Whig and Clio Halls make up the Princeton Whig-Cliosophic society, an undergraduate politcal, philosophical, and literary debate organization that is the oldest debating society in the United States. Whig Hall was orignally built in 1837 in the same neoclassical style of its partner Clio Hall, but a 1969 fire gutted the building. The New York architectural firm Gwathmey, Siegel and Associates directed the renovation, which significantly modernized Whig. Besides adding an elevator in back to increase accesibility, the eastern face was removed. A starkly modern ribbon window was added along with glass setbacks and interlocking curved walls that contrast sharply with the uniform angularity of the preceding structure. What resulted was both a literal and aesthetic deconstruction of Whig/Clio's original form. Currently, the heart of Whig is its large senate chamber, which is home to debates on matters of national and international policy and hosts influential speakers from around the world.
Note, this has been updated to correct an issue with the building being sunken below the terrain. I could not find a visible face that was not photo-textured. #1830s #1890s #Aaron_Burr #Clio #Clio_Hall #Debate #Gwathmey_Siegel_and_Associates #Historic #James_Madison #Literary #Mercer_County #New_Jersey #New_York_Architectural_Firm #Policy #Political #Princeton #Princeton_Model_Congress #Princeton_University #Senate_Chamber #Whig_Hall #WhigClio
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