Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 20.pdf/402

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LANGDELL HALL lecture rooms. For all these reasons, larger quarters were required. Austin Hall, from 1883 to 1907 the sole home of the Harvard Law School, is still the scene of about half the lectures. It is a building of reddish brown stone, with buff trimmings, and is one of the most highly admired works of the late H. H. Richardson.

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That limit was reached in 1889-90. In 1899-1900, the last year of Professor Langdell's teaching the number of students had reached six hundred and thirteen. The number in 1907-08 was seven hundred and sixteen. For years the students were subjected to the discomfort of not being able to find seats in the reading room. Besides, the

DANE HALL, 1871 TO 1883

It is very characteristic of the architect — having round arches, a conspicuous roof, and a general effect of richness and warmth. It contains one lecture room accommodating about two hundred and fifty, one accommo dating about sixty, and two accommodating about one hundred and fifty each. It con tains reading room accommodations for two hundred and forty, and a library stack for about fifty thousand volumes. When it was built the law school had one hundred and thirty students. There was a reasonable expectation that some day the number might be two hundred and fifty. Conse quently the architect so devised the building that, with slight alterations, two hundred and fiftv students could be accommodated.

lecture rooms became too few- and the stack ceased to accommodate the books — many thousands being stored in inconvenient places. There were reasons enough for enlarging the building or obtaining a new one. Austin Hall, however, proved incapable of enlargement. The erecting of a supple mental building was rendered difficult by a provision made by the donor of Austin Hall to the effect that there should be no other building within sixty feet. Besides, the increase in the cost of structural iron work and in other items caused a financial difficulty. Thus it happens that for a longer time than one could wish Austin Hall has been the law school's only home. As has been pointed out, the need of an