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POSTED FOR MARY VINCENT, Director of Multi-Media Services, Pratt Institute
REQUEST FOR LARGESSE - Films, Videos, Audiotapes, Film cannisters
Higgins Hall, which houses the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute,
was severely damaged by a four-alarm blaze on Sunday, July 21, 1996. The
fire destroyed the northern wing of Higgins Hall on the corners of
Lafayette Avenue and St. James Place in Brooklyn, New York. The southern
wing of the building is intact. The connecting passage way between the
two buildings (the location of the Library's Multi-Media Center) was
completely gutted. Higgins Hall is situated in one of the designated
landmark districts of Clinton Hill and Fort Greene. Renovation and
restoration work, which had been ongoing, was nearing completion. After
assessment of the damage, Pratt hopes to continue the program of
recovering this important historic education site. While the fire
destroyed one wing of the building, no one was hurt in the fire.
Pratt Institute suffered the total loss of its Multi-Media Center, which
housed the non-print collection of the Library.
The Media Center's collection consisted of more than 1,700 titles in film
and on videotape (U-matic and VHS), and audiotapes. Some of these titles
are not replaceable, they included lectures and events given by prominent
figures in the arts throughout the course of Pratt's history.
The collection supported the curricula of Pratt's five schools; School of
Art and Design (undergraduate and graduate), School of Architecture
(undergraduate and graduate), Liberal Arts, Professional Studies, and the
oldest continuing Graduate School of Information and Library Science. It
was well-rounded, with its primary focus on art and architecture, and a
good number of film history classics.
The Multi-Media Center is attempting to continue its program with borrowed
space, equipment, and materials. Largesse will be gratefully accepted.
Since the smoke has cleared, some good news is that some of the films may
be preserved (we'll know in a few months); the bad news is that the
cannisters that held them are ruined. In positive anticipation of the
films safe return we are requesting donations of film cannisters and
shipping cases. Since we have been left with nothing, titles being weeded
may be of use to us as we begin a process of rebuilding.
Thanks so much.
Mary L. Vincent
Please contact:
Mary Vincent
Director of Multi-Media Services
Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11205
(718) 399-4356
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or
F.W. Chickering
Dean of the Libraries
Pratt Institute
<same as above>
(718) 636-3423
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