Visitors enjoy the unusual architecture, which reflects Aldus’s love for English castles. The ninth annual Haunted Higgins House will lure brave and unsuspecting souls for an evening of scary stories, ghostly scenes, and strange happenings on Saturday, Nov. 2. WPI's Higgins House continues to impress us with its enduring qualities of taste and construction. But we didn’t have any decorations up there.”. Higgins House borrowed the multiplicity of ornamental chimneys and the variety of building materials, (bricks, stone, wood and stucco). Some of the answers to these questions can be found in the This castle is called Higgins House after its original owner, Aldus Higgins. Creator . The house was designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, although Aldus Chapin Higgins, the owner, had likely made sketches and other design notes for some years before hiring Atterbury. Higgins House was built in 1923 by Aldus C. Higgins, son of Milton P. Higgins, the first superintendent of the Washburn Shops and a founder of Norton Company in Worcester. This Tudor-style mansion was once the home of Aldus C. Higgins, son of Milton P. Higgins, the first superintendent of the Washburn Shops and a founder of Norton Company in Worcester. Today it houses the Office of Alumni Relations and is frequently used for meetings, conferences, and events. The octagonal tower is crowned by a crenellated battlement. The pipes were installed behind the uppermost balcony, the front of which is decorated with an ironwork pattern of a musical score with the words "Pastime with good company I love and shall until I die, grudge wh will but none deny, so God be pleased this life will I." The floor is parquet. 100% Upvoted. Paintings from Picasso, Braque, Cezanne, and Roualt hung throughout the house reflected Higgins interest in art. Visitors enjoy the unusual architecture, which reflects Aldus’s love for English castles. This area was redecorated in 1931. The second floor now contains offices for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, the University Vice President, and the Director of External and Governmental Affairs. Today it is home to the office of the vice president for development and alumni relations, the Office of Alumni Relations, and Development Communications. The site on which the house is located has shrunk from the original twelve acres to its current five acres. The fireplace, with its mantel carved from a roof section of an Italian monastery, is large enough to burn a six-foot length of timber. Halloween horror at Haunted Higgins House. Higgins House… The three-story arched window in its Great Hall overlooks magnificent formal gardens where WPI community members often go to enjoy a tranquil lunchtime stroll. WPI's Higgins House continues to impress us with its enduring qualities of taste and construction. The first floor houses the faculty dining room and function space including the Great Hall and the Library. However, under both faculty and student protests, the plans were tabled until 2004, when plans went ahead without student notification under the direction of President Dennis Berkey. The Aldus Chapin Higgins House is located northwest of downtown Worcester, on the north side of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute campus, overlooking Institute Park to the north. For more information on Weddings/Special Packages or for Higgins Grounds Photos (PDF) , please contact events@wpi.edu. “So from 7 to 7:30 the scary props and actors will disappear, and the lights will stay dimly lit throughout the house.”. On the face of the Great Hall balcony, Higgins installed hand-carved and painted panels representing the coats of arms of all owners of the land, from the Indians to the Higginses. Clockwise from upperleft: Aldus C. Higgins '93 in 1940; Gables showing a recurring pattern; The elegant Great Hall. On the east side, the brick is laid up between exposed beams in a diagonal pattern, with only the ends exposed in the form of flowers. During this period he married Eugenie Brosius, a native of Washington, D.C. and had two children. the fluted chimneys and antique tile. Haunted or not, the regal structure is a fascinating study, says Baruffi. Admission is free, but visitors can avoid lines with Fast Passes that can be had by donating a canned-good at the SAS table in the Campus Center, explains Bryan Rickard, associate director of alumni relations and SAS advisor. Worcester Polytechnic Institue. Upon visiting the estate fro the first time, one is impressed with the grand scope of the buildings and grounds. Higgins died in 1948, his wife Mary in 1970. In 1971, 1981, and 1993, efforts by the school threatened to develop a portion of the land into a parking lot. The panel to the right of the fireplace is a concealed closet door. At one of these parties, guests were not allowed to enter without an original painting done themselves; these paintings were hung in the garage for viewing and a prize was awarded for the best. The walls of the boudoir are of light wood in panels topped with elegant arches and carved flowers. A recurring design throughout the house, inside and out, is the anchor with a porpoise intertwined around the shaft. Materials from New England and Europe created a patchwork quilt of a house reflecting the diversity of Higgins' taste. I was also thinking it could be zombie themed so everyone could wear masks and remain on theme. [2] The house was donated to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute after the death of Aldus Chapin Higgins' wife. The great Hall alone measures 36 by 22 feet, with a 36-foot-high pitched wooden board and beam ceiling. For continuing education programs, luncheons, banquets and reunions a year delay was completed in.... 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