If it has a name I haven’t heard it.
Extra Bonus: Deep in the Heart!
Oh heck, as long as I’m over by Mech Lab here’s one more. The last functioning original water fountain is still functioning. Careful, though–you can see where the water shoots when you turn it on!
The deans refer to it as “NESB” – (Nez-Bee) the “New Engineering and Science Building.” We are very creative.
You know I love a good fountain picture.
Melissa, I understand they did preserve the bent, and we know that the McVey sculpture will be placed at the intersection of the outside passage through the building and the north-south covered walkway on the quad side. No word yet on if anyone has ponied up enough funding for naming rights.
I’ve been thinking about ponying up the cash.
But I can’t remember where I buried it!
Could you please specify exactly what the “McVey sculpture” is? Maybe I’m blind, but I find no description or picture of it.
Thank you!
It’s the wall to the left of the entrance.
https://snworksceo.imgix.net/rce/01238fae-be21-4582-ae20-6ac7826d5c73.sized-1000×1000.png?w=800
Thanks!
Hi! Currently, the building replacing Abercrombie is called the New Engineering and Science Building, but I don’t think that’s its long-term name. It would not make sense for it to be the long-term name.
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