Olcott (campus): Difference between revisions
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These are general tours of the campus and its history, | These are general tours of the campus and its history, | ||
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXPgUdWdHw#t=60 ''The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour''], a video recording. | * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXPgUdWdHw#t=60 ''The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour''], a video recording. | ||
* [http://www.theosophyforward.net/special_2.html ''Olcott in Wheaton''], an e-book published in May 2012 by [[Theosophy Forward (periodical) | * [http://www.theosophyforward.net/special_2.html ''Olcott in Wheaton''], an e-book published in May 2012 by [[Theosophy Forward (periodical)|''Theosophy Forward'']] Electronic Editions. | ||
* [http://www.theosophicalinstitute.org/medialibrary/viewtitle.php?titleid=A20D2854-5057-11D6-9AE9-003048223922# ''The Olcott Campus''] by Susan Ohlhaber | |||
== Purchase of original acreage == | == Purchase of original acreage == | ||
President [[L. W. Rogers]] of the [[American Theosophical Society]], now known as the Theosophical Society in America, initiated a search for a permanent headquarters location. The Society had outgrown its Chicago building. Mr. Rogers sought a new site that was centrally located - that is, within 500 miles of Chicago; near excellent rail transportation; with inexpensive land available in an attractive rural setting. The search was well publicized. Society members wrote to propose locations, and local officials from across the Midwest offered sites. National Secretary Kay Campbell found land in Wheaton that fulfilled all the requirements, and early in 1925 the Society purchased almost 10 acres (4 hectares) of farmland on North Main Street. The original acreage is shown in the aerial photograph above. | President [[L. W. Rogers]] of the [[American Theosophical Society]], now known as the Theosophical Society in America, initiated a search for a permanent headquarters location. The Society had outgrown its Chicago building. Mr. Rogers sought a new site that was centrally located - that is, within 500 miles of Chicago; near excellent rail transportation; with inexpensive land available in an attractive rural setting. The search was well publicized. Society members wrote to propose locations, and local officials from across the Midwest offered sites. National Secretary Kay Campbell found land in Wheaton that fulfilled all the requirements, and early in 1925 the Society purchased almost 10 acres (4 hectares) of farmland on North Main Street. The original acreage is shown in the aerial photograph above. | ||
No mortgage was ever necessary to purchase land or finance construction. L. W. Rogers and his successor [[Sidney A. Cook]] worked out a plan for members to lend money in exchange for interest-bearing bonds, even through the difficult years of the Great Depression. Many of the paid-off bonds were burned in a joyful ceremony at the 1938 summer convention, and the final debt was eliminated in 1944.<ref>Janet Kerschner, "When We Burned the Bonds," ''Quest'' 95.5 (September-October, 2007). Available at [http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1638# TSA website].</ref> | |||
== Landscaping in 1920s and 1930s == | == Landscaping in 1920s and 1930s == | ||
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== L. W. Rogers Building == | == L. W. Rogers Building == | ||
The [[L. W. Rogers Building]] was constructed in 1926-1927. From that time it has housed the Society's administrative offices | The [[L. W. Rogers Building]] was constructed in 1926-1927. From that time it has housed the Society's administrative offices, national library, and public programming. | ||
== Landscaping in 1930s == | == Landscaping in 1930s == | ||
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[[File:Gateway arch 1.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Entrance arch by Claude Bragdon]] | [[File:Gateway arch 1.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Entrance arch by Claude Bragdon]] | ||
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== Entrance arch == | == Entrance arch == | ||
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[[File:Mills Building exterior.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Joy Mills Building]] | [[File:Mills Building exterior.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Joy Mills Building]] | ||
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== Joy Mills Building == | == Joy Mills Building == | ||
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[[File:Drumming_at_Youth_Circle.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Drumming at Youth Circle]] | [[File:Drumming_at_Youth_Circle.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Drumming at Youth Circle]] | ||
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== Youth Circle == | == Youth Circle == | ||
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[[File:Labyrinth 3.jpg|180px|right|thumb|Labyrinth]] | |||
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== Labyrinth == | |||
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[[File:Olcott campus Garden of Remembrance.jpg|160px|left|thumb|Garden of Remembrance]] | |||
== Garden of Remembrance == | |||
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== | == Other resources== | ||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
Revision as of 05:44, 6 January 2014
Olcott is the headquarters estate of the Theosophical Society in America, located in Wheaton, Illinois. It comprises about 41 acres (16.6 hectares) of land, with offices and library in the L. W. Rogers Building; the Quest Bookshop and the Theosophical Publishing House in the Joy Mills Building; warehouse, garages, and maintenance buildings; and houses occupied by employees.
These are general tours of the campus and its history,
- The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour, a video recording.
- Olcott in Wheaton, an e-book published in May 2012 by Theosophy Forward Electronic Editions.
- The Olcott Campus by Susan Ohlhaber
Purchase of original acreage
President L. W. Rogers of the American Theosophical Society, now known as the Theosophical Society in America, initiated a search for a permanent headquarters location. The Society had outgrown its Chicago building. Mr. Rogers sought a new site that was centrally located - that is, within 500 miles of Chicago; near excellent rail transportation; with inexpensive land available in an attractive rural setting. The search was well publicized. Society members wrote to propose locations, and local officials from across the Midwest offered sites. National Secretary Kay Campbell found land in Wheaton that fulfilled all the requirements, and early in 1925 the Society purchased almost 10 acres (4 hectares) of farmland on North Main Street. The original acreage is shown in the aerial photograph above.
No mortgage was ever necessary to purchase land or finance construction. L. W. Rogers and his successor Sidney A. Cook worked out a plan for members to lend money in exchange for interest-bearing bonds, even through the difficult years of the Great Depression. Many of the paid-off bonds were burned in a joyful ceremony at the 1938 summer convention, and the final debt was eliminated in 1944.[1]
Landscaping in 1920s and 1930s
L. W. Rogers Building
The L. W. Rogers Building was constructed in 1926-1927. From that time it has housed the Society's administrative offices, national library, and public programming.
Landscaping in 1930s
When purchased, the land was plowed a farm field. The first priority of members was to establish a grove of trees, so on May 8, 1925, Kay Campbell and several others planted the first tree, a silver linden.
Entrance arch
Perkins Pond
Joy Mills Building
Youth Circle
Labyrinth
Garden of Remembrance
Other resources
Notes
- ↑ Janet Kerschner, "When We Burned the Bonds," Quest 95.5 (September-October, 2007). Available at TSA website.