Architectural features
A very simple "triumphal arch-like" entry way, placed at the very center of a symmetrical building to convey a sense of solidity, anchoring, and grandeur, with simplicity. On both sides, the building is constructed in a symmetrical manner with two equally sized wings.
The location of the Main Gate was carefully studied, so as to harmonize with the "row of noble buildings" (Bliss' words) that the College was boasting. As seen through this panoramic view of Main Gate, the building harmonizes nicely in terms of stone and brick color, location, and effect with the rest of the campus, with a special mirroring or "twinning" relation with College Hall.
Placed at a vantage point of the campus, high up on the hill, and mirroring College Hall, the entry way opens up onto a vista with side and central views, gently sloping down through the ramp.
Horseshoe arches, with a receding border, convey a sense of Andalusian, Moorish like architecture, and blend in nicely with the local stone, and the black wrought iron grids, creating a soft rounded feel, where light can infiltrate.
Side arcades placed on both sides of the central entryway subtly convey the sense that the Main Gate is not only a facade or a passage way, but is also a building, with two parallel wings.
In the passage way, light and shadow, intra and extra-mural spaces negotiate each other.
Let light come through.
A ramp to facilitate the path of horses and carriages slopes down the hill. The elevation of the entry point to the University, vis-vis College Hall, Assembly Hall (seen here in the photo), as well as vis a vis Ada Dodge Hall to the left, creates a feeling of expansiveness, and of entering a stage whereby one can take in the beauty of the campus, its breathtaking location, and perhaps where one can also stop for a moment to ponder on the nature and mission of the place.