User:Theodonc/Sandbox

General Information

 * Type: Residence
 * Architectural: Georgian Revival
 * Location: Oxford, OH United States
 * Use: Dormitory (Coed)
 * Construction Started: 1959
 * Founder: Edgar Ewing Brandon
 * Local Address: 385 Tallawanda Road
 * Coordinates: N 39.51481 W 84.73460
 * Year Built: 1959
 * General Contractor: Knowlton Construction

Construction and Building Information

 * Brandon Hall was constructed in 1959 by the architects Cellarius & Hilmer. It is located on North Quad on Miami Universities campus, where the land was bought by Edgar Brandon. Brandon Hall is a three-story residence hall with a basement that is roughly U-shaped in its form. Its public address is 385 Tallawanda road, and is owned by Miami University. It was constructed to have bilateral symmetry, especially obvious when looking at the front of the building. When it was being constructed, it was the first dorm of its type in that it did not include a kitchen and dining area (along with Mcfarland Hall across from it) unlike the other dorms at the time on Miami’s campus. There are eleven bays on the property and five side bays as well. The rough sizes of all the windows are eight over eight and six over six. The entrance is centered in the farcade, almost directly in the center of the building. It cost roughly $711,000 dollars to construct Brandon Hall.

Original Use and History

 * When Brandon Hall was constructed in 1959, it was built along side Mcfarland Hall for an all men’s residence hall for fraternity brothers. It was the first of it’s kind on Miami’s campus to not include a dining hall within the building; they were supposed to be somewhat experimental with its use. Brandon and Mcfarland were meant for fraternity men in it’s original use, and they were expected to eat at their fraternity houses, which were very close to these halls, or within the city. It mirrors Mcfarland Hall and created a courtyard in the middle. Currently, the building is a coed residence hall that is under the Red Hawks Learning Living Community at Miami University. Learning Living Communities, according to Miami’s website, “ to create and extend student learning opportunities outside of the classroom that heighten student intellectual and personal growth. Living Learning Communities are purposeful attempts to integrate curricular and co-curricular experiences that complement and extend classroom learning.” Red Hawk Traditions encourages students living in Brandon, McFarland, and other dorms in this LLC to engage in school spirit and learn about Miami’s traditions, as well as engage in athletics at Miami. Brandon Hall is very close to Miami’s athletic facilities. The building is still in excellent condition according to Ohio Historic Inventory Office. Though Brandon Hall was originally built for Fraternity men to eat at their Fraternity houses or within the city, Martin Dining Hall is now located behind Brandon to serve the residents of North Quad.This dining hall has two floors, the top being designed for “an all you can eat” buffet style, and the down stairs being a market. “Hawks Nest” is also included down stairs, where students can order pizza, wings, etc.

Edward Ewing Brandon

 * Edgar Ewing Brandon was born in York Springs, Pennsylvania on August 9th 1865. He received his PH.D in 1900 from the University of Paris. He came to Miami in 1898 as a professor of Romantic Languages and Literature. Brandon was once a dean of the College of Liberal Arts and also twice the acting president of Miami University in the years 1909-1910 and 1927-1928. He was a major influence on the campus for his twenty-three years of service. He was also generous in his support towards Miami’s influential fraternity system. Because of this background, this is a major reason why Brandon Hall was named after him. Brandon made many contributions to Miami University, including donating over ten thousand dollars for the Brandon Language Department and inspiring the idea of constructing residence halls for fraternity men. After his retirement, the Editor of the Alumni News Letter wrote, “We know of no better tribute to Dr. Brandon than the University itself, and the thousand of alumni whom he influenced in scholarship, learning, and character.” He died on June 8th, 1957, two years before Brandon was constructed. Dr. Brandon had also purchased the land, which Brandon was constructed on in previous years in hopes of new fraternity houses being built, since Dr. Brandon had done so much for the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity. The location and function of Brandon Hall are both very appropriate based on this.

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