Baker Hall Exterior Light Fixtures

There are many owls on campus that leap out at you and many more that you can search for and possibly never find. Some are so high they are difficult to see and some are in very obscure or detailed areas. I gave a cursory glance around Baker Hall and could not find any owls but kept being drawn to these exterior light fixtures. These reminded me of some type of helmet; I kept envisioning one of Wagner's Valkyries wearing one. I decided to take a closer look because I thought these were perhaps meant to represent a helmet for Athena (a reasonable conclusion since this building houses the Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Political Science Department) and that the sides were meant to represent the wings of an owl. Upon closer inspection I discovered that there is an owl actually depicted on the fixture. Stephen Fox in his Campus Guide: Rice University indicates that these were designed by Kent Bloomer, a professor of architecture at Yale, and that these "evoke the outspread wings of an owl." They clearly do, but I believe the photo also shows the clear resemblance to a helmet.

Lovett Hall Columns

These are examples of columns at either end of Lovett Hall. Most of the carving on Lovett is attributed to Oswald Lassig, but other workers did some carving as well. While I think there are similarities to the RMC columns I would not call these nearly identical. I think I prefer these to the RMC ones, but these often get overshadowed by the other lovely columns on Lovett Hall. Lovett actually has more depictions of owls than I thought so I will have to take a few more photos soon.

Rice Memorial Center Columns

Both of these images come from the Rice Image Library. I believe these are the most well-known owls around campus, or at least the most photographed. I also think the RMC has the most owls around and inside the building. The makes sense as it is one of the central public buildings on campus. Morehead says these owls are almost identical to some owls that are on Lovett Hall. My next post will feature those owls so that you can make your own comparison.

Baker College Library Light Fixture

I thought I would add another interior feature. This is one of the lights in Baker College's library. This room was originally the commons room in the building known as the Institute Commons. Stephen Fox in his Campus Guide: Rice University dates this building to 1912 (not sure if that is the start date or of completion) but other sources indicate 1914. I've also seen conflicting opionion on whether East Hall dates from 1914 or 1915. Morehead's book indicates these fixtures are original to the building and I have seen them in some older photos, however they look newer than 1912 to me; perhaps it is the ceiling fans to which they are attached. This is one of many examples of the Rice Shield on campus. The designer, Pierre de Chaignon la Rose, also designed various seals for Harvard and Notre Dame.