Barton Hall
Encyclopedia
Barton Hall is an on-campus field house
on the campus of Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York
. It is the site of the school's indoor track facilities, ROTC offices and classes, and Cornell Police. It's also the location of the band room, used by the Cornell Big Red Marching Band
and the Cornell Big Red Pep Band
. For a long time, Barton Hall was the largest unpillared room in existence. The interior of the building covers almost 2 acres (8,093.7 m²), and includes a 1/8 mile (200m) indoor track.
Barton Hall was well-known to all Cornellians. In the days prior to online course registration, each student would come to Barton Hall at the start of the semester to register for classes. This process would involve placing punched cards into bins for each class positioned on tables throughout the hall. Student organizations would also recruit members at these events. In the first part of the 20th century, "drill" was mandatory for all male students, and it would be conducted in Barton Hall. Also, until 1974, graduation was conducted in Barton Hall, until it was moved outdoors to Schoellkopf Field
. Finally, Barton Hall houses the all-alumni lunches at the annual Cornell reunions.
In 1995, Barton received another major change with the construction of the H. Hunt Bradley Track Center under the south bleachers. The center includes a Hall of Fame/meeting room/study facility for track, an office, a library and a 1500 square feet (139.4 m²) weight room.
Barton Hall also serves as a concert venue for the Cornell Campus. It has hosted acts such as The Grateful Dead
, Ludacris
, Bob Dylan
, and The Flaming Lips
, who put on what they hoped would be the "second best show in Barton Hall history", behind The Grateful Dead.
In the Spring of 1969 members of the Afro-American Society (AAS) occupied Willard Straight Hall, the Cornell Student Union, in protest against judicial sanctions against several black students and to demand a black studies program. Two days after the students left Willard Straight Hall
, a Students for a Democratic Society
(SDS) meeting became a "student takeover of Barton Hall" and the Barton Hall Community was formed.
For many years, Barton Hall had a deck gun used in Navy ROTC Training which was fenced off from the general public. On May 1, 1969, as a protest against the Vietnam War
, SDS members of the broke into the fenced area and stood on the gun. In a departure from the practice of handling student disciplinary issues with the campus judicial system, eight of the protesters were prosecuted in the city courts for trespassing. In September 1969, the week-long trial attracted great publicity because the defense called as witnesses a large number of administrators, trustees, President Dale Corson, and former President James Perkins to testify.
On May 11, 1972, Barton Hall was again the site of anti-war protests, and one protestor threw a rock through a window. The rock thrower was mistakenly identified as physics major James R. Bean, who was later suspended and placed on trial for first degree riot, a class E felony. Bean was acquitted after a four-day trial. Before the end of the trial, the District Attorney subpoenaed the defense witnesses to appear before the grand jury to further investigate the protest. The Bean trial was a high point in political tensions between the town and the campus and marked an end to efforts to prosecute anti-war protestors off-campus.
In 2009–2011, Barton Hall underwent a $8 million renovation which included structural repairs, masonry restoration, roof and window replacement and gutter work.
, the building was remodeled into a premier indoor track facility. The Recaflex track features eight 42-inch lanes, one of the few indoor 200-meter tracks in the country with eight such lanes. Barton also contains a throwing cage with a cement circle and crusher dust landing sector surrounded by a 25 feet (7.6 m) high chain link fence. The interior of the track has a Recaflex runway for the pole vault, two long and triple jump pits and multiple high jump areas. The track itself has a raised aluminum curb and a common finish line.
Barton Hall is also home to the three ROTC Detachments on campus: Army, Navy, and Air Force. Each branch has a dedicated corner of the building where classes are held in their respective fields. Lead labs and drill labs also occur in Barton Hall whether on the track floor or within the detachment buildings themselves.
Barton Hall also contains an indoor challenge course, that has similar elements to those found outside at the Hoffman Challenge Course owned and operated by Cornell Team & Leadership Center. The Barton Hall Challenge Course has several unique, exciting elements. Barton Hall is the perfect answer for groups looking to avoid the weather during the cold winter months.
Field House
Field House or Fieldhouse is a common name for indoor sports arenas and stadiums, mostly used for college basketball, volleyball, or ice hockey.-Colorado:*Balch Fieldhouse, University of Colorado...
on the campus of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
. It is the site of the school's indoor track facilities, ROTC offices and classes, and Cornell Police. It's also the location of the band room, used by the Cornell Big Red Marching Band
Cornell Big Red Marching Band
The Cornell Big Red Marching Band is the only traditional marching band in the Ivy League. It performs at all home, and most away, Cornell Football Games...
and the Cornell Big Red Pep Band
Cornell Big Red Pep Band
The Cornell Big Red Pep Band is Cornell University's student-run pep band that performs primarily at Cornell Men's ice hockey, with frequent appearances at Women's ice hockey, Men's and Women's lacrosse and basketball, and occasional appearances at a diverse array of other events, such as...
. For a long time, Barton Hall was the largest unpillared room in existence. The interior of the building covers almost 2 acres (8,093.7 m²), and includes a 1/8 mile (200m) indoor track.
History
It was built in 1914 and 1915 and was originally designed as a drill hall for the Department of Military Science. It was named for Col. Frank A. Barton, Class of 1891. Colonel Barton was one of the first two Cornell students to receive an army commission in Cornell's Military Science Program, and was the first ROTC commandant at Cornell from 1904 to 1908. During World War I, Barton Hall functioned as an airplane hangar and it served the ROTC as an armory during World War II.Barton Hall was well-known to all Cornellians. In the days prior to online course registration, each student would come to Barton Hall at the start of the semester to register for classes. This process would involve placing punched cards into bins for each class positioned on tables throughout the hall. Student organizations would also recruit members at these events. In the first part of the 20th century, "drill" was mandatory for all male students, and it would be conducted in Barton Hall. Also, until 1974, graduation was conducted in Barton Hall, until it was moved outdoors to Schoellkopf Field
Schoellkopf Field
Schoellkopf Field is a 25,597-capacity stadium at Cornell University's Ithaca-campus that opened in 1915 and is used for the Cornell Big Red football, sprint football, lacrosse and field hockey teams...
. Finally, Barton Hall houses the all-alumni lunches at the annual Cornell reunions.
In 1995, Barton received another major change with the construction of the H. Hunt Bradley Track Center under the south bleachers. The center includes a Hall of Fame/meeting room/study facility for track, an office, a library and a 1500 square feet (139.4 m²) weight room.
Barton Hall also serves as a concert venue for the Cornell Campus. It has hosted acts such as The Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, and The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
, who put on what they hoped would be the "second best show in Barton Hall history", behind The Grateful Dead.
In the Spring of 1969 members of the Afro-American Society (AAS) occupied Willard Straight Hall, the Cornell Student Union, in protest against judicial sanctions against several black students and to demand a black studies program. Two days after the students left Willard Straight Hall
Willard Straight Hall
Willard Straight Hall is the student union building on the central campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It is located on Campus Road, adjacent to the Ho Plaza and the Gannett Health Center.-History:...
, a Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
(SDS) meeting became a "student takeover of Barton Hall" and the Barton Hall Community was formed.
For many years, Barton Hall had a deck gun used in Navy ROTC Training which was fenced off from the general public. On May 1, 1969, as a protest against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, SDS members of the broke into the fenced area and stood on the gun. In a departure from the practice of handling student disciplinary issues with the campus judicial system, eight of the protesters were prosecuted in the city courts for trespassing. In September 1969, the week-long trial attracted great publicity because the defense called as witnesses a large number of administrators, trustees, President Dale Corson, and former President James Perkins to testify.
On May 11, 1972, Barton Hall was again the site of anti-war protests, and one protestor threw a rock through a window. The rock thrower was mistakenly identified as physics major James R. Bean, who was later suspended and placed on trial for first degree riot, a class E felony. Bean was acquitted after a four-day trial. Before the end of the trial, the District Attorney subpoenaed the defense witnesses to appear before the grand jury to further investigate the protest. The Bean trial was a high point in political tensions between the town and the campus and marked an end to efforts to prosecute anti-war protestors off-campus.
In 2009–2011, Barton Hall underwent a $8 million renovation which included structural repairs, masonry restoration, roof and window replacement and gutter work.
Current uses
Barton Hall now contains a 200 m track, basketball courts, the Hart Memorial Library, and the Wortham Museum. After the opening of Newman ArenaNewman Arena
Newman Arena is a 4,473-seat multi-purpose arena at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, located in Bartels Hall, which is adjacent to Lynah Rink. It is home to the Cornell Big Red basketball and volleyball teams. It opened in January 1990, replacing Barton Hall, which was remodeled to become a...
, the building was remodeled into a premier indoor track facility. The Recaflex track features eight 42-inch lanes, one of the few indoor 200-meter tracks in the country with eight such lanes. Barton also contains a throwing cage with a cement circle and crusher dust landing sector surrounded by a 25 feet (7.6 m) high chain link fence. The interior of the track has a Recaflex runway for the pole vault, two long and triple jump pits and multiple high jump areas. The track itself has a raised aluminum curb and a common finish line.
Barton Hall is also home to the three ROTC Detachments on campus: Army, Navy, and Air Force. Each branch has a dedicated corner of the building where classes are held in their respective fields. Lead labs and drill labs also occur in Barton Hall whether on the track floor or within the detachment buildings themselves.
Barton Hall also contains an indoor challenge course, that has similar elements to those found outside at the Hoffman Challenge Course owned and operated by Cornell Team & Leadership Center. The Barton Hall Challenge Course has several unique, exciting elements. Barton Hall is the perfect answer for groups looking to avoid the weather during the cold winter months.