1. Stephens LifeOctober 26, 200936 Cover Story
THE PRES
REBUILD
ING
T
he Historic Quad is part of Stephens’ campus
that conveys classic elegance and architecture.
Wood and Columbia Hall, recently renovated,
once again provide housing for students. And
the grandest building, Senior Hall, originally
erected in 1841, is the footprint of Stephens
College and allows students a peek into the
past with its ornate staircases, paintings, light
fixtures and other details reminiscent of the
Victorian era. In the historic quad, however,
there is one building that is often forgotten: the
president’s house.
For years, the house not only provided an elegant living environment for
the Stephens’president, but also provided space for dinner parties and social
events. The house was called home by several past presidents, and was en-
joyed by students, faculty and citizens of Columbia in general. In the 1980s,
however, Stephens’finances were in bad shape, and the house fell into disre-
pair.Also in disrepair at the time was Senior Hall, and any extra money went
torepairthishistoricbuilding,whichwasrededicatedin1990.Inthe’90s,the
president’shousewasusedforguestspeakersandtheoccasionalsocialevent,
but the once-classy home became victim to old age and lack of money.
Today, the building is rarely visited, and attempts are cut short because the
foulsmellandinteriordamage.Recently,thereisanewhopethatthebuilding
will be restored, with the arrival of President Dianne Lynch and other inter-
ested parties willing to help bring the president’s house back to life.
PASTThe president’s home was built in 1926, behind Senior Hall and bordering
LocustStreet.ThebuildingradiatestheGeorgianstyleofarchitectureandde-
sign, which, according to BBC, is characterized by the feel of weightlessness
or airiness inside the building, pale colors, delicate and ornate furniture, el-
egant fireplaces and patterned wallpaper.The building contains 9,101 square
feet of living space, which includes the extra rooms added onto the home in
the 1930s.
President James Madison Wood, who came to Stephens in 1912, was the
first to live in the president’s house. He first lived in Senior Hall, and then an
apartmentinColumbiaHalloncethebuildingwascompletedin1920.Wood
thought there should be a better place for the president to live, not only to
provide the president with better living quarters, but to have a space for the
president to hold social events for faculty and students.
Woodwasdescribedasbeingverystudentfriendly,andwhenhedidmove
intothepresident’shouse,hewouldallowvisitingparentstostayinthehome
because there were no motels available in Columbia.Another house guest of
hiswasactressMaudeAdams,whowasanestablishedactresswhostarredin
theoriginalBroadwayversionofPeterPan.AlanHavig,anadjunctprofessor
and archivist for Stephens, describes her as the first lady ofAmerican theater,
and later on in her career, she taught drama at Stephens.
“Ms. Adams, as she was referred to, would teach for a month and then
sometimes leave for a month on business. With her schedule, it was difficult
to find a place to rent, soWood let her live in the president’s house.”
Havig describes the president’s house as a comfortable place for the presi-
dent and guests to gather. “During Christmas, the president would open up
the home for Sunday parties, and faculty and staff could visit and have cook-
ies and coffee.”
Havig also said that though many social events were held at the home, it
was still the president’s house and the president was in charge. “It was still
a private home, and events were invitation-only,” Havig said. “To give the
president and his or her family privacy, events were held on the first floor,
and the family lived on the second and third floors. The upper floors were a
completely separate living space. For the president’s convenience, Stephens
provided people to cook and clean during events so the president could visit
with guests.”
It’s been 15 years since a president has lived in the building. Stephens tried
to raise money to fix the building up, but with finances in bad shape and Se-
nior Hall in even worse shape, the extra money had to go to the aid of Senior
Hall. Havig explained that Senior Hall was in such disrepair that windows
were falling out of the frames and it was threatened that the building would
have to be demolished. Stephens hoped that the president’s house could one
day be renovated, but no one knew when that day would come.
PresentOtherthanfortheoccasionalstudentfilmorschoolfunction,thepresident’s
house remains locked up. Because of leaks in the roof and wall destruction,
the interior of the house has received some damage. Foul smells have lead
some to believe mold is growing in the home as well.
“On a scale from one to 10, one being bad and 10 being great, I’d say the
President’s house is at a four,” said Lee
in interior design.
Fields has been collaborating with Ka
signmajor,onDieckhaus’sseniorcapsto
Dieckhaus is creating a design plan that
Lynch’s vision for the future of the build
“This project is just a capstone for K
her designs,” Fields said. “It’s been great
workwithonherproject.Ifthepresident
plansmaybeconsidered,butthedesigna
with students, faculty and alumnae.”
Dieckhaus is delighted that her desi
home’s future.
“Just doing this capstone is an accom
warding experience, but I would be over
for the president’s house,” she said. “I w
in a way, and it would be my way of giv
This semester, Dieckhaus and Fields
history of the president’s house, as we
the home. Next semester, Dieckhaus wi
boards, fabric swatches and other design
“We went to the home in September a
and we’ve also been researching down
“The measuring was intense because th
didn’t want to be in the house for a long
nooks, it was difficult to get precise mea
Dieckhaus’s goal is to update the hom
design because it’s required for the home
sinceit’sontheNationalRegisterofHist
the building for its old character as well.
By Rebecca Hiatt
Student Life Editor
dianne lynch hopes to restore historic building,
but limited funding continues to stifle the project

2. Stephens Life October 26, 2009 37Cover Story
SIDENT’S
HOUSE
e Ann Fields, an assistant professor
ari Dieckhaus, a senior interior de-
oneinvolvingthepresident’shouse.
combines her vision and President
ding.
Kari, but Dr. Lynch is interested in
t for Kari to have an actual client to
t’shousedoesgetrenovated,Kari’s
andrenovationwillbeateameffort
igns would be considered for the
mplishment itself and has been a re-
rjoyed if my plans were considered
would be making a mark on history
ving back to Stephens.”
s have been doing research on the
ell as doing measurements inside
ill come up with drawings, design
n plans, such as landscape layouts.
and spent several weeks measuring,
n in the archives,” Dieckhaus said.
he home has a musty smell and we
g period of time.Also, with its odd
asurements.”
me, but keep the original Georgian
e to stay original to the time period,
toricPlaces.Dieckhausappreciates
.
“It makes me sad to see people tear down old buildings and just put up
new ones,” she said. “I’m glad to see old buildings being preserved, and I’m
happy to be a part of this project and to see the building possibly becoming
part of the community again.”
Fields also appreciates the rich history of the building, and would be glad
to see it used for large social events again.
“By the president living on campus, the community will have a closer
bond, and I think this will say a lot about Stephens,” she said.
FutureIthasn’tbeendeterminedyetwhenthepresident’shousewillberenovated,
but Lynch is dedicated to maintaining the building and someday bringing it
back to life.
“Five minutes after I got on campus, I knew I’d like to someday live in the
president’shouse,”Lynchsaid.“Ibelievethebuildingshouldbetheheartand
soulofcampus,andthepresidentshouldresidewherethestudentsreside,and
that is consistent to my approach to Stephens. Being the president is more
than just a job, and I’m very committed to the community.”
Lynch said the resources devoted to the house must come from alumnae
who are willing to contribute only to the house and from grants that will only
support that particular kind of historical renovation.
“We will not divert resources that could be used to fund our more press-
ing priorities—employee benefits, academic programs, and student services
to the house. This matter is very important to me because our students and
faculty are our top priority,” she said. “We’re exploring several different fi-
nancial possibilities for renovating the home, including possible grant, state,
federalandalumnifunding.Wemayhavetorenovatethehouselittlebylittle,
maybe we will just renovate the first floor for the time being to hold social
events, or maybe we can rent out the home until my family and I could move
in.We’re being very creative with our possibilities.”
Many interested parties for this project are alumnae, because when they
attended Stephens, the home was open, and the president would have them
over for coffee and cookies, and Lynch looks forward to one day inviting
people over to the president’s home.
“It’ll be lovely to have everyone all together, and I’ll be excited to host
birthday parties, holiday events, nice dinner parties and barbecues with the
community. My family is game for living on campus too, and my daughter
Annie can see it as an adventure,” Lynch said.
Although no one knows when the home will be renovated, the Stephens
community looks forward to the day when the president can open the front
door and say, “Welcome to my home.”
“I believe the building
should be the heart and soul of campus,
and the president should reside where the students
reside, and that is consistent to my approach to Stephens.”
REBECCA HIATT/Stephens Life
— Dianne lynch