His plans called for a building of sandstone, designed in architectural harmony with Old
Main, providing seating for 400 to 500 people around a central court and in the balconies. The
playing court for basketball and other indoor games was to be 50 by 70 feet; beneath this court
in a large basement were to be showers, lockers, and storage rooms. The gym was to be built at
a cost of $10,000 on a 72 by 97 foot lot where the Hockey Rink stood. Its primary entrance was
to be on Main Street.
In its 1907 annual report, the Athletic Association noted that almost $1,000 had been
raised. It was now foreseen that the students would raise the full amount by Founder's Day,
November 30, 1907. A concert held on June 9, 1908, raised over $60, bringing the total to
$1,462.81, with high expectations that $1,500 could be reached by graduation. A week later, the
Spring Concert given by the musical clubs of Clarkson Tech raised over $100 for this fund.
On November 30, 1909, following the events of Founder's Day, the Citizen's Committee
of Potsdam was organized. It was to cooperate with the Clarkson Engineering Assembly in
raising the additional funds for the gymnasium to bring the amount to $5,000. Once this amount
was reached, Miss Lavinia Clarkson pledged to match it.
After the plans and specifications were completed, the estimates revealed that the
building could be built of Potsdam sandstone in harmony with the original Clarkson building
for about $11,500. This estimate did not include fittings or fixtures for electric lighting, steam
heating, or physical training equipment. A view of the proposed gym was worked up by the
architect into a water color and reproduced on post cards.
By the time final revisions for the plans had been made, the cost of the gym had risen to
$15,000. Its dimensions had been enlarged from the original plans. The building was to be 81-
by 63-feet with a foundation of masonry and a superstructure of steel and stucco instead of
Potsdam Sandstone; the roof would be of asbestos. The gym floor was to be 58-by 76-feet in
the clear with ample room to accommodate several hundred spectators. Across the front of the
hall, but not projecting over the basketball court, was a balcony capable of holding 125
spectators. After all changes, the final building was 86- by 63-feet, erected at a cost of about
$20,000. It remained a gym until 1956 when it was converted into the Harriet Call Burnap
library.
Class Statistics.
The
Clarkson Bulletin
(IX, 3, July 1912) contained this interesting
observation. Of the 19 graduates in 1912, 13 entered the Tech in September 1910, one entered
in January 1908, and five in September 1907. In September 1908, there were 25 members of the
class. Of these, eight had left college, three were still in attendance, and 14 were in the class
continuously till graduation.
Among these, three had honor marks in more than half of the subjects studied, seven in
10 or more, and all but one made H (Honors: the equivalent of today's A) in at least one subject.
Four had neither failure nor "condition" during the four years, and nine had but a single
"condition." [Note. An "F" grade for a course meant the student had failed the final
examination, and hence had a "condition" about the material; it also meant that the final
examination had to be repeated; "FF" meant that the course had to be repeated.] (See 1902)
Two were recipients of the Clarkson scholarship. The average age at graduation was 24 years,
two months, and nine days. The oldest was 30 years, two months, and 16 days, and the
youngest was 20 years, 11 months. The "Notes of the Class of 1912" in that
Bulletin
revealed
the interesting futures ahead of these graduates by listing their prospective employers:
