A Passion Fulfilled for All to Enjoy

A view into the garden

Aldus Higgins' gallery

After Aldus' death, May Higgins continued living in the House until she died in 1970. She had bequeathed the Higgins House to WPI. However, the 15th- and 16th-century stained glass from European churches that adorned all the larger windows, as well as the paintings, were not included in the bequest. They were sold at auction by Parke-Bernet Galleries, and the proceeds from the sale were used to pay taxes.

When WPI first inherited the estate, it was at odds as to what to do with it. Some suggestions were to move all administrative offices into it, to tear it down, or to use it for a student center, infirmary, or arts and humanities center.

A planning study was done by Charles W. Moore Associates to offer solutions for the annual $20,000 upkeep and tax bill of the house, coupled with the problem of inadequate student housing on campus. As a result, some areas of the house were rented to students and faculty while other rooms became available for public functions. The main rooms on the first floor-the Great Hall, library, sun room, dining room and kitchen suite-were prepared for use as a function facility by a committee composed of faculty, staff, and their spouses.

In the fall of 1971, 22 students, 16 men and 6 women, moved into the upper rooms-the servants quarters, east wing bedrooms and the tower room. The shared household work and undertook maintenance and repair-waxing floors, washing windows, rewiring lighting fixtures, repairing air conditioning and heating systems, and taking care of the grounds. They also set up the main rooms for events and acted as guides.

During the first two years, Higgins House received heavy use. The Spectrum Fine Arts Series was held there; an Intersession course given by Professor Edward Hayes resulted in the production of Tudor playwright John Heywood's "the Play of the Weather" in the "Higgins Manor." Sets were built in the spacious basement and moved to the Great Hall for the performance. There were weekly buffet lunches for faculty and staff.

Of the original twelve acres of the estate, about five remained when WPI inherited it. As the campus becomes increasingly congested, the open lawns of the estate look inviting for development. Two attempts by the college, in 1971, and 1981, to use a portion of the land for parking lots caused such a protest among students and faculty that these changes have been put on hold.

Presently, the main rooms of Higgins House receive almost daily use for Continuing Education programs, reunion functions, luncheons, banquets and weddings. The east-wing bedrooms are used as offices by the continuing Education seminar staff and by the trustee of the Institute. The former servants' quarters house students who watch over the house and set up for functions. A faculty member rents the apartment over the garage. Although it is beneficial for WPI to be able to use the estate in these ways, the heavy use is not without its costs. The beautiful, ornate entrance doors-with the Aldus trademark in wrought iron, leaded windows and wood carvings-lie idle in the basement, having been replaced by more utilitarian models. And some ironwork knobs, latches and decorations have disappeared despite stepped-up security.

The value of Higgins House cannot be quantified. To recreate it today would be impossible, as few craftsmen of the type employed by Higgins still exist. The centuries-old tiles, corbels, beans, and stonework could not be replaced, at any price.

On a typical sunny spring day, one can see how the WPI community adores the Higgins estate. In a stroll around the grounds, flowering with azaleas, rhododendrons and magnolias, one will see Frisbee-playing and sunbathing students relaxing from college pressures and staff members eating their lunches in the gardens. Probably without realizing it, they are all grateful that Aldus Higgins dreamed of a castle in Worcester, and that WPI has had the wisdom to preserve it for the pleasure of so many.

View Pictures of Higgin's House