Rockwell Hall / Metcalfe Rooms / Burchfield-Penney Art Center: 

Architect:  William Haugardy      Year Built:   1928-1931

Hours:  Sat. Oct. 18 & Sun. Oct. 19:  10:00am-4:00pm        

Website:  www.burchfield-penney.org

1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY       Phone:  716-878-6011

It is one of Buffalo's most recognized buildings and the centerpiece of five Georgian style buildings constructed in 1931. State architect Sullivan Jones produced the initial plans and construction started in 1928. It was completed in 1931, according to final plans by state architect William Haugard. Rockwell Hall reflects the era's interest in colonial styles after the reconstruction of Williamsburg, VA. The six-column Georgian style façade and clock tower is patterned after Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The main building originally contained the college's library, cafeteria (the state room), administration and faculty offices and an auditorium. In the 1950s, Rockwell Hall became the art education and music center of learning for the campus. Initially known as the Administration Building, it was renamed Rockwell Hall in 1961 in honor of Harry W. Rockwell, a retired president of the college who was largely responsible for it’s growth from the one building Buffalo Normal School (serving as its principal from 1919 to 1928) to the new five-building Elmwood Avenue campus then known as the New York State College for Teachers. He retired in 1951 after assisting with the process to affiliate the college with the newly formed State University of New York in 1948.