Brittain Dining Hall

Infobox_University
name = Marion L. Brittain Dining Hall


established = 1928
type = Dining Hall
campus = FE East
city = Atlanta
state = Georgia
free_label = Dining patrons
free = 290-350
country = USA
mascot =
website = [http://www.gatechdining.com/ Georgia Tech Dining]

Brittain Dining Hall is the primary dining hall of East Campus at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dedicated in name of Marion L. Brittain, it serves as the primary dining location for all Freshman Experience and Area II housing residents. It is located between Techwood Drive and Williams Street, facing Bobby Dodd Stadium to its west.

History

While it was partially funded by the state of Georgia, a large part of the funding for Brittain Dining Hall came from the Athletic Association and the Georgia Tech Expansion Fund.cite book|first=Robert C.|last=McMath|coauthors=Ronald H. Bayor, James E. Brittain, Lawrence Foster, August W. Giebelhaus, and Germaine M. Reed|title=Engineering the New South: Georgia Tech 1885-1985|publisher=University of Georgia Press|location=Athens, GA] Opened in 1928,cite pressrelease|url=http://www.sodexhousa.com/press-releases/pr050802a.asp|title=Historical Brittain Dining Hall at the Georgia Tech Undergoes a Gothic Transformation: Sodexho and Georgia Tech work together to restore and preserve a slice of campus history|publisher=Sodexho|date=2002-05-08|accessdate=2007-06-10] [Citation
title = New Dining Hall will have Finest Equipment in the South
newspaper = The Technique
pages = 1
year = 1928
date = January 27, 1928] it was a joint effort of many of Tech's departments: cquote| [T] he architecture department designed the building, the ceramics department manufactured the tile for the floor of the tower, the mechanical engineering department supplied the wrought iron for the light fixtures in the main hall, and the textile department made tapestries for the walls.

The building cost $418,000 to construct and was designed by the architects Bush-Brown & Gailey. [cite web|url=http://www.irp.gatech.edu/space/fac.cfm?fac=012|title=Brittain Building Information|publisher=Georgia Tech Capital Planning and Space Management|accessdate=2007-06-10] Brittain Dining Hall was renovated in 1964 [Citation
title = Tom Mix-type Barkeep Remodels Brittain, Serves Full Measure
newspaper = The Technique
pages =
year = 1964
date = November 13, 1964] , 1999 [cite news|first=Jennifer|last=Dykes|url=http://www.nique.net/issues/1999-05-28/news/4|title=Brittain restoration to begin this summer|work=The Technique|date=1999-05-28|accessdate=2007-06-10] , 2002, and again in summer 2007.

During the 2007 North America South and Eastern heatwave, Brittain Dining Hall went trayless to conserve water due to Atlanta, Georgia's severe water shortage. [cite news|first=Ranganath|last=Venkataraman|url=http://www.nique.net/issues/2007-11-16/news/4|title=Dining halls go tray-less|work=The Technique|date=2007-11-16|accessdate=2007-01-05]

Architecture

Brittain is based around two large wings that serve as dining areas. Patrons enter from the western entrance and serve themselves via the buffet. In between the two wings there is a staircase that leads up to a lobby, which overlooks the two wings and leads to the President's Dining Room. The President's Dining Room looks out on to the western lawn of Brittain, and was originally designed for serving the Institute's president and visiting dignitaries but is now simply a dining area.

The southern wing is highlighted by a large stained glass window designed by Julian Harris.cite news|first=|last=|url=http://gtalumni.org/buzzwords/apr01/article7.html|title=Brittain Dining Hall Undergoes Renovation|work=Buzz Words|date=2001-04-02|accessdate=2007-06-13] The window was dedicated to Georgia Tech graduating classes of 1928-1932. The entrance is marked by a Georgia School of Technology floor seal showing the age of Brittain Hall.

The back of Brittain dubbed "Brittain Rec" serves as the laundromat and meeting place for the Freshman Experience Program. Brittain Rec is divided into a Buzz Card activated laundry room, a leisure room with free arcade games and pool table, and a meeting room. [cite news|first=Laura|last=Masce|url=http://www.nique.net/issues/2003-10-24/news/2|title=RHA upgrades seek to rejuvenate Brittain Rec|work=The Technique|date=2003-10-24|accessdate=2007-06-10]

Innovator dedications

Brittain Hall's Western Side faces Techwood Drive and Bobby Dodd Stadium. This side is the only entrance for patrons and features ten Doric pillars emblazoned with stylized busts of ten famous scientific minds and the fields to which they contributed; these are fields that were present at Georgia Tech during Brittain's 1928 construction. Civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering are represented by Leonardo DaVinci. Ceramics is represented by Luca della Robbia. Textiles is represented by Eli Whitney. Electrical engineering is represented by Thomas Edison. Architecture and the fine arts are represented by Michaelangelo. Physics is represented by Archimedes. Chemistry is represented by Antoine Lavoisier. Mathematics and astronomy are represented by Isaac Newton. Biology is represented by Aristotle. Ecology is represented by Charles Darwin.

References

External links

* [http://gtalumni.org/campusmap/bldngmodel.php?id=12 Campus
]