By Declan Langton ’22
Editor-In-Chief
Mead Hall was struck by lightning on Saturday, July 17. According to an email sent to the Mount Holyoke community by the Office of Communications, Mount Holyoke Public Safety and the South Hadley fire department were on the scene at just after the event, around 6 p.m. EDT. The building was unoccupied at the time of the lightning strike and the College reported no injuries. Reportedly, there was a fire on the top floor of the building.
In a letter addressed to the Mount Holyoke community, College president Sonya Stephens discussed the fire and subsequent extensive damage to the building. .
According to Stephens, the lightning struck the southwest side of Mead Hall’s fourth floor, resulting in a fire in the attic. The sprinkler system “operated as designed,” she said, and the fire was contained by South Hadley’s Fire District No. 2 with assistance from Fire District No. 1 and several units from nearby towns.
Stephen’s letter also addressed the damage done to the building.
“While the damage from the fire appears to be limited to a relatively small section of the roof space, there is extensive water damage to a significant part of the building,” she wrote. “It is with great regret that I write to say that Mead Hall will be closed for the near future.”
Stephens specified that Mead Hall will likely remain unoccupied for the fall 2021 semester.
“All students who have been assigned rooms in Mead Hall this fall will be offered alternative housing,” the email said. There are more than 140 students whose housing assignments have been impacted. Additionally, the College is working to “ensure that the Mosaic and Mary Woolley Living Learning Communities, which are based in Mead, are accommodated in any new arrangement.”
Students whose belongings are stored in Mead from spring 2020 will receive communication from the College after the status of their belongings is evaluated.
Stephens expressed gratitude for the first responders who were able to contain the fire and preserve the building.
“While it was deeply distressing today to see one of our cherished buildings so badly damaged, I was heartened by the prospect of its full restoration, thanks in large part to the rapid and effective response of our local firefighters, and to the efforts already undertaken by our colleagues in Facilities Management,” Stephens said. “We are deeply grateful for their rapid response in the face of this serious event and for their work to save this historic and deeply loved campus landmark.”
This is not the first fire to occur on the Mount Holyoke campus. The famed and destructive fire of September 27, 1896 burned down the original seminary building. During this time, Elizabeth Storrs Mead was the president of the College. Mead Hall, named in her honor, was later built in 1901.
Stephens concluded, “While the temporary closing of the building certainly creates unforeseen challenges and deep disappointment, we are confident that Mead Hall will again be a backdrop for future memories and connections.”
The Mount Holyoke News will be following this emerging story.