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SUNY Potsdam History Sees Light of Day with Time Capsule Opening

Documents & Artifacts Offer a Glimpse into Rich Musical & Academic Legacy of SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music

Potsdam, NY (10/27/2025) — A crowd gathered in the Academic Quad at SUNY Potsdam on Friday, Oct. 24, to witness a unique moment in campus history: the opening of a time capsule sealed in the cornerstone of Dunn Hall in 1955.

The ceremony was led by President Dr. Suzanne R. Smith and College Archivist Emerita Jane Subramanian '72, who shared reflections on the building's legacy and the significance of the capsule's contents. Dunn Hall, originally built as Crane Hall to house the Crane Department of Music (now The Crane School of Music), was a state-of-the-art facility when it opened in 1956. Over the decades, it served a variety of academic departments and programs before being decommissioned and demolished earlier this year.

"In the life of a campus, the purpose for a building will ebb and flow as required to best meet the changing needs of our students and the workforce. Dunn Hall was one such building," President Smith said.

Seventy years after it was built, the building was showing serious signs of age, while at the same time, space was available in other facilities to accommodate the programs and services located there. As a result, the SUNY Construction Fund notified SUNY Potsdam that it had fast-tracked Dunn Hall for demolition. That process was completed in Summer 2025.

"It is our intention to create something new here on the edge of the Academic Quad. As you can see, we have planted grass, trees and shrubbery here as a starting point... We are open to everyone's input on the future development of this green space and hope it will continue to be a gathering space and a crossroads of a different sort," Smith said.

Subramanian, who spent her undergraduate years in Crane Hall and later served the college for 38 years, offered a heartfelt tribute to the building and its role in shaping generations of students.

"Although the building is no longer here, the memories for all of us will still strongly remain," Subramanian said. "The space will become a wonderful green space to welcome many new students, who will be making their own memories."

The time capsule was originally placed by then-President Frederick Crumb and Crane Dean Helen Hosmer during the building's dedication. Its discovery during demolition was anticipated thanks to archival records, including a typewritten inventory of its contents.

"It's almost like Christmas morning," quipped Subramanian, as she and the President prepared to open the metal box and sort out the treasures for all to see.

"My entire undergraduate time at SUNY Potsdam was spent in Crane Hall, and all of us who were music students spent endless hours each day and evening in the building, including on the weekends," Subramanian said. "Despite the nostalgia of the building itself, all of our memories involved much more than the physical building. The strong memories are based on all of the people of our time here, and every time I picture the building, it is always with those people who have had such a strong impact on my life and all of the sounds of wonderful music that happened in the facility."

Among other highlights, the time capsule housed a recording of excerpts of a Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra performance of Gabriel Faure's "Requiem," along with works by other Crane ensembles.

There was also an autographed copy of the score of "A Psalm of David" by Norman Dello Joio, the first musical work to be commissioned by a unit of the State University of New York. After its 1951 world premiere during the Spring Festival, the Crane Chorus traveled to perform the piece at Carnegie Hall as part of the choral masterworks concert, conducted by Hosmer and Robert Shaw.

A copy of the 1955 Spring Festival of the Arts program was included. The festival was famously attended by Eleanor Roosevelt, who gave a talk and later wrote about her experience in her nationally syndicated "My Day" newspaper column.

The capsule also contained two additional original works that were commissioned by Crane: Ralph Vaughan Williams' Christmas cantata, "This Day," and Arthur Frackenpohl's "A Child this Day is Born." Pristine copies of the 1955 Potsdam Pioneer yearbook, Julia Crane's "Music Teacher's Manual" (8th edition), and the 1923 Crane Normal Institute of Music yearbook, The Cadenza, were tucked alongside newspaper clippings from the Courier and Freeman and Watertown Daily Times, with articles on the founding of the Crane Institute and the musical heritage of the North Country.

Vintage college catalogs, a faculty handbook, student handbook and calendar of events give a glimpse into the academic and social life of the institution. For a better picture, there was also a black and white photograph of Julia Crane's music studio in the original institute building, along with portraits of Hosmer and Crumb. Carefully typewritten and folded lists included all Crane graduates from 1888 to 1955, the student body from the time, and all faculty and staff.

"As we look ahead, we plan on taking good care of these items that were so lovingly saved for us," Smith said.

The items uncovered will be preserved in the College Archives and featured in a special display for Charter Day on March 25, 2026, marking SUNY Potsdam's 210th anniversary. Plans are also underway for future events to explore the historical significance of the capsule's contents.

As the ceremony concluded, the Satterlee Hall clocktower carillon played the alma mater, honoring the past while looking toward the future.

To learn more about SUNY Potsdam history, visit www.potsdam.edu/about/history.

About SUNY Potsdam:

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges -- and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.

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Media Attachments

SUNY Potsdam President Dr. Suzanne R. Smith holds up a photograph of Julia E. Crane’s studio from the original Crane Normal Institute of Music (predecessor to The Crane School of Music) after opening a time capsule from the former Dunn Hall.

Associate Facilities Program Coordinator Roy Smith pulls a time capsule from the cornerstone of the former Dunn Hall on the SUNY Potsdam campus, before a ceremony opening the capsule after 70 years.

College Archivist Emerita Jane Subramanian ’72 (right) addresses the crowd while opening a time capsule alongside SUNY Potsdam President Dr. Suzanne R. Smith. Smith is holding up an original copy of a Christmas cantata by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “This Day,” which was premiered by the Crane Chorus and Orchestra in 1955.

SUNY Potsdam students, alumni, faculty and staff gathered to cheer and watch as a time capsule from 1955 was opened at the site of the former Dunn Hall on Oct. 24.

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