In our last edition, we asked whether anyone remembered Hubbell Hall falling in the late 60s, or recall having class in the old building. We’re loving the responses—keep them coming!

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Regarding Hubbell Hall, I was one of the last classes to use the building with my math class as a freshman in 1963. I was glad at the time that I did have a class there for the historic benefit, even though the place was not very comfortable with its drafty high ceilings and worn steps to the second floor.

As freshmen, we were instructed to wear a beanie—black and gold—and mumble incoherently as we walked on the diagonal walk leading to the Hall. That diagonal walk was composed of hemlock wood chips and was a gift to the college from a previous class, I believe. This order was to be enforced by roving seniors who would make sure we freshmen did as told. I wore my beanie and mumbled, but never encountered a senior enforcer! It was fun anyways.

On a nighttime adventure to explore the legendary steam tunnels that connected buildings on campus, we explorers ventured into Hubbell Hall. Once inside the building, we were able to climb into the peaked roof center tower. That’s the tower that’s falling in the photo. In that area, the massive wood beams that composed the building’s structure were visible. It was a great extracurricular engineering study combined with a grand historical tour all in one! Also in this top area of the tower was miscellaneous storage of files and classroom items. A large globe was in the mix, probably placed there as “not current.” I remember looking in a file cabinet that had report-card-like items with a date of 1906 at the top. It was a very worthwhile, unsanctioned trip. Glad I did it and glad I’ve finally had the opportunity to share it with my fellow alumni.

Tom Joynt ‘67

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I have memories of Hubbell from the old “Science & Engineering Show” that Tech students put on every other year back in 50s and 60s. There were exhibits and hands-on booths in all departments on campus. I always looked forward to it. It was a great recruitment tool for SME? I dimly remember having chem lab in the basement there fall ‘67 or winter ‘69. I’m proud—it’s on my Tech ring.

John Wehmanen ‘71

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I remember Hubbell Hall very well because it was the home of the biology department. An ICON for sure, it was a special old building. I even taught a Biology 101 lab in the basement my senior year.

Sanna Messinger Roling ’67

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In the fall 1967, I took my freshman biology class in the basement of Hubbell Hall. It was then a very innovative approach—a 100% “audio-tutorial” class taught entirely by listening to taped lectures by Dr. Fred Erbisch. I also remember being swarmed by fruit flies escaping from the “genetics” lab experiment.

Don Thompson ‘71

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I was there for the demo work. I even have a piece of the hall somewhere in my collections.

Jim Hird ‘68

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I attended class(es) in Hubbell Hall in ‘65 and ‘66. We had biology courses there. I remember being in the basement, mostly. I was in the medical technology program with Dr. Holland. We dissected dog sharks (awful smelly) and cats (my cat had kittens and I still have one preserved in formalin). During histology we learned how to do whole-mount slides with chicken embryos. I still have the slides I made, I was so proud of my accomplishment. Surprisingly, I can still “see” the laboratory and look out the windows in my mind.

Hubbell Hall was a lovely old building and I’m pleased that I had the opportunity to attend classes in it. Sadly, we can’t save everything. Happily, I have good memories of the building and the education I got there.

Kathy (Fisher) Davies ‘70

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I remember Hubbell in the center of campus as a red fortress that would last forever. Sad to see it go because I sweated through many math classes there. Time marches on.

Richard Wibbelmann’60

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I had calculus on the top floor of Hubbell Hall my freshman year—winter 1962–63. There was a thermometer outside the window of the stairwell. Over a two-week period, the highest the thermometer read was minus 15 degrees and the lowest was minus 30. That was at 11 a.m. in the sunshine. The warmest part of the day.

Let me know when you want reflections of Sperr Hall. I had English at 8 a.m. that quarter in its basement. It was so cold, we had to keep our coats and gloves on, and we could see our breath as we took turns reading the assigned literature aloud.

Don Ingersoll ‘67

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In the winter term of ‘56–‘57 I had a class there at 2:00 p.m. on an upper floor. There was a thermometer visible through a window on a stairway landing. Nearly every day it was sunny and 18 degrees when I climbed the stairs. I thought it was a beautiful winter. I much preferred to have classes in Hubbell tohanany of the newer buildings; it was a “warmer” feeling. Sorry it had to go.

Joe Jenney ‘90

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I remember Hubbell Hall. I had but one class in the building, a chemistry lab in the spring of 1966, and even then the walls were cracked and fresh air came into the building from more places than just the windows. I have a photo taken in September 1968 as the demolition neared completion.

I also remember hearing the story of when Ray Smith unveiled a model of the campus, shortly before I started at ‘da Tech’ in 1965, to a group of alumni showing the future modernization program with the new high-rise buildings and the US -41 realignment. The story goes that everyone was very impressed until someone tried to find Hubbell Hall and noticed that it was missing—Dr. Smith almost went missing himself. He had to smooth a bunch of ruffled feathers, but he stuck to his guns and we got the campus that we see today.

John R. Baker ‘71

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I only had a few classes in Hubbell. The blackboards were real slate. I wonder where they went. I always thought the building should have been kept as a university museum or something. After all, it’s on my class ring.

Chris Otis ’70 (but should have been ’69)