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Franklin Dining Commons
Constructed: 1965
Architects: Hugh Stubbins and Associates, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.
Design and construction
The rapid increase in the size of the student body in the early 1960s and growth of the Orchard Hill dormitories led to a demand for a new dining commons, and Franklin Dining Commons was built in a convenient location en route from the dormitories to the academic buildings. Sometimes called the Copper Kettle because of its copper roof, the building has modern interiors that complement the exterior design. The walk-up ramp to the second floor was considered a model of efficiency.
A student of Walter Gropius and considered at the time to be one the nation's most distinguished architects, Hugh Stubbins became chair of the Department of Architecture at Harvard's Graduate School of Design in 1953, but left teaching when the demands of his business prospered. He designed several buildings in the region, including the Southwest Residential complex at UMass and buildings at Mount Holyoke and Hampshire Colleges.
Source
- From Three Architectural Tours: Selected Buildings on the Campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, 2000)
- For additional information, consult the University Archives (RG 36/101).