FEATURE
Living Legacy at Principia: A True Home Away from Home
STORY BY ERIC MORSE (US’90)
Perched atop the Mississippi River bluffs, Principia College’s iconic collection of buildings designed by renowned architect Bernard Maybeck creates a singular storybook setting. From the stately Chapel to the quirky “Mistake House” to the one-of-a-kind residential houses, Maybeck’s work provides an unforgettable backdrop upon which the student experience unfolds.
MAYBECK’S RESIDENTIAL HOUSING DESIGNS ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR GRAND ARTS AND CRAFTS-STYLE FACADES THAT OPEN TO SOARING ARCHED COMMON AREAS AND COZILY CLUSTERED BEDROOMS. The adage that human experience reflects its environment may explain how the buildings provide a perfect playground for the intellectual curiosity, artistic expression, and self-discovery that characterizes student life at Principia.
Lauren Warboy (US’99, C’03), a renowned interior designer in her own right, recalls how living inside Maybeck’s artistic vision ignited a lifelong passion. “We did a deep dive on Maybeck in my art history class—his thought process and intention to cultivate unique learning spaces,” she recalls. “It was so cool to experience what someone had planned and designed just for you.”
Howard: Making a House a Home
A perfect example of this intentionality is Howard House, a women’s dorm and Maybeck’s first residential building on campus. Howard’s interiors can be curious, surprising, even downright mischievous—rooms featuring odd-sized windows, unexpected nooks and staircases, even the envied east-side balcony.
“Just as Maybeck built this house—tasteful, with a wonderful sense of elegance—the [students] portray these qualities. Although … diverse in background, interests and talents, each member adds to the class seen outside as well as inside of the building … Those of us fortunate to dwell within love to call it home.” While some things have changed since Jen (Barone) Towle (C’98) and Betsy Mueller (C’98) wrote these words for the 1996 Sheaf yearbook, much remains the same.
In June, alumni of Howard House gathered on the Elsah campus—reunited to reminisce and reflect on their formative experiences. Warboy recalls the thrill of exploring her curious and mysterious digs at Howard: “I wanted to be in a Maybeck house. The others were not even an option for me,” she recalls. “I loved ... changing rooms three times a year, exploring the different rooms and making friends with girls I wouldn’t have known otherwise.”
After almost a century of students making lasting friendships and growing into who they set out to become, the Maybeck houses are ready for preservation work and infrastructure upgrades that will continue the legacy.
Howard’s interiors can be curious, surprising, even downright mischievous—rooms featuring odd-sized windows, unexpected nooks, and staircases, even the envied east-side balcony.
Modern Life within a Timeless Design
To construct a beautiful structure is one thing, but to create an enduring platform upon which the daily revolutions of college life can flourish is another. In the nine decades since their construction, Principia College’s residential houses have gone through several renovations, each one providing updates to the student experience while meticulously honoring the original design. “The Maybeck architecture offers endless moments of curiosity, wonder, and delight, and these are critical qualities to preserve,” said Lee Eubank (C’97), Principia College Director of Facilities. “Equally important is enhancing livability and creating a high-quality student experience, ensuring that students can thrive in an environment that respects the past while embracing the future.”
The College completed renovations to Sylvester House earlier this year—an award-winning project that received national attention for its ability to demonstrate harmony between the old and new. As Howard House prepares to follow suit, plans are underway for improved sustainability and enhanced livability. Technological enhancements to Howard will provide climate controls within each room, state-of-the-art building systems—such as security, automation, and networking—and refreshed common areas to restore some original splendor while creating a more inviting environment. New energy-efficient windows will be a throwback to the original Maybeck materials, while necessities like modern-day plumbing and bathrooms offer current-day form and function. At the same time, reclaimed lumber originally harvested from the campus site preserves the building’s organic authenticity.
As she considers the upcoming renovation project, Warboy wears two hats: a sentimental former house president as well as an interior designer whose work graces the pages of Architectural Digest: “The Sylvester renovation showed that they paid special attention to Maybeck’s vision and intention. The great thing about Principia is how generous the community is. It’s comforting to know Howard’s stewardship is in good hands.”
The Maybeck architecture offers endless moments of curiosity, wonder, and delight, and these are critical qualities to preserve.
Read about the upcoming renovation of Howard House, and learn how you can support its preservation.
Learn more
A Learning Laboratory for the Skill of Community:
A Q&A with Sylvester RC Charley Martin (C’96)
How are you approaching your new role as Resident Counselor (RC) in the rebooted Sylvester?
I’m starting by recognizing the convergence of challenges for this generation. All our students were told at some point in their lives they’d be safest behind closed doors. There is social-emotional learning loss—not only from the pandemic, but also because of social media. Principia’s house system provides a remarkable laboratory for learning about community and culture-building. That’s the approach I’m bringing to Sylvester.
How can a college dormitory help mitigate the effects of social media?
When it comes to diet, our bodies need healthy food. Junk food fools our bodies into believing we’re getting what we need, but those are empty calories. The same is true for our media diet. Humans are wired for meaningful relationships, and social media is like junk food—it fools us into thinking we’re getting that, but we’re not.
In Sylvester, students learn how to build connections with intentionality, with an eye toward building a sustainable, durable community. My role as an RC is to lead our students through those conversations and examine our choices. Why is it important that we value open doors? What do we see about meetings that goes beyond the transfer of information, but is about building community?
How does this approach augment the students’ learning?
When people feel a sense of belonging and feel safe, they learn better. So not only can the living environment improve their learning, but our students can graduate with a tangible, marketable skill. The skill of community is really valued in the marketplace. When I was a school principal looking through 80 resumes to hire someone, people who could work in a community, communicate, and collaborate were a huge benefit.
If we can teach our kids the language of community, they can go out in the marketplace, and they can leverage their skills around community building to their advantage.