Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson & Abbott was founded in Boston in 1874 by Henry Hobson Richardson, one of the first internationally famous American architects and a major early influence in American architectural design. The firm is distinguished not only by its rich heritage, but also by the depth and diversity of its practice. In 1973, the American Institute of Architects presented its highest honor, the AIA Firm Award, to the firm, citing its "consistently distinguished architecture." Since then the firm has won a number of major design awards for its work, including the Tramway Building in Squaw Valley, California; Vassar College Campus Center, New York; Old South Church restoration, Boston; Van Wylen Library at Hope College, Michigan; and the Smithsonian Institution's Quadrangle Museums in Washington, D.C. Other current clients include the Boston Public Library, Case Western Reserve University, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Harvard University, and the University of Oregon. Subject to available funding and construction conditions, the schedule calls for completion and dedication of the new academic building by the fall of 1999. For more information about the academic building and its progress, please contact: Victoria Devlin Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs Bates College, 2 Andrews Road, Lewiston, ME 04240 Phone: (207) 786-6245 Fax: (207) 786-8242 email address: vdevlin@bates.edu