This 9"x5" black and white photograph of the Whitcomb Lee Conservatory at Doane College shows the front entrance from a slight angle. The two-story, five-sided brick building has a ten-sided pyramidal roof with a skylight at the top. Square piers accent each corner at the second level.. The first-story is lined with eighteen over three double-hung windows, and the second story has single pane double-hung ribbon windows. Bushes have been planted around the foundation. Cement sidewalks coming in from three angles converge at the steps to the double front doors which stand open. A street lamp stands between two of the sidewalks. Parts of three other buildings can be seen at the right and in the background on either side of the Conservatory.
Whitcomb Lee Conservatory was designed by Dean and Dean Architectural Firm and built in 1906-07 in the prairie school style. The building, which originally housed a chapel and the music department, was named for Mr. and Mrs. George F. Lee of Otoe County, and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Whitcomb of Massachusetts. More commonly known as The Con, this unique five-sided building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Renovated in 2003-04, the Conservatory now houses the theatre and speech/forensics departments. The auditorium is used for theatre productions and other events and activities. It was the fifth building on campus.
Sources: 1) Thomas D. Perry, History of Doane College 1872 to 1912 Crete, Nebraska (Doane College Crete, Nebraska, 1957), 70. 2) Janet L. Jeffries, Images of America, Crete (South Carolina, Arcadia Publishing, 2012), 71.
