Lewis Perry’s description of Phillips Hall in the July 1932 Bulletin: “It is a building without a counterpart, as far as we know, in the schools of the world.”
“It is scarcely too much to say that Phillips Hall will be one of the most interesting school buildings in the country.” —Editor, The Exeter Bulletin, April 1932 To move the building back in time, at least aesthetically, lighting became a significant factor. Original lighting fixtures in the main lobby and the Elting Room were refurbished. Efforts were also made to replicate the look of surviving fixtures and of those visible in photographs from the 1930s. Anita Bailey, PEA’s senior facilities administrator, says, “When we looked at what had been done in previous modernizations, we had things such as fluorescent-strip fixtures that were the ceiling lights in all the classrooms. We were able to find some of the older light fixtures that were original to the building. …And [we] found a company that made something very close.”
The Big Room “On the first floor is what we call ‘The Big Room,’ which will be used for informal lectures, musical recitals, and the entertaining of visiting teams.This probably will become the social center of the school.” —Principal Perry ’18, ’20, ’46 (Hon.); P’32, The Exeter Bulletin, July 1932
PEA ARCHIVES
The Lobby
(Above) The Elting Room is now accessible via a wheelchair lift. (Inset) The room in 1932 was dubbed PEA’s “social center.”
In addition to new paint, refinished floors and refurbished lights, the Academy installed 174 new armchairs, made by a Massachusetts-based company, in the Elting Room. More important, however, was the addition of a wheelchair lift. WINTER 2013
The Exeter Bulletin
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