Abbe Hall, the College's new alumni center and home for its alumni offices, is scheduled to open by June, 2003.
The restoration and renovation of the historic property, located at Lenox Road and Union Avenue, has been slowed by a lawsuit brought by a nearby resident. With the suit resolved in favor of the College, work will now accelerate.
The project will provide a comfortable work environment for College staff and a gracious home base for returning alumni. In addition to extensive office space, the main house will have a reception area, meeting rooms, a lounge, and a library for use by alumni visitors as well as by staff. The nearby carriage house, which will be known as the Bailey Carriage House, will contain more office space (the Bailey Fund provided the requisite funds in honor of Frank Bailey, Class of 1885, the College's treasurer for more than fifty years; John Vanneck '60; and William Vanneck '61). Landscaping will include a formal garden adjacent to the main building.
The house, formerly known as the Parker-Rice House, was built in 1900, and its renovation was made possible in part by a gift from Robert T. '49 and Virginia O. Abbe. Experienced in historic renovation, the Abbes requested that the house be restored, as near as possible, to its original decor. Abbe Hall will be decorated with mission-style furniture in keeping with the architectural character of the building.