Following Pepper's resignation in 1894, Charles Custis Harrison (1844-1929) assumed the Provostship of the University, and eventually the Chairmanship of the Museum Board. The political and social rivalry that characterized their relationship prior to Pepper's death continued to be expressed in the expansion of the Museum. In the 1899 building, one ascended exterior, then interior stairs to arrive at Pepper Hall containing the founder's bust. In the adjacent terraced park, one ascended short flights of stairs to reach Karl Bitter's monumental bronze statue of Pepper. When the Harrison Rotunda was erected in 1915 (as the westernmost of the three planned), it overshadowed the Pepper memorials, being the tallest building on campus. Updating the carriage entrance (complete with horse trough) of the original building, the Rotunda featured an automobile-accessible entrance. Pepper's park was eventually converted into a parking lot, years after 33rd St. was cut through the Museum grounds in 1959 to facilitate traffic flow to and from the Civic Center.
The Harrison Rotunda is an architectural wonder. Ancient Roman construction methods reinterpreted by the Guastavino engineering firm were employed to achieve the all-masonry rotunda, with upper and lower chambers each surmounted by a monumental self-supporting dome. On the upper level the interlocking tile dome was topped by a glass lantern. The weight of the 90-foot walls was borne by engaged masonry piers (each side of the open arch). The floor was also 90 feet in diameter, making for harmonious proportions. As shown here, the opening exhibition featured Asian ceramics in Queen Anne vitrines, with European tapestries and Oriental rugs adorning the walls and floor, all loaned for the occasion. Much of this material had appeared on the art market due to political conditions in China at the time. Museum Director George Byron Gordon (1870-1927) took advantage of the Harrison Hall opening in 1916 to encourage Museum patrons to purchase items for the permanent collections of the University Museum, as it was formally named in 1913.
The lower chamber of the Rotunda consists of an auditorium seating 800 persons. A monumental domed ceiling with a bronze sunburst at its center (not visible in photograph) illuminates the Harrison Auditorium. Two features made it the talk of the town in 1915: it had a system to purify and circulate air, and masonry construction techniques permitted a pillar-free space, offering unobstructed views anywhere within the auditorium. Its small stage precluded grand productions, however.
