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RFH 2010, Colgate News

The President's Residence: A Tale of Two Houses

Wed, Mar 31, 2010

Watson House, the official presidential residence at Colgate, is being renovated despite the fact the university recently purchased probably the most historic home in the village as a home for its new president. Now Colgate finds itself with a spare presidential residence ... or at least in possession of one of the nicest residences in the downtown.

The President's Residence: A Tale of Two Houses

At one point in 2007 during her term as president of Colgate, Rebecca Chopp moved out of Watson House, the official residence of the university's presidents for some 45 years, and bought a home on Bonney Hill Road. Chopp and her husband relocated because the 7,500-square-foot Watson House, built in 1962, was badly in need of significant repair.

In fact, Watson House was in such bad shape, that the university decided it was cheaper to buy a new presidential residence than to make repairs to it. Colgate bought the historic house at 35 Payne Street once occupied by Elisha Payne, the founder of the village. At the time Colgate said and said it would benefit the university and the community to have its president live in the downtown proper.

That was then, and this is now.

Colgate's trustees recently voted to include Watson House on a construction "to do" list that includes the new fitness center, repairs to the basement and the link between Lathrop and McGregory halls and a considerable makeover of the Colgate Inn. And, when Jeffrey Herbst, Colgate's 16th president, comes to work in July, he'll be living in Watson House and it seems the university will have a spare presidential residence. 

That Was Then ...

A little less than a year ago, the trustees approved buying the house at 35 Payne Street. A report on the meeting posted on Colgate's website explained:

"Relative to the Hamilton Initiative, the board discussed the issue of an appropriate residence for Colgate's president. Watson House, built as a president's campus residence in 1962, is in need of significant renovations before it would be suitable for continued full-time service as a family home and venue for campus events. Instead, the board recommended that Colgate purchase the historic home of Elisha Payne, one of Colgate's 13 founders and founder of the village of Hamilton. Located on Payne Street in the heart of Hamilton, the house had come on the market at a time when Colgate was exploring options for housing for the university president. The opportunity for the university president to live in the village represents both a cost-savings opportunity and signifies the important relationship between the university and the community.

"The Payne residence requires no upgrades or major repairs, making it ready for the next president to move in when he or she is named. The Payne residence will be purchased at a price that is significantly less than the estimated cost of Watson House renovations, and buying it is a more sustainable approach than building a new structure on campus or in the village. As has been the university's practice in recent years, the Payne residence will stay on the tax rolls. Watson House will continue as the primary venue for campus events hosted by the president, a role that will not necessitate significant repairs or renovations."

The Elisha Payne house (below) was built around 1804. Built in the Federal style, the house has been updated numerous times.

This Is Now ...

A statement emailed recently by VP of Public Relations and Marketing Charlie Melichar said:

"The Payne Street House was purchased early on in the presidential search process, based on the model of maintaining a separate presidential residence and university hosting facility. As the search for Colgate's next president moved along, it became very clear that Colgate was behind peer schools in terms of presidential housing, and the lack of a proper on-campus facility was of particular concern as candidates talked about the desire to be on campus, close to the hub of student and faculty activity.

"Given this situation, the trustees decided to move forward now in addressing the long-standing deferred maintenance and HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) issues in Watson House so that it could be put back into use as the presidential residence. We are currently considering options for the Payne Street Residence. All of this is being pursued with the goal of minimizing impact on the university's capital projects budget."

Melichar said the primary emphasis of the project is to address significant infrastructure deferred maintenance, and will include some architectural modifications to make the building both a more effective hosting and entertainment venue and a more comfortable residence. He said, the house had been in constant use since it was built so necessary upgrades to the shell of the house, its mechanical and HVAC systems were not made. All of that deferred maintenance began to come to a head a few years back, and it got to the point that the residential portion of the house was not suitable for full-time living, according the Melichar.

Melichar stressed that while Herbst will be living on campus instead of downtown, the interest in they community by Herbst and the university is paramount.

"This relationship, and the desire to be a part of the Hamilton community, is of great importance to both President Herbst and his family. No matter where they live, they plan to be active members of the Hamilton community," he said.

Watson House (below) was a gift from Jeanette M. Kittredge Watson. She gave funds for the house in honor of her husband Thomas J. Watson Sr., president of IBM. Their son, Arthur, was a member of Colgate's Board of Trustees. Watson House is located in the corner of the upper campus, on the edge of the old golf course, behind the observatory.

Before the construction of Watson House, presidents lived in Merrill House. The two-story house was built in 1899 and is a "distinguished example of the Shingle style" of building, according to the book, Seeing Hamilton: Your Guide to Village Architecture. It now serves as a faculty dining facility and houses Alumni Affairs and Development offices. It was a gift to the university from James B. Colgate.

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