The Campaign to Save Ball Hall

Well, the title isn’t totally accurate. Not everything that’s been found in Ball Hall during the renovation was lost. That became apparent yesterday at Community Day (a day when faculty and staff join together for College updates and awards and recognitions as a kick-off to the semester), when LaMont Shiers, general manager of facilities, held up a note that was sealed in one of the walls. It was written by two “drunken” men who had painted the room in the 60s and hoped that the letter would be found by later generations. My, how times have changed!

Workers also recovered an ethics book written in the 1800s that Shiers assumed had once been stored in the attic.

The final item he shared was an old shovel — an ash shovel, he presumed — that was probably once used for the several fireplaces in the building.

How nice to get even more insight into Ball Hall’s past.

-Tanya

You can’t appreciate the transformation of the old Ball Hall “basement” to the new “ground floor” offices unless you ventured into the dank space pre-renovation. A self-identified arachnophobe, I would have never stepped one foot into the basement pre-renovation if it weren’t for the fact that the bathrooms were located down here (the first floor is getting its own bathrooms as part of the renovation). I’m sure it wasn’t unlike many basements at home — damp, dark, smelly… a spider’s breeding ground. So, when I found out that the Office of Communications was being relocated to the basement during renovation, I had a hard time imaging anything but the brick walls with peeling paint, the humidity that would fog up the bathroom mirror (and turn the room into a sauna), and the rather large creepy-crawlers that I’d seen scurrying about (not in droves, mind you, but one every couple months or so was enough).

Thank goodness the new office space far exceeds my expectations. There is no sign of the peeling cement walls in our office, which is dry walled and painted beige. The floor is carpeted in a nice, industrial bur bur — a HUGE step up from the very old, very stained shag in our old suite. And the best part? No sign of a spider yet.

-Tanya

The last “ghost” stories I’d heard about Ball Hall were old ones, dating back some 20 years or so. Once, our office used them as a basis for a fun, lighthearted article in a Halloween edition of KC Currents, our online publication. Another time, we published them in an issue of Keuka magazine. I hadn’t heard any recent, first-person accounts until work began on the winter 2007 issue of the magazine. That’s when I received two firsthand accounts that I found quite convincing.

In passing, one of the contractors working on the building mentioned some “unusual activity” he’d experienced. Being an avid watcher of the Sci-Fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters, I had to learn more. I won’t spoil it here, but I will say that I am much more aware of my surroundings here in Ball. In fact, I went to use the restroom shortly after interviewing the man, and had an experience that I might have chalked up as a visit by George Harvey Ball. I was all alone in bathroom, standing at the sink washing my hands when I heard something that sounded a lot like someone whispering, “psst.” Turns out the new facilities have some kind of automatic deodorizer that sprayed from the wall next to me. If an explanation were only that simple in the second story.

A Class of 1983 alumna tells me that George visited her room. Her encounter with the ghost involved sight as well as smell (apparently George liked cigars). Read her account of the visit in the campaign section of the upcoming magazine. If you have a Ball Hall ghost story of your own to relate, you can do so by clicking on “Ball Hall Memories.”

-Tanya

My ties to Ball Hall trace back to my student days (1997-2001). No, I didn’t live here. But, I did work in the Office of Communications, much like I do now. Then, I was a senior organizational communication student learning the tools of the trade; now, I am an employee of four years. As staff writer/designer and assistant editor of both Keuka magazine and KC Currents, I write a lot of stories — about alumni, students, faculty, staff, events, you name it. If it involves Keuka College, I’m all over it. Hey, they don’t call me “Scoop” Kestler for nothing. Anyway, I always found it interesting interviewing students who lived on the floors above my office. I’d finally be able to put a face to the noises above — the music, the dresser drawers opening and closing, the stomping. It might sound odd to some, but I actually enjoyed the noises; they were a reminder that students were going about their daily lives here. I’ve always liked that Ball Hall is both an office building and a residence hall; that its something we share, something that brings us together. It makes me happy that the new Ball Hall will still house students on floors 2, 3, and 4. And that it will house them in much nicer spaces.

-Tanya

Tomorrow afternoon the main entrance to Ball will become a restricted area; we’ll only be able to enter through the north and south entrances. When the entrance re-opens in March, its doors will lead to the brand new lobby. Sweet.

More photos are, of course, in the Flickr album.

-Pete

Keuka’s AV technician Jake Cornelius—who bears an uncanny resemblance to TV’s Chuck Norris—just passed along a Quicktime VR file of the first floor renovation. A “Quicktime VR file” is basically just a panoramic image, meaning that you can enjoy our renovation in 360° of digital photography goodness.

Here’s the link: http://www.keuka.edu/ballblog/oldalumnilounge.mov. (You may need to download the free Apple Quicktime to properly experience this media.)

When the image loads up, just click and drag the image around the player. What you’ll be seeing is the north end of the building, formerly known as the alumni lounge.

-Pete

I’m not sure what I owe Jerry Hiller and LaMont Schiers, but whatever I do owe them, it’s something cool.

A few of us were in a meeting yesterday when they invited us to come up and snap some photos of a few rooms on the fourth floor. These rooms have incredible cathederal ceilings and some of the most astounding views of the lake I’ve ever seen.

(Check out more photos in our Flickr album)

Unfortunately, our impromptu tour group was one of the last groups of people who will see this piece of the building’s original, 19th century architecture.

“We looked at ways to see if we could create a community room from one of those four rooms. However, since this is a private residence for the students, it would have created confidentiality issues to have a community room in the student housing area,” said Hiller. “The rooms will be getting divided into two quads each, so we can’t keep the vaulted ceilings.”

–Pete

I’m not going to lie to you folks. The first time I stepped foot in Ball Hall, the only word that came to mind was “eeewww.” A few months later, I’m one of the bloggers for the Campaign to Save Ball Hall. Needless to say, the place has grown on me.

I’m Pete Bekisz, and I’m the college’s Webmaster. I’ve only been here for a few months, but so far, Keuka is the best place I’ve ever worked; and Ball Hall is  the coolest building I’ve worked in.

I’ll be checking in here on occasion to help keep everyone abreast of what’s actually going on down here, particularly if I can think of something to say that I think is whitty or otherwise humorous. Fortunately, scientists have yet to invent a way for you to peg me with rotten fruits & vegetables through the Web. Should that ever happen, you’ll most likely never hear from me again.

If for some reason you’d like to contact me–to bring me various baked goods, for instance–here’s some information that may be of use:

Snail Mail:
Pete Bekisz
Office of Communications
Keuka College
Keuka Park, NY 14478

Telephone: 315-279-5484
E-mail: pbekisz@mail.keuka.edu
AIM: KeukaPeteB

Of course, you can also come and see me. For now, my office is in the south wing of the basement of Ball Hall.

Until next time,
–Pete

Where would the world be without stories?

Stories provide us with a never-ending narrative of our past. They provide us with a way to look into the lives of others and glimpse into the hearts of our friends. Stories teach us. They inspire us. They motivate us. Stories may very well be our most valued treasure.

On the Ball was created as a place to house the stories of Ball Hall, and everyone’s invited to share. We, your blogmasters, will share stories of the Ball Hall campaign, the rallies, the renovation project, and the people who live and work under the majestic bell tower on the lake; we invite you to share your thoughts and stories by commenting on our entries and by posting to the Ball Hall Memories page.

We hope you’ll check back often. Our stories will be waiting for you.

—Your Ball Hall Blogmasters