A Pictoral History of Tarble

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.

Carnegie Library c. 1918, before the Friends Historical Library addition was built. That addition is all that still stands of the building. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

The main reading room of Carnegie Library, c. 1947. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library

The main entrance and signature bell tower of Carnegie Library in 1958. During the fire the bells fell more than 20 feet. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

Students hard at work in the reading room of Carnegie Library. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

The glass stacks of Carnegie Library in 1957. They were built in 1935 and torn down in 1967 when the building was renovated and turned into the Tarble Activity Center. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

The exterior of the Tarble Activity Center in March, 1978. The building looked out onto Parrish Beach. The section perpendicular to the rest was the Friends Historical Library addition, the only part to survive the fire of 1983. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

The main reading room of the library was turned into a large lounge space in the Tarble Activity Center. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

The Friends Historical Library housed a student snack bar after the 1967 renovations. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

Fire consumes the Tarble Activity Center before dawn on September 16th, 1983. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

Six fire companies were called in to fight the two-alarm fire. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

Salvaged books outside of the charred remains of the Tarble Activity Center shortly after the fire. Photo courtesy of Friends Historical Library.

The exterior of Old Tarble as it looks today. Photo by Mark Kharas

An ADA accessible ramp is currently being built outside of Old Tarble. This and an ADA bathroom will make the main floor fully ADA accessible. Photo by Mark Kharas

The largest Art Department studio space, where the Foundation class is taught, is located in Old Tarble. This space used to be the Friends Historical Library and a snack bar. Photo by Mark Kharas.

Mark Kharas

0 Comments Leave a Reply

Urooj Khan says:

September 16, 2007 at 6:44 pm

Wow, this is beautiful.

Reply

Latest from News

Creating a Community Legacy: Swarthmore’s Class Capsule Project

Last spring, members of the Class of 2024 were invited to participate in a project that aimed to extend their connection to the college even after graduation. Their submissions of memorable and personal items to a capsule were part of the initial

Swarthmore Students Host Fundraiser and Vigil for Myanmar Earthquake Relief

On March 28, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck Myanmar, also known as Burma, exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country already ravaged by political unrest and civil war. Last week, in response to the disaster, two Swarthmore students

Seniors Search for Jobs During Instability

Swarthmore College seniors are facing a tumultuous political climate as they search for jobs ahead of May graduation. Since January, the executive branch has paused grant funding that employed thousands of researchers and PhD students while federal job cuts have impacted over

Swarthmore Braces for Federal Funding Losses, Some Already Cut

Large research universities, including Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, have lost hundreds of millions in federal funding because of the Trump Administration’s executive orders. At Swarthmore College, two federal grants have been cut. The college is planning for how it

Luna’s Mexican Grill Opens in the Ville

When Swarthmore upscale wine bar and restaurant Village Vine announced that it would be holding its final dinner service on March 8, many members of the community were shocked and disappointed to hear the news. The day after its closure, however, chef-owner