Westcott Building
Introduction
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Named in honor of Edwin R. Westcott by his wife Helen Westcott. From its building year in 1895 to its demolition in 1988, the building was used as the campus store and Print Shop, and was later transformed for use by the maintenance department.
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Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Westcott Building was named after Edwin R. Westcott. After Edwin Westcott passed away, his wife, Helen, sent a donation to Park University as they admired the educational work Park had been doing. In one of the many letters Helen sent to Park, she stated, “[...] my object for the money is to do the greatest amount of good it can” (dated February 16, 1895). Helen Westcott gave a five hundred dollar scholarship to Park University. Helen requested a building to be named after Edwin as a remembrance.
The building was constructed in 1895 for use by Park University. The architecture of the building was industrial with a brick siding covering the front and stone siding along the sides, multiple half-rounded windows, and a flat rooftop. The Print Shop and campus store were located inside the Westcott Building until 1950 when a new print shop opened in downtown Parkville, Missouri. Later, the Westcott Building was converted to be used by the maintenance department for the few years it had left. The Westcott Building was demolished in 1988. Currently, the lot where the building once stood is now home to Park University’s Julian Soccer Field.