Construction of the floor above the James Irving Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium clock room

Description:	The construction of the James Irving Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium is underway and a construction worker is building the roof over the clock room, on the west side of the building. The floor of this air conditioned wing is four feet below the rest of the building, accommodating the planetarium dome, while the floor above the clock room contains the furnace and air conditioning equipment. The clock room, which also serves as a waiting room for the planetarium, was designed to showcase a circle of 12 clocks showing the time in a different city around the world, along with a central clock displaying the current time in Indianapolis, Indiana. Handwritten notes on the front of the photograph, which may have been created by Arthur F. Lindberg, Butler University Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, note the direction the photographer is facing, while the series of xs correspond to the back of another photograph. It appears the handwritten information on the back of that photograph (https://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/2718/rec/1) may have been intended for the back of this photograph and vice versa.Construction of the Indiana limestone building took approximately 18 months and fill dirt from the Ross Hall construction site (building opened September 12, 1954) was moved to this location, a high plot of land at the entrance to Holcomb Gardens. Dedicated on Friday, November 5, 1954, the structure was designed and planned by Lindberg; J. I. Holcomb, Vice President of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee; Dr. Harry E. Crull, Professor of Mathematics and Head of the Department of Mathematics; Robert Frost Daggett, consulting architect; and the firm of Ammerman, Davis and Stout, consulting engineers. On the dedication day, morning classes were shortened, and afternoon classes were cancelled so people could attend the dedication convocation, which was a part of the Homecoming festivities and the start of the celebrations for the Universitys centennial year. Reports vary, but the estimated cost of the building and the telescope was between $325,000 and $350,000, and J. I. and Musetta Holcomb provided the funding for the project. The building includes a central tower topped with a dome housing a 38-inch Cassegrainian reflector telescope manufactured by J. W. Fecker, Inc., a planetarium in the west wing, and a lecture room in the east wing.
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/2714
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.841474, -86.171414 39.841474 -86.171414
Subjects:	Construction projects Construction equipment Construction workers Observatories Planetariums Butler University--Buildings College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History People James Irving Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium Holcomb Observatory Fairview campus

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