Newswise — Harvey Mudd College, a liberal-arts college that is one of the nation’s premier engineering, science and mathematics colleges, is one of the five Claremont Colleges. In anticipation of preparing for a leadership transition in 2023, Harvey Mudd officials were recently seeking a solution to the dual challenges of renovating the existing president’s residence, the Garrett House, on campus, and the need for central building space to expand college programs. Then, the perfect opportunity emerged: The Rankin House, an historic 1923 Arts & Crafts home on the edge of campus went on the market.
Located on the same street as most other Claremont college presidents’ homes, the Rankin House is recently renovated and the 5,000+ SF project was awarded three architectural awards for historical renovation, sustainable innovation and landscape design. The Rankin House renovation project featured three goals:
* The original central character and heritage of the house would be preserved.
* The home would advance sustainability with environmentally sensitive materials and technologies.
* The interior design would be adaptable for the changing needs of each modern family’s lifecycle.
Harvey Mudd College acquired the Rankin House in October and the college will repurpose the on-campus space occupied by the current president’s residence for a new, yet-to-be-determined campus facility.
Regarding energy efficiency and sustainability, the newly acquired Rankin House property has a 9 KW solar photovoltaic array generating electricity for the home. The home also has two Tesla Powerwalls which enable off-peak energy storage that decreases the cost of electricity. Additionally, the Rankin House has a hot water solar heater which captures the heat radiated from the sun to help heat the domestic water serving the home. This results in decreased use of natural gas for heating hot water.
The home also features an abundance of natural light with its five skylights and three-room light reflectors minimizing the need for indoor lighting during the day. Finally, the home has artificial turf instead of grass which significantly reduces the amount of water needed to maintain the landscaping.
Andrew Dorantes, Harvey Mudd College Vice President, COO and Treasurer, says the acquisition of the 5,000 square-foot Rankin House meets all the criteria put forth by the college. “It is walking distance to the heart of campus,” he notes. “It is a large enough home on a large enough lot to meet both the residential needs of our next president and the entertainment needs for the college, and it does not require a significant amount of renovation to meet the needs for the college’s next president,” he says.
“There are very few homes that are within walking distance of Harvey Mudd and that fit the criteria,” Dorantes explains, noting that its location near the homes of the other local college presidents is a bonus. “The amalgamation of old and new, the original central character and heritage of the house was preserved, yet the house is a smart house that reflects lots of great technology and sustainability features,” he explains.
Garrett House, the current president’s residence, was built in 1959 for the first Harvey Mudd College president, Joseph Platt, who led the college from 1956 – 1975. All five HMC college presidents, including Maria Klawe (who has served as president since 2006 and will leave in 2023) have lived there.
College officials say demolition of the Garrett House property is likely, though it has not yet been decided what will be built on the footprint of the house. According to Andrew Dorantes, the college’s master plan states that new construction on the site may include uses such as student housing, faculty housing, academic or facilities space, as needed and determined by the college. “It’s great to have options and to have good ideas,” he says, “and we are fortunate to have both.”
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