Jump to content

Risley Residential College

Add links
Coordinates: 42°27′11″N 76°28′55″W / 42.45307°N 76.481962°W / 42.45307; -76.481962
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Risley Residential College
Residential college, Dining hall, Theater
Cornell University
Risley Residential College in August 2018
LocationNorth Campus, Ithaca, New York, U.S.
Coordinates42°27′11″N 76°28′55″W / 42.45307°N 76.481962°W / 42.45307; -76.481962
Established1913
NamesakePrudence Risley
ArchitectWilliam Henry Miller
Architectural styleTudor gothic
BenefactorMargaret Olivia Slocum Sage
Websiterisley.org

Prudence Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as Risley Residential College, Risley Hall, or just Risley, is a program house (themed residence hall) at Cornell University. Unlike most other dormitories on campus, Risley is a residential college; house members, or "Risleyites," have some say in the administration of the residence hall, can continue to reside there as long as they are enrolled at Cornell, are encouraged to eat together at the in-house dining hall, and participate in educational activities such as guest lectures within the dormitory.

History

Early Risley Hall
Postcard of Risley Residential College, c. 1910s
Portrait of Margaret Slocum Sage in Risley Residential College
Stonework detail bearing Risley's historical motto "The Truth Will Make You Free" and "True and Firm" (Treu und Fest), a German motto Andrew Dickson White had first suggested to fellow university co-founder Ezra Cornell to adorn his mansion.[1]

In 1911, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, a progressive philanthropist and the widow of financier Russell Sage, donated $300,000 (equivalent to $10.8 million in 2023) to the university for the construction of a women's dormitory. At her request, the building was named after her husband's mother, Prudence Risley. Financier and Cornell trustee Emerson McMillin donated an additional $20,000 (equivalent to $654,000 in 2023) to purchase the requisite five-acre lot, the first expansion of Cornell's footprint north of the Fall Creek gorge, the beginning of the modern day North Campus.[2]

The building was opened to students in 1913. It was unusually luxurious, with sculptures and expensive furnishings in common areas, many of which were donated by Cornell co-founder Andrew Dickson White.

In approximately 1969-70, undergraduates Judith Goodman ('71) and Gail Hassan ('71) developed a proposal to create university housing specifically for students interested in the arts, as well as decidated performance, practice, and other creative spaces.[3] The Associate Dean of Students, Ruth Darling,[4] was supportive of the proposal, which asked for 40 housing units, but, if there was sufficient demand, they might use Risley Hall.[5] Student interest was overwhelming: the university received over 1000 applications for the roughly 200 spots in the building.[6] Having demonstrated student interest in such a dormatory, in fall 1970, Risley Hall thus became the home of Risley Residential College for the Fine and Performing Arts, Cornell's first "program house."[7]

People

The building houses 196 students, chosen by Risleyites from a number of applications. Notable former Risley residents from before the creation of Risley Residential College include Margaret Bourke-White[8]', Elspeth Huxley,[9] Barbara McClintock, Helen Reichert, and Janet Reno. Notable residents from after the creation of the Residential College include Matt Ruff,[citation needed] Mia Korf,[10] Jamie Silverstein,[11] Christopher Reeve,[12] Andre Balazs, Madalyn Aslan, Duo Dickinson, Andrew C. Greenberg, David Conte,[13] Jared Emerson-Johnson, Adam Becker, Yoon Ha Lee, Elizabeth Neuffer, and Keith Raywood.

In addition to students, Risley houses one or two Artists-In-Residence ("AIRs"), who live in the building and organize regular programs in which the house members participate. There is not currently an Artist-In-Residence. Previous AIRs include Georgia O'Neil, Patrick Gray, Carolina Osorio-Gill, Natalie Tyler, Abraham Burickson, Gregory Halpern, and Brandon Bird.[14]

Many famous people have visited the house for intimate discussions with the Risleyites, such as Anthony Rapp, Christopher Hogwood, John Cleese, who hosted a question and answer session after the showing of his film A Fish Called Wanda,[15] and Samuel R. Delany who continues to collaborate with Risley alumnus Kenneth James.[16][17]

Facilities

Risley Residential College seen from its courtyard

As a dormitory, Risley offers a unique living experience. The Tudor Gothic building itself is shaped like a large red castle, modeled directly on Hampton Court Palace in England. The architect, William H. Miller, was requested to design the floor plan such that no two rooms would be identical. Consequently, the rooms vary greatly. Sizes range from a single room that is 93 square feet (9 m2), a former maid's room, to a double room that is 273 square feet (25 m2), the largest double on campus.[citation needed] Room features include balconies, fireplaces, dumbwaiter shafts, secret stairwells, bay windows, embrasures, and turrets.

At the request of Andrew Dickson White, the Risley Great Hall was constructed as a smaller scale replica of the dining hall at Oxford's Christ Church.[18] The hall features a large stained-glass window, portraying English social reformer Elizabeth Fry, U.S. First Lady Abigail Adams, and Scottish polymath Mary Somerville.[19] It is the only gluten-free dining hall on Cornell's campus.[20]

The residence has a variety of spaces for students' creative and artistic endeavors, including a theater, music practice rooms, art workshops, a recording studio, a darkroom, and a small library. [citation needed]. The affairs of the building are managed by an elected student government, "Kommittee," which determines the budget, use of facilities, and allocation of funds.[21] Students are also allowed to paint the interior walls, resulting in numerous murals throughout the hallways. The college hosts a coffee house called "Tammany," where regional bands perform.[citation needed].

Risley Theatre is an 81-seat black box theater built in a converted ballroom.[citation needed] It is the only fully student-operated theater on the Cornell campus. The theater is run by the Risley Theatre Subcommittee ("T-Sub"), a subcommittee of Kommittee. T-Sub is responsible for producing regular seasons, allocating theater resources, funding student-run productions, and managing the theater space.[citation needed] Performances are open to the general public.

Traditions

Risley's great hall on Wizard's Feast Night

The hall hosts numerous annual events. For example, on the weekend before Halloween, students host a large costumed dance party called MasqueRave. On the weekend following Halloween, the "Denton Drama Troupe" (an in-house group) hosts a live performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Great Hall; this tradition was begun in 1991 by then-resident Paula Berman. Because both of these events draw hundreds of people, they generate the revenue that supports smaller projects. Other notable events include themed dinners, such as Wizard's Feast, first organized in 2005 by Risley Resident, Charlene Morales. The event included a menu akin to several beloved dishes, snacks, and drinks such as "butter beer" unique to the Harry Potter film, drawing over 200+ guests. All dishes were uniquely crafted by kitchen director, Lorna McNab. The event was so beloved by all that it was then decreed a tradition. Another notable tradition is the reading of Handel's Messiah.

In addition to annual events, there are also several weekly events (programs), most of which involve free food. Kommittee allocates money every semester to fund events like Eat This!, in which one or more Risleyites cook food for everyone else on wednesdays at night, RisBrunch (RizBrunch), in which one or more Risleyites cook food for everyone else on Saturdays at noon, and Lost Coffee, in which one Risleyite makes coffee and tea, which is placed somewhere in the building along with some cookies, on Monday nights and sends out clues as to where to find it.

Legend says that Prudence Risley, affectionately known as "Auntie Prue," haunts the building, flickering the lights whenever she appears. Some doubt the stories, though, and wonder if these "hauntings" might actually be the result of old wiring and the imaginations of overtired students.[22]

See also

Risley in literature

References

  1. ^ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1340/pg1340.txt [bare URL]
  2. ^ https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/b43d0b83-65f1-46c6-846e-c4c996b0a89f/content p.41
  3. ^ "'The Castle on the Hill': Risley Hall's 100th Anniversary - the Cornell Daily Sun". 30 November 2001.
  4. ^ "Obituary". News.cornell.edu. Archived from the original on 16 September 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  5. ^ https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/e884e207-2574-4f47-9773-eaa2e429f140/content p.3
  6. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/e884e207-2574-4f47-9773-eaa2e429f140/content p.3
  8. ^ Portrait of Myself by Margaret Bourke-White, p 30
  9. ^ Elspeth Huxley: A Biography by C. S. Nicholls, p. 85
  10. ^ "Frequently asked questions about Fool on the Hill". Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2006.
  11. ^ "Washington Week: Student Voices (O)". PBS. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Christopher Reeve". IMDb.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  13. ^ "David Conte". Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Brandon Bird resume". The official website of Brandon Bird. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  15. ^ "Photographic image" (JPG). Brandonbird.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  16. ^ "Crowdfunding the publication of Samuel R Delany's journals / Boing Boing". Boingboing.net. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  17. ^ Delany, Samuel R.; James, Ken (15 November 1996). Longer Views: Extended Essays. Wesleyan. ISBN 0819562939.
  18. ^ "Living at Cornell". Campuslife.cornell.edu. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  19. ^ "The Cornell Alumni News". 19 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Risley Dining Room | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University". scl.cornell.edu. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Risley | Kommittee". Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  22. ^ "Big Red gives up the ghosts". Cornell Alumni Magazine Online. 107 (No 2) (Cornelliana: Spirit of the Season). Cornell University. September 2004. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Risley Residential College.

Cornell-affiliated sources

Non-Cornell-affiliated sources

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Risley_Residential_College&oldid=1244833613"