Download PDF - University of Rochester Libraries

102
ROCHESTER ALUMNI REVIEW
of architecture and mechanical drawing and
continued for fourteen years as a teacher in
the evening classes there, in connection with
his regular work. He was first connected
with the firm of Fay & Dryer as a draftsman,
after which he spent four years with
James G. Cutler in like capacity. He
then became associated with Claude Bragdon
and William H. Orchard under the
firm name of Gordon, Bragdon & Orchard.
One of that young concern's most notable
achievements was the winning of an $8,000
prize for a de ign for the City Hall of
New York.
After four years that company dissolved,
and Mr. Gordon spent eight years with ].
Foster Warner as a draftsman. He then associated
himself with William V. Madden,
under the name of Gordon & Madden, and
laid the foundations for the present company.
Among their important pieces of
work in the earlier days were Corpus
Christi and Sts. Peters and Paul chu rches,
the Central Building, the newer wings of
the General Hospital, then known as the
Rochester City Hospital, and a number of
fine residences.
William C. Kaelber, after studying at
Mechanics Institute, spent two years with
William C. Walker and then joined Gordon
& Madden. The firm name became
changed to Gordon, Madden & Kaelber
and so continued until after the death of
Mr. Madden, when it assumed its present
name.
Mr. Gordon has been the public school
architect for the city of Rochester for the
past fifteen years, designing the Monroe,
Madison and Jefferson Junior High schools
among others. Included among the other
notable jobs to the credit of his company
are the Eastman School of Music and
Theatre, the girls' dorm itory of the Eastman
School of Music, the Dental Dispensary,
the First Church of Christ Scientist,
the Baptist Temple, St. Stephen's Church
of Geneva, N. Y. , the Rochester Gas &
Electric Building, the architectural features
of Exposition Park (now Edgerton
Park) and a number of beautiful residences,
including those of George W. Todd, Edmund
S. Lyon and Alvah Strong.
H. A. S.
New Museum of Natural History In the Making
By EDWARD J. FOYLES
Director of the Museum
The University of Rochester aims to
organize and install a teaching museum
of natural history in the new College for
Men at Oak Hill, appreciating the value
of museum exhibits in the teaching of geological
and biological ciences. The original
geological collection of about 40,000
specimens, as embled by Professor Henry
A. Ward, was purchased for the University
in 1862. Professor H. L. Fairchild
states in his " History of Our Geological
Department" (ROCHESTER ALUMNI RE­
VIEW , Vol. II, o. 2) that "this was at
that time the large t and hand omest collection
in geology, mineralogy, petrography
and palaeontology in America." His following
statement that "few colleges at the
present time have as good display and
teaching collections" still holds good.
The Biological Museum al o contains
large zoological and botanical collections.
The birds of \Vestern • ew York are very
well represented. The collection of in­
sects and mollu.cs of this region are nearly
complete.
To Serve Three Purposes
The University is planning a new Museum
of Natural History which will serve
three general purposes: education, record
and research. Its teaching value will be
the primary object for its development.
The exhibits will be so arranged that the
student and the public may gain logical
information from these silent teachers. The
museum will be a great vault for the precious
records of past and present life. Here
will be placed the fossils found in the
Genesee gorge, the evidence of glacial action
found about Rochester and the types
of plants and animals found in Monroe
County. These are but a few of the
natural phenomena to be preserved.
The collections housed in the museum
will form the basis for research studies
in geology and biology. Those researches
that produce valuable results will be pub­
lished. Advanced educators are getting
away omewhat from lessons in books, with
cut and dried questions and answers. Go
to nature for science, they say. Teach by