Ward Hall

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Name: Ward Hall. Named for benefactor Mrs. Justine Ward.

Date: 1930; additions in 1955 and 1974.

Architect: Unknown

Elevation: 196.41'

Use: The building houses the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. Facilities devoted to teaching, rehearsals and performances, and include faculty offices, studios, classrooms, practice rooms, two rehearsal halls, a recording studio, Recital Hall and departmental library with study and listening spaces. Storage areas for instruments, music and performance props.

Style: Loosely interpreted early-20th-century Spanish/Mission Revival or Mediterranean.

Composition: Original building built around an open cloistered courtyard with the recital hall forming the east side. Both additions are to the rear (north) of the building; the larger and more recent faces Harewood Road, N.E., with a secondary entrance.

Size: Most of building is two stories plus basement.

Materials: Red brick

Trim: Ornamental brickwork creating arches at courtyard entrance and detailing around windows.

Roof: Slate, gable

Windows: Metal, some double casement and some single with arched transom.

Doors: Main courtyard entrance has double wood doors with glass lights and arched transom.

Note: Building was built in three stages. Foreground landscaping includes raised planting beds and a series of retaining walls that brickwork shows to be added.

Setting: The building has modest foundation planting and is situated on the Harewood Road edge of the campus. The building faces to the south, toward the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Architecture: The original building with its colonnaded courtyard and early-20th-century interpretive Mediterranean style is unique to the campus. The small scale of the courtyard and the identity of the principal performance space give the building a special character that deviates from the larger-scale granite structures which dominated in the early years of the university’s building campaign.

History: This is a purpose-built structure with specialized spaces for instruction, practice, performance and instrument storage. It is still in its original use. The School of Nursing temporarily shared the space before moving to Gowen Hall.

Significance: The building has a contributing architectural character and presence and has played an important role in music instruction on the university campus since 1930. Proximity to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the Hartke Theatre make the building relevant to its location. Ward Hall contributes to the architectural and historical qualities of the campus.

Condition: The complex requires a comprehensive renovation of the mechanical and electrical systems, as well as a refurnishing of the instructional space. Pavement, plaza lighting, access and signage enhancements were completed in stages in the early 1990s.

• Basement Floor Plan 1
• Basement Floor Plan 2
• First Floor Plan 1
• First Floor Plan 2
• Second Floor Plan 1
• Second Floor Plan 2