Prudence Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as Risley Residential College, Risley Hall, or just Risley, is a program house (themed residence hall) at Cornell University. Unlike most other dormitories on campus, Risley is a residential college; house members, or "Risleyites," have some say in the administration of the residence hall, can continue to reside there as long as they are enrolled at Cornell, are encouraged to eat together at the in-house dining hall, and participate in educational activities such as guest lectures within the dormitory.
History
Early Risley Hall
Postcard of Risley Residential College, c. 1910s
Portrait of Margaret Slocum Sage in Risley Residential College
In 1911, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, a progressive philanthropist and the widow of financier Russell Sage, donated $300,000 (equivalent to $10.8 million in 2023) to the university for the construction of a women's dormitory. At her request, the building was named after her husband's mother, Prudence Risley. Financier and Cornell trustee Emerson McMillin donated an additional $20,000 (equivalent to $654,000 in 2023) to purchase the requisite five-acre lot, the first expansion of Cornell's footprint north of the Fall Creek gorge, the beginning of the modern day North Campus.[2]
The building was opened to students in 1913. It was unusually luxurious, with sculptures and expensive furnishings in common areas, many of which were donated by Cornell co-founder Andrew Dickson White.
In approximately 1969-70, undergraduates Judith Goodman ('71) and Gail Hassan ('71) developed a proposal to create university housing specifically for students interested in the arts, as well as decidated performance, practice, and other creative spaces.[3] The Associate Dean of Students, Ruth Darling,[4] was supportive of the proposal, which asked for 40 housing units, but, if there was sufficient demand, they might use Risley Hall.[5] Student interest was overwhelming: the university received over 1000 applications for the roughly 200 spots in the building.[6] Having demonstrated student interest in such a dormatory, in fall 1970, Risley Hall thus became the home of Risley Residential College for the Fine and Performing Arts, Cornell's first "program house."[7]
In addition to students, Risley houses one or two Artists-In-Residence ("AIRs"), who live in the building and organize regular programs in which the house members participate. There is not currently an Artist-In-Residence. Previous AIRs include Georgia O'Neil, Patrick Gray, Carolina Osorio-Gill, Natalie Tyler, Abraham Burickson, Gregory Halpern, and Brandon Bird.[14]
Risley Residential College seen from its courtyard
As a dormitory, Risley offers a unique living experience. The Tudor Gothic building itself is shaped like a large red castle, modeled directly on Hampton Court Palace in England. The architect, William H. Miller, was requested to design the floor plan such that no two rooms would be identical. Consequently, the rooms vary greatly. Sizes range from a single room that is 93 square feet (9 m2), a former maid's room, to a double room that is 273 square feet (25 m2), the largest double on campus.[citation needed] Room features include balconies, fireplaces, dumbwaiter shafts, secret stairwells, bay windows, embrasures, and turrets.
The residence has a variety of spaces for students' creative and artistic endeavors, including a theater, music practice rooms, art workshops, a recording studio, a darkroom, and a small library. [citation needed]. The affairs of the building are managed by an elected student government, "Kommittee," which determines the budget, use of facilities, and allocation of funds.[21] Students are also allowed to paint the interior walls, resulting in numerous murals throughout the hallways. The college hosts a coffee house called "Tammany," where regional bands perform.[citation needed].
Risley Theatre is an 81-seat black box theater built in a converted ballroom.[citation needed] It is the only fully student-operated theater on the Cornell campus. The theater is run by the Risley Theatre Subcommittee ("T-Sub"), a subcommittee of Kommittee. T-Sub is responsible for producing regular seasons, allocating theater resources, funding student-run productions, and managing the theater space.[citation needed] Performances are open to the general public.
Traditions
Risley's great hall on Wizard's Feast Night
The hall hosts numerous annual events. For example, on the weekend before Halloween, students host a large costumed dance party called MasqueRave. On the weekend following Halloween, the "Denton Drama Troupe" (an in-house group) hosts a live performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Great Hall; this tradition was begun in 1991 by then-resident Paula Berman. Because both of these events draw hundreds of people, they generate the revenue that supports smaller projects. Other notable events include themed dinners, such as Wizard's Feast, first organized in 2005 by Risley Resident, Charlene Morales. The event included a menu akin to several beloved dishes, snacks, and drinks such as "butter beer" unique to the Harry Potter film, drawing over 200+ guests. All dishes were uniquely crafted by kitchen director, Lorna McNab. The event was so beloved by all that it was then decreed a tradition. Another notable tradition is the reading of Handel's Messiah.
In addition to annual events, there are also several weekly events (programs), most of which involve free food. Kommittee allocates money every semester to fund events like Eat This!, in which one or more Risleyites cook food for everyone else on wednesdays at night, RisBrunch (RizBrunch), in which one or more Risleyites cook food for everyone else on Saturdays at noon, and Lost Coffee, in which one Risleyite makes coffee and tea, which is placed somewhere in the building along with some cookies, on Monday nights and sends out clues as to where to find it.
Legend says that Prudence Risley, affectionately known as "Auntie Prue," haunts the building, flickering the lights whenever she appears. Some doubt the stories, though, and wonder if these "hauntings" might actually be the result of old wiring and the imaginations of overtired students.[22]
^"Big Red gives up the ghosts". Cornell Alumni Magazine Online. 107 (No 2) (Cornelliana: Spirit of the Season). Cornell University. September 2004. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
