Miner Institute: Building the Future
by Emlyn Doell, 2024 Joseph C Burke and Joan T. Burke Scholarship Recipient
Abridged History of Miner Institute
William H. Miner created the William H. Miner Charitable Trust in 1923, which would eventually be renamed the William H. Miner Foundation. The purpose of this was a permanent endowment for Chazy Central Rural School, the Physician’s Hospital, and the yet to come agricultural school. Unfortunately, William passed away in 1930 before the school was founded. It was not until 1951, one year after his wife Alice had passed, that the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute was formally established. Among those who worked on the Institute’s construction were Martin Fitzpatrick and Thomas Ferenc. Fitzpatrick was the project’s general contractor from John J. Fitzpatrick’s Sons, General Contractors based in Plattsburgh. Ferenc, from Carlson and Associates, came east for two and a half years to supervise construction as field architect. The actual architectural plans were drawn up by Elmer Carlson, back in Chicago. After several years, the agricultural school officially opened in 1957, with the first class graduating in spring of 1958.
Mid-Century Modern and Miner Institute
America’s post-World War II period played a formative role in the Mid-Century Modern design style. In a time when people wanted to move past the fear and anxiety of the last decade towards a brighter future, many design principles reflected this. Not everything crafted in the mid-century is automatically Mid-Century Modern. Instead, it is a design school with strict principles and constraints with highly influential figures like Frank Lloyd Wright and John Lautner. Both designed homes that included the most prominent features of Mid-Century Modern in an extremely carefully constructed way. Architects incorporated sweeping, organic shapes with flat planes in buildings. Filling a space with clean and streamline forms gives an air of easy elegance while also creating a sense of comfort. Another hallmark of Mid-Century Modern is the combination of the indoor living space with nature, often upheld with open floor plans paired with floor to ceiling windows to allow unfiltered sunlight throughout an entire space. New insulated glass was a big deal. Designers played with materials and color to create interesting visual contrast, juxtaposing the warmth of woods with the coolness of metals. While a muted, earthy palette was the usual, more vivid hues were often utilized to add a pop of color.
As with all design styles, what pieces of art and architecture fit into which categories is fairly subjective. There are certainly pieces of the Institute that could arguable fit another design style better than Mid-Century Modern. But when looking at the characteristics of architecture and interior design for all the buildings collectively, Miner Institute can be placed solidly under the label of Mid-Century Modern.
Miner Institute BERC (The Joseph C. Burke Education and Research Center) Exterior
The BERC is home the cafeteria and auditorium as well as various laboratories, offices, and classrooms. Architecturally, the exterior has quite obvious elevation shifts comprised of several different flat planes. Plus, all of the eye-catching features of the building are very clean and geometric.
Miner Institute BERC (The Joseph C. Burke Education and Research Center) Interior
The BERC interior has the classic Mid-Century Modern color palette. There is a mix of muted browns and reds, with the stairwell bringing a lovely pop of bright green tile. The relatively high ceilings allow for a very open feel coupled with the natural light let in through the large amount of windows.
The Director’s Room
This room in the BERC is less obviously Mid-Century Modern than some of the others. However, one of the key details that make it still fit the design style is the wood paneling on the walls. The room’s color palette is also fairly muted with several different kinds of wood but its filled out with the bright red arm chairs.
Student Dormitory Exterior
Miner Institute’s dormitory building consists of fourteen separate dorm rooms and a common area (Reception Room). There are floor to ceiling windows to allow for an abundance of natural light. The flat roof has a gentle slop towards the back of the building. At the two far edges of the U-shaped building are small sections of perforated brick. Perforated brick, and similarly breeze block, were all the rage during the mid-twentieth century.
Reception Room in the Dormitory
With a lofty ceiling and large windows, the Reception room feels very bright and open. The furniture all has fairly asymmetrical silhouettes which still consist of smooth, clean contour lines. All the Mid-Century Modern characteristics in this space give it an air of elegance but it remains welcoming and comfortable.
Typical Dormitory Interior
As with the Reception Room, the furniture is asymmetrical but cleanly contoured. The tall, sloping wooden ceilings give the rooms a natural and cozy feel.
Director’s Residence Exterior
This home keeps to the theme of large windows and multi-leveled flat roof in order to give the outside of the house a classic Mid-Century feel.
Director’s Residence Interior
Tan brickwork on the interior walls, also perforated in some areas, is textbook Mid-Century interior design. Once again, the furniture is stereotypical for the design style.
Class History, preface from Miner Institute’s 1958 yearbook
“On a bright sunny day in September of 1957, thirty-two eager students entered the halls of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute. Our minds rusty from the summer, we started our year slowly, gaining speed rapidly until we shortly grew into a closely knit student body. While some dove into sports others dove into their books. After a year of laboratories, dissertations, lectures, guest speakers, movies and ball games, we, the first class at the Institute, finished our successful year with twenty-four students.
Then one day in June, the Class of ‘58’ walked ‘hand in hand’ for the last time through the door of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute– and into the future.”
Related Material
The Fascinating History of Mid-Century Modern Design
Midcentury-Modern Architecture: Everything You Should Know About the Funky and Functional Style
New Horizons in Education: The Dedication of The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute
City Beautification Unit Names Ferenc to Head Planning Group
