HONORABLE MENTION
Team Members - Hannah Harris, Elisabeth Gregory, Malori Wallace
Each spring, FSU's Interior Architecture & Design department hosts a program-wide charrette competition. The prompt for this year's competition was to design a headquarters for a fictional secret society that meets on FSU's campus. My team's project won an Honorable Mention Award.
The Story
During the 1920s, when Florida State University was once Florida State College for Women, a secret society was founded called The Legacies. This group consisted of highly honorable women who modeled the school’s virtues of Vires, Artes, and Mores as described on the school’s seal in addition to the Latin phrase Femina Perfecta meaning “The Complete Woman”. The Legacies built a hidden speakeasy for themselves to gather and discuss topics considered socially unacceptable during a time of oppression. This speakeasy, called The Torch, is located on the secret sixth floor of Landis Hall and faces the iconic Legacy Fountain. The Legacies have continued their pursuit of maintaining the traditions that were established before the school became co-ed in the late 1940’s. Incoming members of The Legacies are hand-picked each year by parting seniors who feel as though the new inductees embody the spirit of the leaders and innovators before them.
The hidden speakeasy embodies the design of the torch on the school’s seal, both physically and spiritually. The speakeasy's bar symbolizes the flame of the torch as it serves as a gathering place to ignite both inspiration and creativity. The significance of the three torches on the school’s seal is represented by the three puzzle rooms that members must pass through underground. The location of the speakeasy, Landis Hall, was built during the time of the Florida State College for Women and was designated specifically for honors students, making it the most appropriate space for women of honor to rendezvous. Legacy Fountain, a significant entry point to access the speakeasy, represents the evolution from the women’s college to the university it is today. The concept of the torch influences the design of the speakeasy through a color scheme that also represents the spirit and pride of the university. The form of the torch is also present within the final design through its striking straight forms and touches of curvilinear flare.
Presentation Board
