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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9/21/04
Greenville College to Celebrate 150 Years of Higher Education with Restoration of Almira College House
GREENVILLE,
ILL. – Throughout 2005, Greenville College will commemorate 150 years
of higher education in Greenville . A key project in the year-long
celebration, the restoration of Almira College House, will begin next
month. Almira College House, now known as the Bock Museum , was
constructed in 1855 and currently showcases the largest single
collection of works by sculptor Richard W. Bock. The restoration
process will return the house to its former grandeur, where it can then
serve the community and host the Bock collection for many years to
come.
 The
first phase of the renovation, which will start mid-October, requires
that the house be lifted to facilitate removing the foundation. The
foundation will then be repoured. “The first phase requires digging a
tunnel underneath, to take out the whole underside of the house,” said
Phil Amos, Greenville College Physical Plant director. Phase two will
concentrate on renovating the exterior of the house which will include
new siding and refurbishing the woodwork. The third phase will focus on
interior restoration.
During the three phase
renovation process, some of the works currently displayed in the museum
will be displayed in the west wing of Hogue Hall. The public may view
the exhibition beginning the second week in October. The remaining
pieces of the collection will be held in storage throughout the
duration of the project.
 In
order to fund the restoration project and benefit the rest of the
collection, the college will sell a piece of the collection, Butterfly Lamp,
by Frank Lloyd Wright. The lamp, which has been appraised for $750,000,
will be sold as a highlight of the December 8, Important 20 th Century
Decorative Art and Design auction hosted by Christie's of New York .
Proceeds from the lamp will first go toward restoring Almira College
House, with any remaining funds to be used to enhance the collection or
to be placed toward an endowment to benefit the Bock Museum .
Christie's
has an unparalleled track record selling decorative arts by Frank Lloyd
Wright. For many years, Christie's has been recognized as the world's
leading venue for the sale of Important 20 th Century Decorative Arts.
The Butterfly Lamp , designed by Wright, was made in 1904 by
the Linden Glass Company. The leaded stained glass lamp, similar to a
lamp created for the Dana-Thomas House, will be illustrated on the
inside front cover of the 20 th Century Decorative Art and Design
catalogue.
 Sharon
Grimes , director of the Richard W. Bock Sculpture Collection and
professor at Greenville College , recognizes the value of the piece and
its importance to the collection. “As the caretakers of the collection,
please note that this is not our first choice, and it is our desire
that the collection be left in its entirety,” said Grimes. However, she
realizes the potential advantage of selling the lamp to fund the
restoration of the building. “As an art historian and the director of
the collection, (with heavy heart) I do feel that in the long run the
sale will benefit the collection. As an Americanist who is committed to
architectural preservation, I am thrilled that the house is being
restored to its former glory.”
The Almira College
House has served as the museum facility for the Richard W. Bock
Sculpture Collection since 1975. Steeped in 19 th century tradition,
the home was originally used as a classroom building for college
instruction until Hogue Hall was constructed in 1892. The Bock
collection consists of over 300 plaster and bronze sculptures of
varying development of Bock's ideas and early conceptions for projects
and commissions.
 The
collection also contains several architectural drawings by Frank Lloyd
Wright, which have only been displayed at Greenville College . In the
latter part of the 19th century, while working on the Schiller Theater
for Louis Sullivan, Bock was introduced to Wright. Bock was then
commissioned by Wright to do several sculptures for the architect's
home in Oak Park, along with other works for several of Wright's
architectural commissions. For a ten-year period beginning in 1903,
Bock worked almost exclusively with Frank Lloyd Wright.
Official
sesquicentennial celebrations will kick off on April 8, 2005 , at
Heritage Day. Other events will take place during GC Alumni Reunion
Weekend and GC Homecoming Weekend. Greenville College is proud of the
150 year tradition of higher education in Greenville . It started with
Almira College in 1855, transitioned without break in staff, students
or time to Greenville College in 1892 and continues today. The college
plans to dedicate the restored Almira College House and Bock Museum at
Homecoming in October, 2005.
Greenville College
is a four-year accredited Christian liberal arts school with more than
1200 traditional undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree completion
students. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist
Church , the college is located in Greenville, Illinois, 45 miles east
of St. Louis .
CONTACT: Christy Grimes (
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Assistant Director of Public Relations
Greenville College
(618) 664-6515
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