Francis A. Thomson was the first school president to enjoy this fine residence, completed during his tenure in 1936. Thomson had declared upon his arrival in 1928 that, because of its barren grounds, the school had the “ugliest campus of any educational institution” in any of the continents. Thomson initiated and saw to completion an improvement program that entailed not only construction of the residence hall and Leonard Field, but also the extensive landscaping of the campus buildings and grounds with appropriations under the Works Progress Administration and other relief agencies. Separated from the campus by an encircling ring of mature conifers, this substantial home, with its inviting balustraded porch, twin chimneys, and tasteful brick, reflects the 1930s transformation.The current chancellor and family continue to live in the Chancellor’s Residence.
