Description
Lewis Hall was constructed in 1916-1917. Stylistically, the building is influenced by the Prairie School of architecture. Notable features include the strong horizontal feeling of the building; the stone trim work emphasizing it and the low pitched roof. The interior of the building features several rooms with oak wainscoting and plaster cornices with plant material motifs and etched glass panes on the doorways. Employing a “remarkably modern” concept plan, the architect developed the idea of individual “cottages,” connected only on the lower two floors. The living areas have a central lounge or parlor equipped with a working fireplace surrounded by bedrooms. The four cottages were named in honor of four famous women, each of whom represented a different era of Quaker history: Margaret Fell, Elizabeth Fry, Mary Dyer, and Sybil Jones.