Date of Construction: 1930
Architect/Designer: Charles Klauder
Current Function: Department of Theater
The University of Delaware received Mitchell Hall as a gift from H. Rodney Sharp in 1930. A symmetrical, brick building, it has a two-story central block with a dome and, toward the rear, one-story wings extending north and south. The east and west elevations of the main block each have a pedimented gable above three recessed arches. Within these arches, three sets of double doors open onto the mall while one set opens toward the street. Recessed arches also appear on the one-story wings. H. Rodney Sharp is one of the most important figures in the development of the physical campus of the University of Delaware. A 1900 graduate, he became an active alumnus and fund raiser. On the Board of Trustees, he served first as chair of the Committee on Planning and Development and later as chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee. He introduced major benefactor Pierre S. du Pont to the university (see Wolf Hall profile), negotiated purchase of the property south of Main Street, chose Marian Coffin to landscape the campus and reviewed designs for new buildings as late as 1963. His financial contributions to the university eventually exceeded even those of Pierre S. du Pont. Sharp insisted that Mitchell Hall be named for Samuel Chiles Mitchell, president of Delaware College from 1914 to 1920. Consultants from the Yale drama department helped plan the building, which served as a concert hall, theater and auditorium. Pierre S. du Pont donated a pipe organ for use in the new space. Mitchell Hall became a regional theater in Delaware, hosting performances by university, community and traveling companies. Although an auditorium was a low priority for the university at the time, president Walter Hullihen praised Mitchell Hall as the "'finest building on campus.'"
