Why is Spelman so funky-looking? A short history of Princeton's only on-campus apartments.

It might be hard to fathom, but back in the early 1970s, Princeton's finances weren't doing too well.“Like many universities, Princeton in the Nixon years swam in red ink," writes William Barksdale Maynard, author of Princeton: America's Campus.As part of the belt tightening, "windows went unwashed and lawns grew ranker," Maynard wrote."Little was built, except for a fascinating dormitory complex of concrete by the most-talked-about American architectural firm of the time, I.M. Pei and Partners."Plans to build the new dormitories were announced in 1971, and they were completed just two years later.More than 40 years after their completion, the Spelman buildings are still hotly sought-after pieces of campus real estate. And they remain objects of fascination.

Why the uncomfortably see-through design, broadcasting all Spelmanites' lives for all the world to see?

Why the white concrete and stark lines, right across from the Gothic masonry of Pyne Hall?What's with all those huge floor-to-ceiling windows...that don't open? 

(Speaking of Pyne Hall, make sure to read about the shit, piss and vomit of that (in)famous party hotspot)Part of the reasoning in choosing concrete over traditional masonry was to save time and money. In fact, the architects went one step further, choosing precast concrete over poured-in-place to cut construction time from two years to 13 months.Using precast concrete also kept the construction area small, which helped to preserve the existing landscape. Concrete trucks didn't have to come barreling in, and only four trees were sacrificed in building Spelman.And if you've ever walked the diagonal route between the Spelman buildings linking Dillon Gym and the Forbes side of campus, you may have rienced the somewhat claustrophobia-inducing sensation of being trapped in a narrow corridor with tall, barren concrete walls shooting up on both sides.That, too, was part of the plan.According to Maynard, Harold Fredenburgh, an associate partner in I.M. Pei's firm and a chief designer of the Spelman project, wanted to create a "shoulder-squeezing" compression to mimic Collegiate Gothic archways.               So there you have it: a short history explaining the funkiness of the beloved Spelman halls.