Location 5: College Avenue at the College Arch

Original Campus

The first five acres of the campus were donated by the Rev. Albertus Van Raalte in 1853. He gave eleven more acres in 1860 when the campus was enlarged to include the entire area between College and Columbia Avenues and Tenth and Twelfth Streets. Eleventh Street between College and Columbia was closed that year. The main part of the campus now extends from Eighth to Fourteenth Streets and from Central to Lincoln Avenues. The formal front entrance to Hope College is the arch that was donated by the Class of 1912. Nearby is the traditional symbol of Hope, the anchor which was placed in 1965. Van Raalte, the founder of the college, chose an anchor as the symbol, based on Hebrews 6.19: "We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,...." He also called the institution his "Anchor of Hope" in an early report. The historical marker on the north side of the arch was dedicated in 1963. A brief history of Hope College is featured on both sides of the marker.

Graves Hall and Winants Auditorium

(Photo: Winants Auditorium during its years as the library reading room.)

Nathan F. Graves of Syracuse, New York, and Garret E. Winants of Bergen Point, New Jersey, provided the funds for this Richardsonian-style building. The building was dedicated on June 26, 1894, and was constructed of Waverly Stone which was quarried east of town. Winants Auditorium served as the college chapel until 1929, when the Memorial Chapel (later named Dimnent) opened. Graves was used as a library until Van Zoeren Library was completed in 1961. The building was then renovated for classroom use and Winants Auditorium was restored.

Voorhees Hall

The building was a gift of Ralph and Elizabeth Voorhees of New Jersey and cost $40,000. Construction took place during the administration of President Gerrit Kollen and the building was dedicated in 1907. Dr. Samuel O. Mast, a faculty member, designed the building in a Flemish style. It was the first building on the campus lighted by electricity. Voorhees Hall was restored in 1980-81.

Gordon and Margaret Van Wylen Library

When the architects of the firm of Shepley Bullfinch Richardson and Abbott of Boston visited the campus February of 1983, they decided that the new library should be based on the design of Voorhees Hall, called "Renaissance Flemish." Ground was broken in 1986 and the library was dedicated on April 21, 1988.

(Photo: Ribbon cutting with L-R John Jacobson, Gordon Van Wylen, Margaret Van Wylen, and John Hope Franklin)

(Photo: Director Larry Wagenaar helping a patron at the Joint Archives.)

The Joint Archives of Holland is located at Theil Research Center on 9 East 10th Street. A department of the college, the archives is a unique enterprise that brings together the archival collections of the college with those of the Holland Museum, Western Theological Seminary, and others that contract for archival services. It is the main repository for historical information on the region and a principal source for the study of Dutch immigration to America.

Van Zoeren Hall

The building opened in 1961 as the Van Zoeren Library. It was given by Dr. and Mrs. G. John (Elizabeth) Van Zoeren. The site is that of the first public school in Holland and was donated by the Rev. Albertus C. Van Raalte in 1848. After the opening of the Van Wylen Library, the building was renovated and converted into a classroom building. It also houses the offices of the economics and business administration, education, and sociology and social work, as well as the office of the dean of the social sciences and the Carl Frost Center for Social Science Research.

(Photo: Van Zoeren Hall in the mid-1960s.)

Vanderwerf Hall

Completed in 1963, the building was first called the Math-Physics building because those departments are housed in it. It was renamed VanderWerf Hall in 1981 in honor of Dr. Calvin A. VanderWerf, who served as president of the college from 1963 to 1970.

Peale Science Center

The science departments, which outgrew the facilities of the old science building, now Lubbers Hall, moved into this building during the summer of 1973. The building was dedicated on October 26, 1973, and named in honor of Norman and Ruth Stafford Peale. Construction of a major addition to Peale will begin in 2000. The quality of the natural science division contributes much to Hope's strong reputation as a liberal arts college.

(Photo: R-L, Norman and Ruth Peale along with Stanley Kresge cut the ribbon for the science center.)

Dimnent Memorial Chapel

The chapel's cornerstone, engraved with the college motto Spera in Deo (Hope Thou in God), was laid on October 12, 1927, during the administration of President Edward D. Dimnent (1918-1931). The Skinner organ was a gift of the Bernard Arendshorst, Sr., family and the chimes were from the McLean family in memory of Ida Sears McLean. The Pels and Van Leeuwen organ in the balcony was installed in 1971. The rose window was given by the Class of 1916 and is one of the finest examples of stained glass in western Michigan The chapel was renamed Dimnent Memorial Chapel on August 19, 1959.

Admissions House

The Office of Admissions moved into its quarters on the corner of 10th Street and College Avenue in 1988. It was constructed with a gift from Peter H. Huizenga. Numerous tours given of the campus for prospective students and parents each year start here.

Haworth Inn and Conference Center and Cook Residence Hall

The Gerard Haworth and Peter Cook families were the primary donors of this facility, which was dedicated on May 22, 1997. The conference center contains meeting rooms, a dining room, and fifty guest rooms. The student residence has forty-five two-room suites. Site clearance began in March of 1995. Many of the homes on the site were moved to other locations, while some had to be demolished. This extensive facility is one of the results of the Hope in the Future fundraising campaign inaugurated by President John H. Jacobson.

Knickerbocker Theatre

Donated to the college in 1988, the Knickerbocker Theatre is a multi-purpose facility. With a seating capacity that exceeds 500, it hosts film series, concerts, and several assemblies for students, faculty and staff. It plays a major part in Hope's cultural offerings.

100th East 8th Street

(Photo: 100 E 8th Street & the Knickerbocker Theatre)

Next door to the Knickerbocker Theatre is the 100 East Complex. It houses the Van Raalte Institute, Career Services, Hope Academy of Senior Professionals (HASP), and classrooms. It also houses a number of private offices.

The A. C. Van Raalte Institute is a historical research center, focusing on Dutch American history of the 19th and 20th centuries. It supports research and writing on the history and heritage of the Holland area. Named for A. C. Van Raalte, the founder of both Hope College and Holland, Michigan, the Institute was established in 1994 through a generous gift from Peter H. Huizenga and his mother, Elizabeth Huizenga.

Location 6: Van Raalte Commons