Fickes Hall

I am currently living in Fickes Hall. Fickes at one time was an affluent family’s home. It is hard to imagine what it must have looked like while the Fickes family resided here due to the many conversions that had to be made in order to make it suitable as a dorm. The only real glimpse comes from the few rooms on the first floor.
Just like typical mansions of that time the front hall is massive in size. However, contrary to trends it is not that dark, there is not a large use of heavy, dark woods. The darkest room to me is off to the right, what might have been the library. The walls are dark as well as the furniture, it gives off a dreary feeling. If this room was the library it makes sense it would be darker since people tend to go to libraries for solitude and peace.
The parlor on the opposite side of the entrance hall is white, bright, and airy. There’s a fireplace, common in old homes, as well as a piano. I can picture the family having gatherings or parties there common for the time. The big room could hold many people while still feeling open drawing more inwards.
My favorite room is what is now the computer lab but was at one time a solarium. These sunrooms must have been an architectural trend at that time since the Mellon house has one as well. This addition sows the wealth status as since a solarium was a functionless extravagance.
There was not that much historical background on Fickes Hall or its residences available. Fickes Hall was built in 1927 by Edward Fickes. Besides Edward Fickes being an aluminum pioneer I could not find any other biographical details. This could be due to Mr. Fickes having no family and living in this home alone, or there were just no records of the Fickes family. It is hard to infer, however, what the historical interactions within Fickes were without any historical context to go on.
However I was shocked by how recent Fickes was constructed; it was built again in 1927 and was donated to Chatham College in 1946; only after 19 years. Thus there is not that much history within Fickes that does not pertain to Chatham.
The history of Fickes does indeed influence the interaction we today have with the building. There have been many stories of ghosts and haunting that I have even heard in my few weeks here. There are rumors of the ghosts of Andrew Mellon’s son who once stayed here, or a baby that fell out of a window, as well a woman who committed suicide here. A few girls over the years have reported to Campus Safety and Security weird occurrences in their rooms such as doors opening and shutting as well as hearing yelling or feeling a presence of a person that they could not see. These could all be rumors or paranoia however, the past of Fickes does still affect those still living there today.
A positive way we still interact with the past of Fickes is through the Fickes Eggnog. The first Friday in December there is a Holiday Ball but first everyone congregates in Fickes to mingle and have refreshments. This is reminiscent of the lavish parties thrown in the early 1900’s in homes like Fickes.
I have always liked to imagine how people lived in years past so living in an old mansion allows my imagination to run wild. When I am upstairs I feel like I am in any old dorm. But the first floor is a different story. I love walking through old buildings and wondering who was there before me or finding the weird little quirks old houses have. There is so much detail put into the building everyday can reveal something new. I don’t know how I feel about the ghost stories, I don’t really believe in ghosts but if I ever hear weird noises I am going to be VERY scared. Overall trying to do historical background and analyzing where i am lving does make me feel more connected.