The Pearson House, a quaint sanctuary of knowledge of new and old, was almost demolished to make room for a science building in 2012.
Efforts to save Pearson were made, but none were successful until the last, during which the Webster Journal reported on its imminent fate. In a letter to the editor dated March 20, 2012, English professor Karla Armbruster thanked reporter Alex Brandt and The Journal for their coverage.
“The physical environment of the Pearson House provides the “magic ingredient” – let’s call it the animating spark of life, to build on the body metaphor – that allows the rest of us to interact together as a functional whole, sometimes because rather than in spite of the fact that the building was not originally designed to contain faculty offices and classrooms,” Armbruster’s letter stated.
The three-story colonial revival, built in 1933, has painted white brick enclosing philosophy classrooms. The windows are fitted with brass hardware and white shutters. A prophetic white rabbit sculpture sits at the front door.
Upon entering through a door that reads, “THIS DOOR MUST STAY CLOSED AT ALL TIMES,” you’ll find a stairway to the basement. This time, the interior reads, “DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE.”
On the second floor is a library, in memory of former poet laureate and professor David Clewell. Handwritten messages to these books’ original owners are found on the pages.
Writings from an unnamed author, pinned to a bulletin board nearby read, “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I do believe in memories. When I walk around Pearson House, I feel his presence … On weekends and summer days, he was here, filling the house with his presence. Now the house is quieter, but his presence is still here. In the creaky old stairs where he stepped out to smoke with Murray or Kenneth, one present now in body and one in memory. He embodied Pearson House, and now Pearson House embodies him.”
Today, more than a decade since its planned demise, the Pearson House still stands. Home to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, its spaces are used to teach English and philosophy. The history of the house bridges the gap between then and now and provides students with context and connectivity.
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