Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History
Sauer, Anne
Branco, Jessica
Bennett, John
Crowley, Zachary
2000
Gifford House, 1938
Gifford House, the president's residence, was constructed in 1938. Located on the Medford campus on almost the exact spot of the first President's House, which now stands at 20 Professors Row, the house follows the Georgian architectural design of other campus structures also designed by Andrews, Jones, Biscoe and Whitmore. | |
Built to face Packard Ave, leaving its backside to face what has come to be known as the President's Lawn, the house was built for President Leonard Carmichael. His predecessor, John A. Cousens, chose to reside off campus and the former president's residence, Capen House, located on Professors Row, had been altered to serve as a Jackson dormitory. The building of the new, fifteen-room structure was financed using funds made available specifically for building projects from investments bequeathed to the college by Austin B. Fletcher, A1876. | |
The house remained unchanged until 1993, when President John A. DiBiaggio and his wife Nancy oversaw major redesigns and renovations of the structure, recognizing its importance as a "home" for the entire university. In May 1996, the house was renamed Gifford House, in honor of the past chair (1986-1995) of the Tufts Board of Trustees, Nelson S. Gifford, A1952. | |
Source: TA, Summer 1996; MS, v.59, 1938, p. 88 | |
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