02/27/2019

Campus Celebrates Opening of the Hameetman Center

Hameetman Center seen from the entrance of the Red DoorCafé

Caltech will celebrate the opening of the Hameetman Center with a dedication ceremony followed by a public reception and building tours.

In a workshop, two men stand alongside slabs of oak

Though the venerable Engelmann oak that stood for more than 350 years between Dabney Hall and Parsons-Gates succumbed to disease two years ago, its memory will live on in the Hameetman Center. Ed Rhoads, lead supervisor for carpenter and paint department, in collaboration with artist davidkremers, who serves on the campus arts committee, has designed a 24-foot table for the Red Door Marketplace using wood from the tree. The two long edges of the table will follow the natural shape of the wood, forming what is known as a live edge. Pictured above are carpenter Francisco Estrada (left) and Rhoads.

Diners eat lunch at the long table made from the wood of Caltech's famed Engelmann Oak.

Brick with the large letters "F.J.H. '61"

An earlier student hub known as the Dugout (opened in 1924) featured a fireplace built with the proceeds of a fundraiser in which engraved bricks were offered for a dollar apiece. The fireplace wall, composed of bricks bearing names of students, clubs, and donors, has been incorporated into the Hameetman Center on the Olive Walk side of the building. On February 28, a final brick, honoring the Hameetmans, will be placed in the center of the wall at a special dedication ceremony.

This bas-relief terracotta beaver, now located on the main staircase landing wall of the Hameetman Center, was originally created for the Winnett Student Center by sculptor Albert Stewart (1900–1965).

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student life

Caltech will celebrate the opening of the Hameetman Center on Thursday, February 28, with a dedication ceremony followed by a public reception and building tours.

The center, named in honor of Caltech trustee Fred Hameetman (BS '62) and his wife, Joyce, features a large public lounge, an expanded Red Door Marketplace, the Caltech Store, music rehearsal facilities, student-club rooms, a multipurpose room, and a conference room.

The dedication ceremony will be at 4:30 p.m. Building tours and a public reception will begin at 5:20 p.m. Because of the festivities, the Red Door Marketplace will be closed from 2–7 p.m.

Written by Jon Nalick