DIRECTIONS TO ROOM 65 FROM THE OUTSIDE
Room 65 is located in the large Hopkins Center for the Arts, home to the music department, most of the various performing arts groups at Dartmouth, an open space for studying and beyond, and a dining location. To get to Room 65 you have to make your way to the basement of the Hop, and walk toward the front of the building, past the wood shop and Music Library, to a seemingly industrial and unused corner. There you will find a laminated sheet that reads “Practice Rooms”
Minimal Signage Marks Room 65
Once inside that door you will encounter an insipid hallway that might make you think twice about venturing any further…
Hallway to Room 65
Walk to the end of the hallway and alas…
Complete View of Room 65
The design of Room 65 is not at all comparable to its location and signage. The existence of these rooms is relatively unknown and only students who venture with their instruments from the opposite side of the Hop will find it. The only hint of its existence is a note on some of the main practice rooms that there are additional rooms past the Paddock Music Library.
Room 65 was designed to better accommodate large ensembles like this A Capella group.
This space was created in 2008, when the HOP decided to add more practice space while renovating rooms on the main floor. The previous situation left many groups without sufficient space to practice in the music department, and there were few rooms that could handle larger groups such as the college’s many A Capella ensembles.
A typical practice room in the music department
In a project that was mainly intended to open up spaces on the main floor, these three practice rooms were also added, and this “add-on” nature can be seen in the out of the way location of Room 65. As I analyze the actual space further, this outside location presents a problem of neglect and ignorance in design that I attempt to solve. Although Room 65 is an internally well-designed space for creative collaboration, its isolated location disconnects it from campus, and by giving this space a more intriguing name, I will attempt to establish a connection to campus that will make the space more relevant for the variety of people that might use it.
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