Princeton Weekly Bulletin June 7, 1999
$4 million supports dorm work
Bagley Wright, president of Bagley Wright Investments, has committed $4 million to renovation of 93-year-old Patton Hall.
A member of the Class of 1946, Wright was a developer of Seattle's landmark Space Needle and chair of Physio Control Corp. from 1968 until its acquisition by Eli Lilly in 1980.
Patton Hall was built in 1906. The renovation calls for it to be divided into two separate dorms; the south dorm will retain the name Patton Hall, and the north dorm will be named Bagley Wright '46 Hall. A dramatic new archway will cut through the north section to provide an east-west pathway extending from the Frist Campus Center behind Dillon Gym to College Road and the Graduate College.
"Princeton's Gothic buildings remain a defining feature of our campus," said President Shapiro, "and maintaining them is an essential responsibility. We are grateful for this generous and insightful gift, which will help us preserve a historic architecture while modernizing our facilities for future generations of students."
The work on Wright and Patton Halls is part of an extensive program of renovating and maintaining undergraduate dorms, which was facilitated by the opening of Scully Hall this past fall. Scully has provided the capacity for Princeton to close older dorms for a year at a time for renovation. As part of reconstruction, the dorms will be equipped with more common spaces and improved handicapped access.
"Throughout my life I have been committed both to community and the arts," says Wright. "What makes this gift so special to me is that it enables me to contribute to both -- to the arts by helping maintain Princeton's unique architectural beauty and to the strong sense of community that develops among students in these historic dormitories."
Wright began his career as a newspaper reporter and editor in New York. In 1956 he moved to the Seattle area, where he started his own real estate development company. He and his partners were responsible for building the 605-foot Seattle Space Needle, the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, which was completed for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. He and his wife Virginia, who studied art at Barnard College, have made an extensive collection of modern and contemporary art, part of which was shown this year in a special exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, where Wright once served as acting director. He was founding president of the Seattle Repertory Co., which later named its theater for him, and he has been a board member of the Seattle Symphony.
Wright's gift is part of the Anniversary Campaign for Princeton, launched in 1995. The campaign, which has raised more than $740 million, has a goal of $900 million.