Baughman Center
Encyclopedia
The Baughman Center consists of two buildings located along Lake Alice on the University of Florida
campus. The main building is a 1500 square feet (139.4 m²) nondenominational chapel or pavilion, while the other one is a 1000 square feet (92.9 m²) administrative building. The chapel has seating for 96 people and is used for silent meditation
, private contemplation, weddings, funerals and memorial services as well as a venue for small musical or performing arts events. The center, named after Dr. George F. Baughman
and his wife, Hazel Baughman, the benefactors of the project and is considered an oasis of calm and beauty on the bustling campus.
of Dr. Baughman, a university alumnus, who was the first president of New College of Florida
He was inspired by the picture of a building he found in a National Geographic magazine. The Baughmans donated $1 million towards the project and after five years of planning, construction started. The building was completed in 2000. George Baughman died on December 24, 2004, and his memorial service was held in the center on December 30.
cypress
stained to resemble the surroundings plant life. The cypress is grooved vertically to give the appearance of individual tree trunks. The sloping roof of the pavilion is composed of tongue-and-groove yellow pine
and copper to mimic the look of medieval cathedrals. The front door is made of maple
with inlaid Gothic
patterns in cherry
and an ornamental architrave of crenelated mahogany
. The floor is made of three shades of travertine
marble
arranged in a geometric pattern based on the building’s structure. The pavilion is oriented so that the dominant axis coincides with sunrise and sunset at the summer solstice
.
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
campus. The main building is a 1500 square feet (139.4 m²) nondenominational chapel or pavilion, while the other one is a 1000 square feet (92.9 m²) administrative building. The chapel has seating for 96 people and is used for silent meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, private contemplation, weddings, funerals and memorial services as well as a venue for small musical or performing arts events. The center, named after Dr. George F. Baughman
George F. Baughman
George F. Baughman was the first president of New College of Florida, a vice president of the University of Florida as well as of New York University and a rear admiral in the United States Naval Reserve.-Early life and education:...
and his wife, Hazel Baughman, the benefactors of the project and is considered an oasis of calm and beauty on the bustling campus.
History
The Baughman Center was the brainchildIdea
In the most narrow sense, an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images...
of Dr. Baughman, a university alumnus, who was the first president of New College of Florida
New College of Florida
New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college located in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded originally as a private institution and is now an autonomous honors college of the State University System of Florida.-History:...
He was inspired by the picture of a building he found in a National Geographic magazine. The Baughmans donated $1 million towards the project and after five years of planning, construction started. The building was completed in 2000. George Baughman died on December 24, 2004, and his memorial service was held in the center on December 30.
Design
The exterior walls of the pavilion are covered in windows and made of natural FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
stained to resemble the surroundings plant life. The cypress is grooved vertically to give the appearance of individual tree trunks. The sloping roof of the pavilion is composed of tongue-and-groove yellow pine
Yellow pine
Yellow pine may refer to the following:*Certain pines in the subgenus Pinus subgenus Pinus:**In American forestry, a term for several closely related species of pine with yellow tinted wood, including the Southern Yellow Pines , and the non-Southern yellow pines and several others...
and copper to mimic the look of medieval cathedrals. The front door is made of maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
with inlaid Gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
patterns in cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
and an ornamental architrave of crenelated mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
. The floor is made of three shades of travertine
Travertine
Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot...
marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
arranged in a geometric pattern based on the building’s structure. The pavilion is oriented so that the dominant axis coincides with sunrise and sunset at the summer solstice
Summer solstice
The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
.