Statues of Cornell founders Ezra Cornell and Andrew White face each other across the Arts Quad. The statues may "see" eye to eye, but the founders did not, when it came to the young school's architecture, historian Carol Kammen pointed out in a lecture, "Spaces and Places," Oct. 20 in Mann Library.

"Early Cornell is really a tug between two competing visions," said Cornell lecturer Kammen, author of three books on Cornell history.

Many iconic Cornell buildings, including Sage College (now Sage Hall), Sage Chapel, Uris Library and McGraw Tower were designed under White's influence.

White's buildings are "diverse, architecturally; each one, in different ways, harks back to older architectural traditions so that they resonate with other eras," said Kammen. White tried to recreate the classical architecture he had grown to appreciate during his time overseas, she said.

White, she said, came from a wealthy family, attended Yale University and traveled extensively in Europe. After a short period as professor at the University of Michigan, White returned to New York, where he was elected the youngest state senator.

White was one of the best-educated people in this country, said Kammen. "There weren't many others who had this kind of extensive educational background."

In contrast, "Stone Row," along the ridgeline of Libe Slope, reflects Cornell's ideals ; Cornell, the son of Quaker parents, was a self-educated man with little formal training. And Stone Row, which consists of Morrill, White and McGraw halls, share the common characteristics of being "gray, unadorned, utilitarian, fireproof ... and practical," Kammen said. These buildings primarily hold classrooms, reflecting Cornell's belief that a university was first and foremost a place to learn.

Cornell, who had become "tremendously wealthy" through a business deal with the early telegram company Western Union, was also elected to the New York State Senate, where he met White.

"Ezra Cornell was rather a maverick in some ways," said Kammen, which is reflected in the way Cornell spent his fortune, "'to provide education for poor boys and to do something for my town,'" Kammen quoted Cornell as saying. Cornell founded a public library downtown and then the university that bears his name.

In addition to the university's architecture, the natural beauty of Ithaca was an important part of the university's aesthetic and a focus of White's, Kammen said.

"To be at Cornell is to be stunned by the natural beauty," said Kammen, adding that White believed that "learning doesn't happen only in a classroom at Cornell ... learning happens in laboratories, fields" and wanted the campus filled with beautiful objects that prompted students to stop and notice.

"[White] felt that on campus there should be things that students passed ... so that students walked in beauty," said Kammen.

Graduate student Joyanna Gilmour is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.