LOCATION 4: EAST SIDE OF VAN VLECK HALL

Van Vleck Hall

Undoubtedly one of the loveliest buildings on the campus, it was completed in 1858. The architectural design is Italianate. The building served the entire needs of Hope's predecessor, the Holland Academy. Students were housed here, the classrooms and library were here, and President Philip Phelps and his family lived here. Fire was a continual problem when students lived here, since they had stoves in their rooms for heating. During the renovation of the building in the spring of 1980, the roof caught fire and the building was almost destroyed. Fortunately, the building was saved, and it now serves as a residence for women. A historical marker stands at the northwest corner of the building.

(Photos: top - Exterior of Van Vleck, c. 1900; bottom - President Phelps' study.)

First Chapel/Gymnasium

In 1862, the students and faculty felt such a desperate need for this facility that they built it themselves! All early pictures of the campus include this building. It served as a gym until Carnegie Gymnasium was built in 1906 during the Kollen administration. Just east of the chapel/gym was Theological Hall. Another early building in this general area was Charter Hall.

Carnegie/Schouten Gymnasium

President Gerrit J. Kollen convinced Andrew Carnegie that he should make an exception to giving for libraries only. Carnegie agreed and gave $30,000 for a new gymnasium. It was dedicated on September 16, 1906. In 1954, the building was remodeled extensively. The balcony was removed and the structure was renamed Carnegie/Schouten Gymnasium in honor of Jack Schouten, who pioneered in the development of sports at Hope College. The building was razed in July of 1982 to make way for the administrative center addition to the north side of the DeWitt Center.

Pine Grove

This was likely the "College Grove" where the 25th anniversary of the college was celebrated in 1890-91. The Pine Grove is loved and revered by Hope students and faculty, and it is considered the heart of the campus. The stately pine trees add a special dimension to the beauty of the campus. On the southeast edge of the Pine Grove stands the sculpture Icarus by Kurt Laurenz Metzler. It was a gift of the children of Dr. Clarence De Graaf, in whose memory it was dedicated in 1989.

Location 5: College Avenue at the College Arch